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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1411.PDF
630 FLIGHT THE INDUSTRY D.H. Annual Report FN the chairman's report circulated to de Havilland shareholders *- in advance of the annual meeting on May 24th, Mr. F. T. Hearle, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.P.E., reviews the group's pro gress, and hints at future developments. "The formula for a fighting aeroplane to succeed the latest types now under development," he says, "is a matter yet to be resolved, and it is dependent somewhat upon the rate of progress with guided weapons. This is a period of study, and, needless to say, in conjunction with our Engine Company and the guided weapons division of our Propeller Company, we are carefully weighing the factors from the point of view of what is likely to be required by the British and Commonwealth air forces and those of our Allies." Later in the report there is the statement: "Our rocket develop ment is going ahead well and is directed towards use as a power unit as well as for take-off assistance. We have greatly augmented our research and development facilities for test and experiment, and we have now completed our plant expansion on the produc tion side. Marketing opportunities for the smaller piston-engines, such as our Gipsy range, are reduced, but we have interesting development work in hand in this category also." Of current military-aircraft work, the report says: "In the rows of Venom day and night fighters, Sea Venoms and Vampire Trainers we see our production programme at its peak, in accordance with the Government's present defence policy. . . . Our main contribution to the next phase is represented by the Naval version of the D.H. 110. . . ." The financial statement shows the net revenue of the group, for the year ended September 30th, 1953, to have been £4,173,823. Taxation absorbs the large figure of £1,799,112. The net surplus is £820,768, as compared with £597,108 for the previous year. The printed report, incidentally, has an unusually handsome format, with full-page colour illustrations. One of these, from a Wootton painting, shows the compressor test section of the Engine Company at Hatfield; it is stated that a rig for testing components of engines such as the Gyron may, in its developed form, give as much as 40,000 s.h.p., this power being derived from a bank of Ghost engines geared to a central shaft. Dowry Directorships ELECTED to the Board of Dowty Equipment of Canada, Ltd., is Mr. E. J. Nicholl, who joined the parent company in 1935 and became chief designer in 1941; his new appointment does not affect that post. Before going to Dowty's Mr. Nicholls was successively on the Percival and Handley Page design sides. Another Dowty Group ap pointment is that of Mr. T. A. Whitby, to the Board of Coventry Precision, Ltd., of which he is secretary and com mercial manager. Mr. £. J. Nicholl The Graviner Firewire A NEW fire-warning device known as the Firewire was ^*- demonstrated to members of the industry at the Colnbrook works of the Graviner Manufacturing Co., Ltd., last week. Mr. M. G. Bennett, the company's chief engineer, gave a lucid explanation of the characteristics of the new product. Briefly, and as we described it at the time of last year's Farnborough Show—where it made its first appearance—the Firewire is a detecting element consisting of a co-axial cable, the inner nichrome wire being placed concentrically within an outer stainless-steel sheath, from which it is separated by a filling of active material. This active substance exhibits a remarkable electrical resistance/temperature curve in that, at a temperature which can be chosen by varying the composition (but which is constant for a given material), the resistance falls very rapidly. It will thus be seen that the Firewire itself constitutes an open circuit, which closes as soon as the critical temperature is reached. If the fire is extinguished, the element immediately returns to its original condition. A continuous length of the wire is fitted in a fire zone in such a way that all hot-spots are covered and that no electrical cable is present in the fire zone itself. The wire is calibrated to operate a warning or extinguishing device through a mechani cal relay unit and is stated to withstand exposure to either the British or American standard flame for well over the stipulated six minutes. A continuous wire of this type, it is claimed, can provide a more comprehensive warning coverage than a series of unit detectors. It was shown that even if the Firewire is broken or seriously damaged it will continue to detect fire. It is, in fact, extremely difficult to damage it to such an extent that it will fail to operate. During the demonstration the wire was subjected to a standard flame for over 30 minutes and then broken and hammered flat without losing its warning characteristics. The production of Firewire requires absolute cleanliness in the filling process. The active material which was eventually adopted was developed with the co-operation of the R.A.E., and special end-fittings with the assistance of Lodge Plugs. Firewire requires no electronic amplification systems; it does, on the other hand, need an A.C. current supplied from the air craft invertors. This equipment is normally duplicated in air liners. Each length of Firewire is sealed, X-ray-tested, and individually calibrated before it leaves the factory. These measures, together with its robustness, should ensure extreme reliability in operation. Viscounts ordered for T.C.A. are to be fitted with Firewire detectors. English Electric Technical Control RECENTLY the English Electric Co., Ltd., announced the appointment of Mr. H. M. Mathews, CLE., M.I.E.E., as director of engineering responsible for co-ordination and direc tion of technical policy. The company has since announced that its aircraft and guided weapons divisions remain unaffected by this appointment. The chief engineer of the aircraft division, Mr. F. W. Page, B.A., F.R.Ae.S., is directly responsible to the chairman and managing director of the English Electric Co., Ltd., Sir George H. Nelson, F.C.G.I., M.I.Mech.E., M.I.E.E., F.R.S.A. The guided weapons division, of which Air. L. H. Bedford, O.B.E., M.A., B.Sc, M.I.E.E., is chief engineer, will also con tinue to be administered independendy. Luton Appointment NOW appointed public relations officer to Hunting Percival Aircraft, Ltd., Mr. J. C. Cunningham, D.S.O., G.M., served with distinction as an Army officer in the 1914-18 War. In World War II, when he was defence officer at Percivals, he shared with a bomb-disposal officer, Lt. Armitage, R.N., the formidable task of de-fusing a mine dropped on the factory. For this he was awarded the George Medal. For the past five years Mr. Cunning ham has been editor of Tally-Ho! the house journal of the aviation interests in the Hunting Group. Wiggin Executive Changes SEVERAL new appointments affecting the executive staff of Henry Wiggin and Co., Ltd., are announced, effective from May 1st. Mr. J. C. Hitchcock will relinquish his position as assistant managing director to become assistant to the chairman of the Mond Nickel Co., Ltd.; he remains a member of the Wiggin Board. Mr. H. W. G. Hignett, superintendent of the Mond Nickel development and research laboratory, has been appointed to the Wiggin Board and will take charge of technical (metallurgical) control and development in all the company's plants. He is succeeded at the laboratory by Mr. H. Evans. Mr. R. E. Ansell, manager of the sales department, now becomes a member of the Board. Mr. O. Lewis Jones will become general production manager for all the Wiggin plants; he is succeeded as works manager at Birmingham by Mr. C. E. Winfield. Changes at the Zenith Works, Glasgow, are also announced. Efficient Refuelling FROM the Steel Barrel Co., Ltd., Uxbridge, Middlesex, comes a catalogue illustrating and describing their range of aircraft refuellers and servicing vehicles as supplied for civil and Service use. In the majority of the tankers listed, the emphasis is on the modern requirement for pressure refuelling, and the point is made that the high delivery-rates are sensitively controlled by patented automatic valves that prevent risk of damage to aircraft tanks by sudden pressure-surges. A dozen fuellers illustrated in the brochure vary in capacity from 250 to 4,000 gallons, though the company can supply an even wider range, i.e., from five to 5,000 gallons. The highest delivery rate quoted is 620 gal/min, through two lines at 310 gal/min each. Various well known makers of chassis are employed for the
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