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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0058.PDF
58 FLIGHT, 13 January 1956 THE INDUSTRY Hunting Percival Design AppointmentI T is announced that Mr. Frank Ernest Bridges, A.M.I.Mech.E.,A.F.R.Ae.S., has joined Hunting Percival Aircraft, Ltd., as manager of the new design office which they have recently openedat Cavendish Square, London. After leaving the R.A.F. at the end of World War I, in whichhe had served as a bomber pilot, Mr. Bridges was successively with Blackburn, Short Bros., and General Aircraft before joining,in 1935, the project office of Saunders-Roe, where he later became assistant designer. During World War II he was technicalmanager of that company's department which handled American flying-boats. He then became drawing - office superintendent, ' "^^^^ after which he joined the newexperimental department, dealing with all test work, including thePrincess full-scale rigs. When Saunders-Roe took over theCierva Autogiro Co., Ltd., he was posted to Eastleigh in chargeof the helicopter division He is a member of the HelicopterAssociation. From 1953, until his return totake up his present appointment, Mr. Bridges was in Tasmania onpersonal affairs. Mr. F. E. Bridges. Novel Use for a Fork TruckS EEN in the photograph below is the well-known droprig—the largest of its kind in the country—used for testing aircraft landing gear at the main works of Dowty Equipment,Ltd., at Cheltenham. The big twin-wheel leg shown under test is for a Blackburn and General Aircraft Beverley, but there isan additional point of interest in the picture—namely, the method being employed for the initial spinning-up of the aircraft wheels. It may be recalled that in this test rig (and in other, smaller,rigs used by Dowty) the vertical and horizontal landing motions are simulated in different ways. Vertical touchdown is effectedby placing a load equivalent to the dynamic weight of the aircraft on top of the undercarriage. The horizontal motion relative tothe ground is simulated by spinning-up the wheel, or wheels, backwards so that the peripheral velocity is equal to the landingspeed of the aircraft concerned. Although it would have been possible to incorporate spinning- The spinning-up process (see "Novel Use for a Fork Truck," above). I Action study—at High Duty Alloys' recent long-service award presen- tation: Mr. H. G. Herrington (managing director) gives Mr. G. W. Richards (director) a clock and diploma to commemorate his 25 years' service. Just before, Mr. Herrington had himself received a similar presentation from Mr. G. A. Hunt (right), another director. up equipment as an integral part of the rig, there were objections,both from a handling point of view and from considerations of flexibility. The diversity of modern undercarriage design wouldcall for many variations of the spinning device; and, as it is employed for only a small percentage of the total testing time,any built-in equipment would have a poor utilization factor. In the design of the rig provision was therefore made for thespinning-up electric motor and its control gear to be mounted on a fork truck made by Lansing Bagnall, Ltd., of Basingstoke. Amotor so mounted can readily be used in conjunction with any drop-test rig on the site. It is mounted on to the truck forks bymeans of four bolts, with the control gear stowed neatly behind the mast. The motor can be changed if necessary in a matter ofminutes and the normal lift of the truck employed for manipula- tion. If the truck is required for some entirely different duty,the removal of the motor is a simple operation. In order to spin a wheel up to landing speed, the truck is drivenforward until a driving drum on the motor shaft is almost touching the tyre. Final adjustments are then made with the aid of thesensitive hydraulic controls of the truck, raising or lowering the forks, or tilting the mast, until the right contact pressure isobtained. The motor is then started and the aircraft wheel spun-up to the required speed. Disengagement can be effected by backingthe truck, but in practice the motor can usually be so positioned that the ensuing test-drop itself takes the tyre clear of the drum. IN BRIEF Mr. R. S. Searle has been appointed assistant managing directorof Parsons Chain Co., Ltd., and its subsidiary, British Wire Products. * * * A. C. Wilson and Partners (in association with the Power-GasCorporation, Ltd., Stockton-on-Tees), have been appointed design consultants to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority'sheadquarters at Risley. The company, it is stated, will be respon- sible for designing and procuring plant and equipment to handleand manipulate radio-active materials. * * * A number of changes have been effected in the managementof Wickman, Ltd. Mr. G. R. Marsh, the managing director, resigned on December 31st and Mr. E. A. Hyde has beenappointed to succeed him; Mr. W. V. Hodgson has been appointed deputy managing director. Mr. C. F. Watts becomes financialcontroller and Mr. H. B. Morris secretary. * * * After forty-one years with Vickers, Ltd., Air. W. G. Carringtonhas retired from his post as manager of the cine and photographic department of the company. Mr. Carrington has been associatedwith cinematography since before the 1914-1918 war, when he joined the old Gaumont Company, by whom he was trained. Hejoined Vickers in 1915 as an already experienced air photographer. The recent American television series Victory at Sea and theBritish War in the Air both contained some film he had taken. * * * A little over a year ago, Export Packing Service, Ltd.,Imperial Buildings, 56 Kingsway, London, W.C.2, opened their research and development establishment at Sittingbourne,Kent. Now, in a comprehensively illustrated brochure entitled Probing into Packaging, they present an interim progress report.Of particular interest is a chapter dealing with the test-house, in which routine testing of packaging materials and methods is con-ducted in accordance with Government specifications and/or customers' requirements. Equipment of the test-house includesa climatic chamber and apparatus for the making of rain and immersion tests, drop tests, and acceleration, dynamic loadingand vibration tests.
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