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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 0075.PDF
FLIGHT International, 10 January 198/ 69 Tennessee tails (and wings) HOWARD LEVY reports from Avco Aerostructures, Nashville JSSVCO Aerostructures at Nashville, Tennessee, produces tail components and wings for other manufacturers. During the Second World War' the large facility was home of Vultee Air craft's east-coast operation and turned out more than 900 A-35A and B model Vengeance bombers for American forces, the RAF and—a small num ber—for the Brazilian Air Force. The company also produced Lockheed P-38Ls and Stinson-Vultee (M9/L-1 observation aircraft. Today the cavernous production halls are used by Avco to build tails for the Lockheed Hercules as well as wings for Gulfstreams, BAe 146s and Lockheed TriStars. The 146 wing has a one-piece skin and is one of the INDUSTRY International largest such assemblies to be adhe sively bonded, with 30 parts attached to it. By the end of 1980, 238 Gulfstream II and 14 Gulfstream III wing sets had been delivered to Gulfstream American at Savannah, Georgia. More than 212 TriStar wing sets have been produced and 1,617 Hercules tail units have rolled out since 1954. Production rate for the C-130 tail is two a month, going to three. Two Gulfstream III wing sets are built each month, as are two TriStar sets. Production rate for the 146 has started at one a month. Avco is to build the 222ft retrofit wings for the USAF's 77 Lockheed C-5A Galaxy cargo aircraft. It has a Boeing con tract to build the 757 centre-wing and keel-beam components. Aerostruc tures has also produced Space Shuttle structural components and has a con tract to build ten TriStar inboard ailerons with graphite ribs and skins for research purposes. Top left A BAe 146 port-wing rear spar being built. Above Lockheed TriStar wings under construction. Below left TriStar wingskins feature bonded stringers. Below A 146 skin is deburred after milling ^V ,>j*^fc-i
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