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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0318.PDF
318 FLIGHT, 4 March l%o THE INDUSTRY de Havilland Aircraft of Canada, Downsview, Ontario, have patented this cylindrical slide-rule for determining aircraft weight and balance. It gives step-by-step indication of loading in relation to limits and permits direct reading of weight, e.g. and moment index at any stage without calculation. The effect of each factor or group of factors added or removed is registered individually, and adjustments may be made to offset adverse weight or e.g. trends as they develop US Interest in King Aircraft Corporation '"THE well-known Glasgow manufacturers of aircraft components-•- and fittings, King Aircraft Corporation, announced last week that H. K. Porter & Cie SA, international subsidiary of theH. K. Porter Co Inc of Pittsburgh, had acquired an interest in their business. It was stated that King Aircraft Corporation would continueto be operated by their present team, headed by J. McEwan King as chairman and managing director. The specialities of the Glasgow firm—particularly fasteners,clamps and couplings—have been widely used by the aircraft industry for many years past. Products of the 16 Porter divisionsand subsidiaries include refractories, chemicals, rubber and fric- tion materials, paint, steel and non-ferrous metals, electrical equip-ment and fabricated metal products. BS G.100: Aircraft Electrical Equipment IN order that the revised British Standard G.100 GeneralRequirements for Aircraft Electrical Equipment shall be as comprehensive and valuable as possible, the British StandardsInstitution is anxious to receive comments from the industry and all other interested parties. The original G.100 was published in1952 and—particularly in Pt 2 (Environmental and Operating Conditions)—many changes are necessary in the light of therequirements of modern high-performance aircraft operation. Nominally the last date for receiving comments is March 7(Monday next), but the Institution will be pleased for communica- tions received as soon as possible after that date to be consideredby the technical committee concerned. Comments should be sent to the BSI at British Standards House, 2 Park Street, London Wl. Ultra Orders THE Indonesian Navy has placed a £300,000 contract withUltra Electronics Ltd for anti-submarine aircraft equipment. Ultra sonobuoys (Type T.1946) which will be supplied under thecontract will be used in conjunction with receiving equipment now being installed in the Gannets supplied by Fairey Aviationto the Indonesian Navy. D. S. Macintyre, Ultra senior sales engineer, recently visited Djakarta and negotiated the contractwith the Indonesian Chief of Naval Aviation. Other news from Ultra Electronics is that their turbine speedand jetpipe temperature control amplifier are being supplied for BOAC's Boeing 707s. They have also supplied the communicationscontrol system; the equipment selected is the Ultra UA 57. Fluorescent Finishes MUCH attention has lately been given to the matter of enhanc-ing air safety by the use of fluorescent colours. From one well known manufacturer of aircraft finishes—Docker Brothers,Ladywood, Birmingham 16—come details of materials they have produced to meet this demand. Known as "Dockerblaze," theirfluorescent finish is stated to "maintain an amazing degree of brightness for periods well in excess of 12 months." They suggestthat the finish will not only be of value for making aircraft con- spicuous, but also for such detail uses as marking emergency accesspoints, and also for use on airfield vehicles. The finish is stated to have high resistance to ester-based lubricants, kerosine, mineraloils, water/methanol mixtures and de-icing fluid. It can be released as conforming with ARB requirements for a proprietary material,pending the issue of a specification. The colour range is identified by the names rocket red, blazeorange, signal green and Saturn yellow. It is essential, say the manufacturers, that paint schemes in this material be applied inclose conformity with instructions, i.e., with a suitable primer and "Dockerblaze" white undercoat; application of a finishing varnishthen ensures a high-gloss finish and the required durability. Also announced by the company is "Fibrecolor," which, usedfor tinting polyester laminates in aircraft structures, renders a laminate fireproof. Tests, say the company, show that materialsso treated met ARB requirements for fire resistance. Finally, under the title of "Fibreblaze" there is a new material for colouringpolyester laminates with a fluorescent finish; it is available in red, orange, yellow and green. Titanium Bolt Prices Reduced HPHE weight of titanium alloy bolts is only 53 per cent of that of-*- mild steel bolts of the same size, and the newer material, of course, has superior fatigue properties. Guest Keen & Nettlefolds(Midlands) Ltd last week announced a "striking reduction" in the prices of these bolts. This, they state, is the result of improvedproduction methods—it was found that the percentage of rejec- tions among many thousand bolts produced in a research pro-gramme was smaller than expected—coupled with price reductions which ICI Metals have been able to make in the raw material. "Fortunately for the aircraft industry," say GKN, "these pricereductions are largest in the smaller diameters such as 10-32 UNF, Jin and Ain, in which the greatest demand is found. Instead ofquoting examples of cost, say, per 100 bolts, it is of more practical value to quote the cost per pound weight saved compared withmild-steel bolts. Even with the maximum discount for quantity, this cost could have been in the region of £40 to £50 per poundweight saved, depending on diameters selected. Now, using Jin diameter bolts as an example, this cost has been reduced to theregion of £24 to £26 per pound weight saved, and in the case of some popular length bolts in larger diameters it has even beenreduced to the striking figure of £17 10s per pound weight saved— a figure far below that generally regarded as the cost of researchand development necessary to achieve an equal weight reduction." The company add that reductions of comparable magnitude areunlikely in the near future, although there is a possibility of the average price of bar stock falling to £5 per pound. ~ IN BRIEF Castrol House, the 15-storey building erected in Marylebone Road,London NW1, for the Wakefield Castrol Group, was formally opened on February 22 by Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport. J. A. Benn, formerly of Waymouth Gauges & Instruments Ltd, hasjoined the Aircraft Engine Instruments Division of Elliott Brothers (London) Ltd as technical liaison engineer. Winston Electronics Ltd announce that Joseph Samuels, purchasingdirector for several years, has been appointed works director in charge or production. Gp Capt E. A. Warfield, CBE, DFC, who recently resigned his appoint-m:nt as director (training) with Air Service Training Ltd, has ^een appointed general manager of the Avica group of companies at HemelHempstead. Gordon Wansbrough-White, ARAes, is joining the Metal IndustriesGroup on April 1 as assistant to the group's organization and methods officer. At present with Bristol Aircraft Ltd, he is an O and M officerwith computer experience and is a qualified pilot. Three weeks ago he contributed the feature article "Fifty Bristol Years" to Flight. Aircraft-Marine Products (Great Britain) Ltd are now at AmploHouse, 87-89 Saffron Hill, London EC1, a new building in which they have centralized their head office, research laboratory, sales and engineer-ing departments, prototype and service workshops, and international division. Production of solderless terminals remains at the company'sPort Glasgow works. Also announced is the appointment of D. W. Bray, BSC, AMIEE, as engineering manager. K.L.G. high-energy igniters, Type KR-104, have been approved byRolls-Royce and the ARB for all Dart engines. In laboratory tests believed to be the most exhaustive ever conducted on igniters, stateK.L.G., the KR-104 showed a life some three times longer than that of the older types. The new igniter is operated from a high-energv unitproviding 12 Joules at 2kV but is also suitable for use with units of bwer output. Reynolds (Packaging) Ltd of Alfred's Way, Barking, Essex, hav' formany years specialized in packaging equipment for Government depart- ments and industry. They already have humidity-controlled room an"they have now added an air-conditioned room which will enable par- ticular classes of equipment to be cleaned and sealed under dus:- K*conditions. Among items dealt with in this new department th< firm cite precision equipment, particularly for guided weapons; elec' onicactuating gear; nitration and oxygen breathing equipment; and fl=-xibl« and rigid hose assemblies.
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