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A word to design staffs

A word to design staffs July, 1945 AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING 187 The Reverse of the Picture Aircraft Engineering We are bound to say, in fairness to both sides, that some of the examples quoted seem to argue an unexpected lack of experience, amounting almost to ignorance, on the part of members of design Th e Monthly Scientific and Technical staffs. We should have thought that knowledge of the thermal ex­ Orga n of the Aeronautical Engineering pansion and electrical resistance of metals should be part of their common stock-in-trade. Similarly, it does not require undue fore­ Professio n sight to visualize that certain parts need frequent removal for cleaning, or that grease nipples have to be accessible. Editor: Lieut.-Col. W.Lockwood Marsh, O.B.E.,F.R.Ac.S.,M.S.A.E.,F.I.Ae.S. A Passin g Phase Vol. XVII. No. 197 July, 1945 The second point that arises from the article is tha t a considerable proportion of the failures mentioned are due to wartime dilution of labour. The need for design to avoid defects likely to lead to failure in service, or cause difficulty and delay in maintenance, will be as important in commercial aeroplanes as it has been with Service E commend particularly to junior members of drawing types, but it is happily reasonable to assume that when organizations office and design staffs the article in this issue on failures in get back to normal and are once again on a peacetime footing it will service which have proved to be due to lack of foresight in be possible to employ more carefully selected and experienced the design of details. We had some doubts as to whether these notes personnel. This, of course, applies at both ends of the chain and the would appear more appropriately in the general section of the paper more experienced inhabitants of the drawing office will presumably or in the section devoted to the more practical affairs of the work­ be less likely to commit bétises, jus t as those who handle the products shop and production bays. The article provides an instance where of their ingenuity will be better trained and more intelligent. This the distinction becomes a little fine but, while admittedly most of difference in the quality of draughtsmen will of itself cure one of the the examples given relate back to the drawing office, they do on the troubles to which attention is called ip the article. The same staff other hand in the result affect the production, and more especially are likely to be engaged on designing similar details in successive the maintenance, sides which are in each case staffed by engineers aeroplanes and will therefore have the benefit of accumulated know­ of one type or another. ledge to help in avoiding their own previous mistakes. A Special Case The Need for Liaison As we have indicated in a note at the head of the article, readers One point that stands out is the immense value of the closest must not allow themselves to be prejudiced against it by the fact possible liaison between design and operational staffs—whether that the author's name does not appear—we do not, in general, the latter are in the R.A.F. or employed by the B.O.A.C. or some care for articles in AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING which are not authen­ other air-line organization. There is far too much tendency for the ticated in this way. The circumstances are, however, exceptional. different branches of aeronautics to work in a series of water-tight The information given has been collected by the author in the compartments. We have frequently in the past called attention to course of his duties as the representative of his firm—which is one the heed for design staffs to work in close co-operation with the of the oldest and most uniformly successful of British aircraft production people whose job it is to translate into practice their businesses—investigating and putting right defects which have been drawing-board projects. It is no less important for the drawing- found to occur in machines in service with the Royal Air Force, and office personnel to pay visits as frequently as possible to operational it is natural, in view of this, that the firm concerned should not wish and maintenance units and centres. They are a little prone to avoid the fact that these defects have shown themselves should be this, partly on account of a dislike of being shaken out of their associated with its products. On the other hand, its public spirit in cloistered routine and partly through a natural resentment of the passing on to others some of the experience gained is to be com­ criticism that they inevitably receive. The "raspberry" is not a mended and is an example to be followed. pleasant fruit when used as a missile, but there are few designers— and especially juniors who are charged with the working out of details—who would not derive benefit from frank and open dis­ Suffering Fools cussion with their opposite numbers on the maintenance side. Too The first point that occurs to us is how essential it is for the few of them, unfortunately, ever see an aeroplane whole, and when designer of details to proceed always on the assumption that the man they do only do so on the occasion of a social visit to the firm's who will be responsible for maintaining and servicing the aeroplane aerodrome to see their product dramatically thrown about in the air is—not to put too fine a point on it—a fool. Some of the instances by an experienced test pilot. What they need is to get right down to given arc almost incredibly stupid and one obvious lesson to be it in the maintenance hangar with the oil-stained mechanics who gathered from them is that it is safe only to assume that everyone have to suffer for their sins, both of omission and commission, and into whose hands the aeroplane will come is equally stupid—or at it will do them no harm occasionally to have the fresh air of toil- least very inexperienced and untrained. This must not be taken as won experience blowing the cobwebs out of their brains. We fear derogatory to the Royal Air Force—it is common knowledge in all that there is all too often a certain amount of snobbery to be over­ engineering circles what extremely foolish things will be done come in this matter but that it has got to be overcome is one of the occasionally by individuals and it is wiser to provide for any engin­ certainties on which the future of British air transport depends. eering product coming sooner of later into the hands of someone who will behave with extreme foolishness. It is a never-ending source of amazement to us, for instance, how few people seem to be able to Fro m the General to the Particular read the simplest sentence intelligently. It sometimes seems that The article to which we have been referring may well be read in however carefully a phTase may be couched there is always someone conjunction with that on "Fundamentals of Design" by MR. KLEIN, somewhere who will misunderstand it. It must also always be which we published in May last. The later dots the "i's " and crosses remembered that however prominently a notice may be painted the "t's" of the earlier. MR. KLEIN dealt more with the general on some par t of an aeroplane as a warning against handling, or using aspects of design and how they affect the performance in operation as a foothold, after a time it becomes so familiar to the regular user and the ease of maintenance of the aeroplane in service. This month's that it, quite literally, ceases to be visible to him a t all. I t is, there­ article gets down to detail and gives actual instances of the sad fore, necessary to make an y part that can be laid hold of strong results that have actually been caused by lack of vision and practical enough to withstand abuse. knowledge in the design office. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology Emerald Publishing

