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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0658.PDF
658 flight. 13 May 1960 PLANT REPRESENTATIVE . . efforts would be available as necessary to achieve the desiredresults. The plant representative was, of course, engaged in the negotia-tions leading to the contract and collateral agreements, and from that point on his office at Boeing's Renton plant was fully deployed. Post-contract Changes Every change made in an aircraft speci-fication during the production sequences is a matter of importance. It is obvious by the nature of things that during the contractnegotiation period final and detail specifications cannot be drawn to cover every point. Many requirements must be negotiated afterthe signing of the contract to reflect changes not yet studied and priced at the time of the contract, or customers' afterthoughts, orimportant improvements in the state of the art. Some of these change requests are welcomed by the constructor and he providesmock-ups and other assistance to the customer; others he resists. It is the responsibility of the plant representative to bring thesechanges up to the stage for acceptance and incorporation in the specification and to advise as to the possibility and practicabilityof their incorporation without prejudice to the delivery date. He must develop a sensitivity to the manufacturer's potential toabsorb these changes without slipping on the programme, so that his airline gets the most advanced aircraft possible, but vrithtimely delivery. Because of the relentless course of the aircraft down the produc-tion line, some changes are impossible of accomplishment on the early products but could be incorporated on the later ones. "Spliteffectivity" is the appropriate jargon. The plant representative's judgment is important in the decision to accept split effectivity.Is the split as early as all reasonable efforts can accomplish? Is it possible of easy accomplishment as a preservice modification?Are modification kits to be available? If so, what are the conditions of delivery and price? Some important changes have occurred during the productionof the 707-436 by reason of advancement in the state of the art, and substantial benefits have accrued to BO AC. The performanceof the Conway engines has increased markedly during the period. Not that the aircraft has had to rely on this increase to meet itsguaranteed performance; the increased performance resulting from the Conway improvement is a clear bonus. Also, ultimate-load tests on the 707 structure showed useful margins over the design figures, so that by the mere incorporation of a heavier Now with a modified fin (page 637, "Flight" last week) the first 707-436 is seen shortly after its 4,900-mile non-stop delivery flight to London Airport on April 29 in the hands of Capt Tom Stoney landing gear the all-up-weight was increased from 296,000 to312,0001b. This again was a bonus attained at only the cost of the gears and 3141b of extra tare weight. The effect of these twoimprovements is still further to increase the earning potential of the aircraft, and whereas all operators are beneficiaries of theincrease in all-up-weight, the benefits of the engine improvements are limited to Conway users. They can expect operations to showa 2\ to 3 per cent fuel economy as compared to the competitors, with valuable flexibility in flight planning due to the sustainedpower at high altitudes. Other typical changes arriving from technical progress are theincorporation of an engine vibration and temperature monitoring device, provisions for dual Doppler navigation equipment (byMarconi), and installation of the Marconi teleprinter for in-flight receipt, in plain language, of en route weather. The third category of changes to the specification are thosebrought about by necessity of time to finalize. In some cases the manufacturer has not been able to complete his studies and pricing;in others the airline has been unable to complete its operational or traffic forecasts. To wait for completion of these studies beforeclosing the contract might prejudice the customer's position on the delivery line; to be precipitous might be to be placed in the posi-tion of a captive customer. A delay of even a few weeks in closing the contract might ultimately risk a lengthy postponement ofdeliveries in favour of a competitor. These decisions are not easy and are made possible only by abundant good faith. Of a total of 130 changes negotiated to the BO AC Boeingspecification, only 11 have split effectivity and none has affected the delivery dates of the aircraft. Customer-furnished Equipment In the matter of customer-furnished equipment, serious responsibility rests on the plant representative's office. Many items on the 707-436 are customer'schoice and customer's supply. The list includes all the com- munications radar and communications equipment, the galleysand auxiliary catering installation, the seats, emergency equipment and, of course, all items of a passenger-amenity nature. If the manufacturer is to meet his delivery obligations he mustset up for each item one deadline for the supply of full and irre- vocable technical information, including requirements for envelope,mounting, functional testing, inspection, etc.; another deadline for receipt of a fully operational sample; and, thirdly, a series d
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