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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2516.PDF
6io FLIGHT DECEMBER 3RD, 1942 Bristol Aeroplane Company'J 0/ Aircraft Salvage : fverj 0/ Usable Material Preservl] (Left) A burnt Beaufighter arrives at trie salvage depot. (Right) A typical report as made out by one of the Bristol Company' s inspectors. REDUCI ODUCE B Y a long line of sheds, which were once used for shell-filling in the 1914^18 war, long 60ft. trailers (known as Queen Marys) arrive with wrecked aircraft on board. Some of these aircraft are in reasonable condition, some show signs of severe burning, and others are little more than a heap of pieces of twisted metal which has been swept up in some field. These wrecks are the raw material for the Bristol air craft-salvage depot. In peacetime it would, in most instances, be just scrap, but to-day every tiny part is carefully dissected, inspected and then used again if it is found to be in sound condition. When the wreckage arrives, it is carefully gone over by an inspector of the Bristol Company, who makes a recommendation which is approved by the A.I.D. inspector. Such major portions as fuselages which can be used again have the damaged parts removed, and these parts are replaced from other crashed aircraft which have suffered in a different manner. This process is known as " cannibalisation." If, however, repair is not considered practical, the part is marked with a chalk R to P—which means reduce to produce—and the process of stripping begins. All the separate items are carefully removed and put in their appropriate place on the feeder benches. Hydraulics in one heap, flying con trols in another, pneumatic lines and controls in another, and so on, for the whole of the various com ponents. The parts are then degreased and cleaned, and sent to the appropriate department where specialised attention necessary for each different part is given.' Except for patching small areas the metal wing and fuselage cover ing is not used again in construction, but is made into 'rough bins to take other parts before it is finally baled up and sent for resmelting. It wou'd be impossible, in the space available, to describe all the hundreds of detailed items of salvage work that are carried out, but on a broad basis this is what happens: A careful examination of each part is made by a qualified inspector, who passes them as usable or otherwise- If passed O.K., they receive a stamp, and are given labels bearing both the Bristol Company's part number and the appropriate R. A.F. Having been marked R to P, dismantling number. If not °f the cockpit begins. This work is wanted for canni- mostly done by women who form 75 per balising some major cent o the dePot P^nnel. unit, they are put in store and entered in card indexes ready for re-issue to various repair depots all over the country. There is, of course, a surfeit of some parts, which never seem to get damaged, however serious the crash might be, . and these are sold back to the Bristol Company for use on production machines. Bristols have to buy these parts because they belong to aircraft which have already been sold to the R.A.F. It is a revelation to go through this, seemingly endless number of sheds. In one can be seen undercarriage legs I
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