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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0526.PDF
. 522 FLIGHT THE INDUSTRY The Importance of Apprenticeship T HE training of apprentices in precision engineering was described by Lt.-Gen. Sir John Everts, managing director of Rotol and British Messier, Ltd., as being "a matter of supreme importance " not only to firms but to Britain. Sir John was speaking at his company's apprentices' eleventh annual prize distribution, held recently. Mr. A. G. Elliott, joint managing director and chief engineer of Rolls-Royce, Ltd., and a director of Rotol, Ltd., presented the prizes to the apprentices. The presentation of prizes, said Sir John Evetts, was a culminat ing point in the technical training and education of boys of today who would be the skilled craftsmen of tomorrow. Without a flow of new and young blood no industry could flourish—particularly, precision-engineering firms such as Rotol and British Messier. Four objectives of the firm's training scheme were : to train skilled craftsmen, draughtsmen and technicians as far as possible in accordance with the special aptitudes and skill of the appren tices; to co-ordinate the practical training arranged by the com panies with the theoretical training offered by the technical col leges; to develop in young persons a sense of loyalty and good citizenship; and to encourage a pride in craftsmanship and tech nical achievement for our mutual and national advantage. The company's apprentice scheme was entering its fifteenth operational year. At present 150 apprentices were under training and, after making allowance for completed apprenticeships this year, the number was expected to rise to 175 to 180. Between 1941 and the end of 1952, 99 apprentices had gained the Ordinary National Certificate, while between 1943 and 1952, 74 had been awarded the Higher National Certificate. Versatile Porvic CONSIDERABLE improvement in the performance of aircraft batteries for a given weight is afforded by the use of Porvic separators—indestructible microporous diaphragms which, while preventing mechanical contact between the plates, allow the electro chemical reaction to proceed with maximum efficiency. The originators of the Porvic separator are Pritchett and Gold and E.P.S. Co., Ltd., who claim to be the oldest battery-makers in Britain. Their associated company, Peto and Radford, Ltd., made batteries specially for aircraft during the first world war; they are still making them today, and Porvic separators have a share in the efficiency of the batteries employed in D.H. Comets. Porvic has a number of applications quite apart from batteries. It is, for instance, a highly efficient filtering medium for liquids, while another specialized use for the material has been found by T.K.S. (Aircraft De-icing), Ltd., who are using a replaceable Porvic membrane in a prototype de-icing fluid distributor for wing leading-edges. The outside skin of the new distributor is formed from porous bronze sheet of high permeability. The Porvic, which is in intimate contact with the inside of this skin, offers sufficient resistance to the flow of the liquid through it to ensure even distribution over the whole surface. At the same time the Porvic prevents any solid matter, with which the fluid might have become contaminated, from choking the porous bronze. In the event of the Porvic itself becoming blocked, the distributor can be dismantled and the material replaced at low cost. Hymatic Appointments STAFF reorganization at the head office of the Hymatic Engin eering Co., Ltd., the compressed-air-equipment specialists of Redditch, Worcs, has led to two new appointments: Mr. D. G. B. Mountford, formerly in charge of the export sales department, has become assistant production controller and Mr. D. H. V. Fereday has been appointed his successor. During the war Mr. Mountford was engaged on radar duties in the Royal Navy and became an executive officer on the staff of the C-in-C. British Pacific Fleet; he joined Hymatic in 1946. Mr. Fereday served in the R.A.F. from 1941 to 1946 as a captain of bomber aircraft in the Middle East and Italy, where he was commissioned, and was later with Transport Command, flying passengers from Britain to these areas. In 1946 he obtained a Commercial Pilot's Licence in East Africa, but upon demobil ization forsook flying for industry and joined Hymatic. A founder- student of the Department of Industrial Administration at the Birmingham College of Technology, he is at present engaged in setting "case study" problems used in advanced study groups on management practice. Mr. D. H. V. Fereday. I1N BRIEF The English Electric Co., Ltd., announce that Viscount Calde- cote, D.S.C., M.A., has been elected a director. He is a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, and Second Bursar; Associate Member of the Institution of Naval Architects, and of the North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Ship builders; and a United Kingdom representative on the Administrative and Budgetary Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1952). * * * A.V-M. H. N. Thornton, C.B.E., sales director of Blackburn and General Aircraft, Ltd., who has already visited India, Austra lia and Japan as part of his world tour, is now in the United States. It is possible that he will go on to Canada * * * Nearly 300 employees of James Booth and Co., Ltd., and their associated company, John Wilkes, Sons and Mapplebeck, Ltd., were recently presented with either wrist-watches or clocks in appreciation of service of 25 years or more. The presentations were made by Dr. Horace W. Clarke, managing director of both companies, at a dinner given for the purpose. * * * Valued at 130,000 dollars, an important contract has been secured by The North British Rubber Co., Ltd., Edinburgh, for the manufacture of aircraft tyres for the United States Air Force. During the past few years the company's tyre-building plant has been modernised in order to undertake specialized work of this kind. The contract will take twelve months to fulfil. * * * Mr. D. B. Cousar has been appointed aviation manager of Scottish Oils and Shell-Mex, Ltd., and of Shell-Mex and B.P.'s Northern division; and the following have been appointed aviation managers for the Shell-Mex and B.P. divisions shown : Mr. C. E. Massey (North Western and North Eastern), Mr. G. Murray (Western), and Mr. R. T. R. Poulton (Eastern and Midland). Mr. R. G. Woodman is appointed aviation supervisor, Southern division. Mr. H. R. Gardner continues as aviation manager, London division. * * * Avery-Hardoll, Ltd., Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey, announce that Mr. Desmond F. Hannan has been appointed sales manager of their industrial equipment division. He will be responsible for the sales of Avery-Hardoll fuelling equipment, including pressure refuelling couplings as now widely used in aircraft. Elliot Equipment, Ltd., Llwnypia, Rhondda, South Wales, have published a handsomely bound and comprehensively illus trated loose-leaf catalogue—the Numax Handbook—of their nautical and aeronautical life-saving and safety equipment. Sections include aircraft dinghies, aircrew life-jackets and search and rescue dropping ^apparatus. A booklet from G. M. Engineering (Ottery St. Mary), Ltd., 1 Victoria Street, London S.W.i, gives details of their B.B.T. (bus-bar trunking) system of electric power distribution. Afford ing tapping-points every two feet, the overhead ducts provide a convenient and adaptable system of bringing power to machine- tools with individual motor drives. British Insulated Callender's Cables, Ltd., announce that they have acquired, as from April 30th, the cable and wire business of Phillips Electrical Works Ltd., Canada, and will, through a new Canadian company which they are forming with the name of "Phillips Electrical Company (1953), Ltd.," continue this business at the existing Brockville (Ontario) and Montreal factories. Mr. W. H. McFadzean will be chairman. Sales will continue for the time being through Automatic Electric (Canada), Ltd., Toronto.
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