A word to design staffs

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology , Volume 17 (7): 1 – Jul 1, 1945

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0002-2667
DOI
10.1108/eb031261
Publisher site
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Abstract

July, 1945 AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING 187 The Reverse of the Picture Aircraft Engineering We are bound to say, in fairness to both sides, that some of the examples quoted seem to argue an unexpected lack of experience, amounting almost to ignorance, on the part of members of design Th e Monthly Scientific and Technical staffs. We should have thought that knowledge of the thermal ex­ Orga n of the Aeronautical Engineering pansion and electrical resistance of metals should be part of their common stock-in-trade. Similarly, it does not require undue fore­ Professio n sight to visualize that certain parts need frequent removal for cleaning, or that grease nipples have to be accessible. Editor: Lieut.-Col. W.Lockwood Marsh, O.B.E.,F.R.Ac.S.,M.S.A.E.,F.I.Ae.S. A Passin g Phase Vol. XVII. No. 197 July, 1945 The second point that arises from the article is tha t a considerable proportion of the failures mentioned are due to wartime dilution of labour. The need for design to avoid defects likely to lead to failure in service, or cause difficulty and delay in maintenance, will be as important in commercial aeroplanes as it has been with Service E commend particularly to junior members of drawing types, but it is happily reasonable to assume that when organizations office and design staffs the article in this issue on failures in get back to normal and are once again on a peacetime footing it will service which have proved to be due to lack of foresight in be possible to employ more carefully selected and experienced the design of details. We had some doubts as to whether these notes personnel. This, of course, applies at both ends of the chain and the would appear more appropriately in the general section of the paper more experienced inhabitants of the drawing office will presumably or in the section devoted to the more practical affairs of the work­ be less likely to commit bétises, jus t as those who handle the products shop and production bays. The article provides an instance where of their ingenuity will be better trained and more intelligent. This the distinction becomes a little fine but, while admittedly most of difference in the quality of draughtsmen will of itself cure one of the the examples given relate back to the drawing office, they do on the troubles to which attention is called ip the article. The same staff other hand in the result affect the production, and more especially are likely to be engaged on designing similar details in successive the maintenance, sides which are in each case staffed by engineers aeroplanes and will therefore have the benefit of accumulated know­ of one type or another. ledge to help in avoiding their own previous mistakes. A Special Case The Need for Liaison As we have indicated in a note at the head of the article, readers One point that stands out is the immense value of the closest must not allow themselves to be prejudiced against it by the fact possible liaison between design and operational staffs—whether that the author's name does not appear—we do not, in general, the latter are in the R.A.F. or employed by the B.O.A.C. or some care for articles in AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING which are not authen­ other air-line organization. There is far too much tendency for the ticated in this way. The circumstances are, however, exceptional. different branches of aeronautics to work in a series of water-tight The information given has been collected by the author in the compartments. We have frequently in the past called attention to course of his duties as the representative of his firm—which is one the heed for design staffs to work in close co-operation with the of the oldest and most uniformly successful of British aircraft production people whose job it is to translate into practice