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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1757.PDF
880 FLIGHT, 9 December 1955 Exterior and interior views of the new apprentice train- ing-school building at the Vickers - Armstrongs (Air- craft) factory at Weybridge. Main function of the school is to give initial practical training to the firm's trade, engineer and student apprentices. FOR VICKERS APPRENTICES SPEAKING at the opening of a new aircraft apprentice trainingschool at Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd., Weybridge, on November 25th, Lt-Gen. Sir Ronald Weeks (chairman of Vickers,Ltd.) described the school as a coming-of-age present for the com- pany's apprentices: the formal inauguration of the apprenticeshipscheme had taken place just 21 years before. Sir Ronald intro- duced the Minister of Supply, Mr. Reginald Maudling, who, as"a valiant master who has to take swift decisions in 900 or 1,000 ways," was to perform the opening ceremony. Later a silvercigar-box was presented to the Minister by Maj-Gen. C. A. L. Dunphie, chairman of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd., whosaid that the building of the school owed a great deal to the efforts of Mr. H. H. Gardner [chief designer, guided weapons]. The new school comprises a large lecture hall, which can bedivided into three classrooms by sliding partitions, and a large fully equipped workshop capable of accommodating 120 appren-tices. The building also contains an apprentices' common-room and a library, while a film projection room adjoins the lecture hall,which can be used as a cinema. The company's apprenticeship scheme, introduced in 1934, replaced the earlier system of "gentleman apprenticeship" underwhich a limited number of boys had obtained practical experience in various departments prior to employment in the firm. At theend of 1934, there were 30 boys in training under the new scheme. This number increased to 230 by the end of 1950. At the presenttime, there are 700 apprentices under training at Weybridge. EVOLUTION OF THE VANGUARD (continued from page 864) essentials—at least everyone hopes it is. The aim of the manu-facturer is now to pull out as many aircraft as possible in the minimum time in order to hurry up an intensive programme ofC. of A. flying and general development. There will be no proto- type as such. From the aspects of both aerodynamics andstructural strength, the first machine will be the same as its suc- cessors, apart from modifications dictated by its own test pro-gramme. It will be built at Weybridge during the next three years, using production jigging throughout. At present Vickers' main factory at Weybridge is heavily com-mitted to the Valiant programme although a large secondary shop is at present erecting special-order Viscounts. Bulk productionof the Viscount is centred at Hurn, near Bournemouth, where the floor area was recently doubled to the present total of 354,000 sq ft.In 1958, the total erection-shop area available for production of the Viscount and Vanguard, at both Hurn and Weybridge, will beincreased from the present 547,000 sq ft to 765,000 sq ft. Recently, Mr. George Edwards suggested that it should bepossible to produce 20 aircraft monthly, taking both types together. At present some 80 Viscounts have been built, with upwards of160 still to go. The latter figure is based upon present orders and the appearance of the Vanguard should not be taken as anindication that Viscount production will cease when these orders are met. In fact, the quite exceptional growth potential of theViscount and Dart ensure continued production of this aircraft into the 1960s; the later Viscounts should not be under-rated, andthey will form a useful counterpart to the Vanguard with both types being built side-by-side. Vickers are at present planning an extensive programme oftesting, a considerable amount of which has already been com- pleted. Meanwhile development of the powerplant is proceedinggenerally on schedule. The Rolls-Royce Tyne first ran in April of this year and has since progressed satisfactorily during thebench-running of prototypes. Early next year the engine will fly in the nose of a Lincoln, and it will later begin to pile up a usefulnumber of hours in an Ambassador test-bed. Rolls-Royce and B.E.A. intend to operate the latter aircraft to commercial schedulesas a freighter, thus retracing the steps of B.E.A.'s Dart-Dakotas. Mr. Peter Masefield, when chief executive of B.E.A., describedthe Tyne as "substantially ahead of anything else we know of." At present the only order intimated for the V.900 series isthat of B.E.A. itself, the Corporation intending to buy approximately 20 aircraft. It is obvious, however, that many otheroperators are intently studying the design, including several air- lines which have never previously bought British equipment. Inevitably, comparisons are being drawn between the Van-guard and the Electra (Flight, November 4th,, 1955). Actually, the development of the Dart is now reaching such powers that,over stages less than 1,000 miles, the Electra's chief rival seems likely to be the 1959 developed Viscount Major, taking up to 70passengers at 400 miles per hour and selling at roughly half the first cost of the American transport. The Electra only begins toshow up to advantage either when traffic is exceptionally heavy or where stage lengths are outside the scope of the Viscount. Onsuch routes the bigger Vanguard promises to beat the Electra on every count except one; the American machine is being built to arather closer time scale and will probably fly at least a year before its British competitor. As regards first cost, the Vanguard andElectra should not differ greatly, for both seem likely to reach £750,000 exclusive of spares. Altogether, the development of the Vanguard is a big andexpensive undertaking for all concerned. It is therefore logical that, over the life of the design, Vickers should pull out all theinbuilt stretch of the aircraft and also make the fullest use of its great versatility in order to sell to as many customers as possible.We have already stated that, as the rating of the Tyne develops up to—and possibly even beyond—the 5,000 e.h.p. level, so will theVanguard be authorized to operate at increased weights, thus per- mitting the development of a version with much longer range.By 1961, perhaps, the Vanguard may be able to tackle American coast-to-coast routes when operating at a maximum weight o;135,000 lb and for a lower cost per ton-mile than any competitor. At the same time, the cruising speed should rise to considerablymore than the initial 400 m.p.h. In fact, if the Tyne can be persuaded to grow in the manner of the Dart, the Vanguard shoulibe with us for as long as fixed-wing aircraft, as we know ther today, continue to be operated. Getting a transport of this calibre into service is a Herculeatask, both for the constructor and the operator. It is good t > know that we are tackling the job, and even better to know th:::it is in such experienced hands.
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