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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0395.PDF
^"tfU—Wisr- DURING World War II many enormous factories were con-structed in all parts of the U.S.A. with public funds, for lease to various aircraft companies. One of these was GAP-6 (Govern-ment Aircraft Plant No. 6) situated just outside Marietta, Georgia. Unlike the majority of the government factories, GAP-6 remainstoday in full production of complete aircraft (4£m sq ft, 15,000 employees). Leased by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, ithas built hundreds of Boeing B-47E medium bombers and is now rapidly getting into its stride with the radical Lockheed C-130AHercules transport, a 50-ton machine driven by Allison T56 turboprops and capable of lifting a 40,000-lb load. The photographabove shows the first Hercules line as it was earlier this month. Although much lighter than the plant's other product (in the back-ground), the C-130 is larger, with a span of 132ft. OF the four main divisions of the Douglas Aircraft Company,the largest is that at El Segundo, California (4Jm sq ft, 25,500 employees). El Segundo is responsible for all work on Douglasnaval aircraft, and they recently delivered the 2,500th Skyraider —an "old faithful" which is still in full production. At present,the fastest aircraft built at El Segundo is die F4D-1 Skyray inter- cepter, a compact bat-winged machine which in 1953 establisheda world speed record of 752 m.p.h. and a 100km circuit record (which still stands) of 728 m.p.h. The F4D-1 is built on top of atrench from which all underside work is performed. In the photograph, the engines—afterburning J57-P-2s of 14,600 lbthrust—are being installed, and electronic units assembled. Search radar is mounted in the nose and four cannon are installed in thewing. A photograph of a completed F4D-1 appears on p. 396.
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