their businesses—investigating and putting right defects which have been drawing-board projects. It is no less important for the drawing- found to occur in machines in service with the Royal Air Force, and office personnel to pay visits as frequently as possible to operational it is natural, in view of this, that the firm concerned should not wish and maintenance units and centres. They are a little prone to avoid the fact that these defects have shown themselves should be this, partly on account of a dislike of being shaken out of their associated with its products. On the other hand, its public spirit in cloistered routine and partly through a natural resentment of the passing on to others some of the experience gained is to be com­ criticism that they inevitably receive. The "raspberry" is not a mended and is an example to be followed. pleasant fruit when used as a missile, but there are few designers— and especially juniors who are charged with the working out of details—who would not derive benefit from frank and open dis­ Suffering Fools cussion with their opposite numbers on the maintenance side. Too The first point that occurs to us is how essential it is for the few of them, unfortunately, ever see an aeroplane whole, and when designer of details to proceed always on the assumption that the man they do only do so on the occasion of a social visit to the firm's who will be responsible for maintaining and servicing the aeroplane aerodrome to see their product dramatically thrown about in the air is—not to put too fine a point on it—a fool. Some of the instances by an experienced test pilot. What they need is to get right down to given arc almost incredibly stupid and one obvious lesson to be it in the maintenance hangar with the oil-stained mechanics who gathered from them is that it is safe only to assume that everyone have to suffer for their sins, both of omission and commission, and into whose hands the aeroplane will come is equally stupid—or at it will do them no harm occasionally to have the fresh air of toil- least very inexperienced and untrained. This must not be taken as won experience blowing the cobwebs out of their brains. We fear derogatory to the Royal Air Force—it is common knowledge in all that there is all too often a certain amount of snobbery to be over­ engineering circles what extremely foolish things will be done come in this matter but that it has got to be overcome is one of the occasionally by individuals and it is wiser to provide for any engin­ certainties on which the future of British air transport depends. eering product coming sooner of later into the hands of someone who will behave with extreme foolishness. It is a never-ending source of amazement to us, for instance, how few people seem to be able to Fro m the General to the Particular read the simplest sentence intelligently. It sometimes seems that The article to which we have been referring may well be read in however carefully a phTase may be couched there is always someone conjunction with that on "Fundamentals of Design" by MR. KLEIN, somewhere who will misunderstand it. It must also always be which we published in May last. The later dots the "i's " and crosses remembered that however prominently a notice may be painted the "t's" of the earlier. MR. KLEIN dealt more with the general on some par t of an aeroplane as a warning against handling, or using aspects of design and how they affect the performance in operation as a foothold, after a time it becomes so familiar to the regular user and the ease of maintenance of the aeroplane in service. This month's that it, quite literally, ceases to be visible to him a t all. I t is, there­ article gets down to detail and gives actual instances of the sad fore, necessary to make an y part that can be laid hold of strong results that have actually been caused by lack of vision and practical enough to withstand abuse. knowledge in the design office.

Journal

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace TechnologyEmerald Publishing

Published: Jul 1, 1945

There are no references for this article.