Description
Object description
British civilian electrical engineer with Handley Page Aircraft Ltd in GB, 1935-1940; electrical supervisor with Electrical Section of Experimental Department at Vickers-Armstrong (Aircraft) Ltd in GB, 1941-1945; Electrical Design Project Engineer, Senior Designer and Chief Electrical Engineer at Vickers-Armstrong (Aircraft) in GB, 1945-1960; Chief Systems Engineer, Director of Systems Engineering and Design Director with British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1960-1977
Content description
REEL 1 Background in London, GB, 1913-1937: family; initial employment; obtaining apprenticeship as electrician; becoming registered contractor in Harrow, 1923; effects of prospective marriage on employment. Recollections of period as electrical engineer with Handley Page Aircraft Ltd at Cricklewood, GB, 1935-1940: obtaining employment; work on Handley Page Heyford and Harrow; union activity and poor working conditions; laying off and attempts to find employment, 1938; electrical work on hotel at Chichester; recall to Handley Page Aircraft Ltd; industrial unrest during work on Handley Page Hampden; work on Handley Page Hampden; work on 'The Flying Bat'. Recollections of period as electrical supervisor with Electrical Section of Experimental Department with Vickers-Armstrong (Aircraft) Ltd in GB, 1941-1945: move to company at Weybridge; repairing damaged Bristol Blenheim aircraft.
REEL 2 Continues: description of electrical systems; atmosphere in company and working conditions; memories of George Stannard; arrival of George Edwards; work on high altitude Vickers Wellington; memories of Charlie Houghton, Allen Greenwood and Cyril Rogers; fitting of jet engine to tail of Vickers Wellington; working with Cyril Rogers on Leigh Light.
REEL 3 Continues: prior recollection of modifying Handley Page Hampdens in Lincolnshire, 1940; further test work with jet engine on tail of Vickers Wellington; receiving offer to work for Power Jets Ltd and decision to stay with Vickers; allocation to work on Vickers Viking; details of electrical system on Vickers Viking; work on pressurised high altitude Vickers Wellington; opinion of firewatchers.
REEL 4 Continues: involvement with Telecommunications Research Establishment at Malvern; conflicts with trade union; work on Vickers Wellington bombers dropping trial bouncing bombs; opinion of Barnes Wallis; attending trials of bouncing bomb at Herne Bay and Weymouth; move of experimental shop to Wisley; incident on Vickers Warwick; accidents with De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito at Weybridge.
REEL 5 Continues: fire on board De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito used for Highball trials; death of test pilot Squadron Leader Maurice Longbottom when Vickers Warwick GR.Mk.V (PN778) crashed at Weybridge, 6/1/1945. Recollections of period as Electrical Design Project Engineer, Senior Designer and Chief Electrical Engineer at Vickers-Armstrong Aircraft Ltd in GB, 1945-1961: use of jet engines on Vickers Viking; development of Vickers Valetta and Vickers Varsity including installing Gee Navigation system; designing and building of Vickers Viscount; use of circuit breakers; work on flight deck layout of Vickers Viscount.
REEL 6 Continues: humorous scripts written by staff; how Vickers Viscount was initially turned down by British European Airways (BEA); visits to United States of America to attend accident enquiry; story of status of protective witness after crash of Vickers Viscount; attending accident enquiry in Chicago, United States of America after Vickers Viscount crash and complexities of American legal system; outcome of court case; Vickers Viscount delivery flight to Canada via Greenland.
REEL 7 Continues: attitude of Trans-Canada Air Lines personnel towards British aircraft; pioneering development work on aircraft electrics on Vickers Viscount; detailed description of electrics on Vickers Valiant; development work on electrics for Vickers Valiant; question of achievements being under-valued.
REEL 8 Continues: further details of aircraft electrics on Vickers Valiant; electrical systems carried over onto Vickers VC10; details of autoland system; further details of electrical systems on Vickers VC10; reception of Vickers VC10 by airline industry and particularly British Oversea Airways Corporation (BOAC).
REEL 9 Continues: encounter with Sir Giles Guthrie; work on Vickers Vanguard and details of its' electrical systems. Recollections of period as Chief Systems Engineer, Director of Systems Engineering and Design Director with British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1961-1977: work on BAC One-Eleven; comparison between British and American manufacturing costs; pointing out need to update design to keep up with market and reception by management; responsibilities on BAC TSR-2 and opinion of start of project.
REEL 10 Continues: company's first involvement with guided missiles; personalities and politics of project team for weapons system of TSR2 and role as Chief Systems Engineer; character of weapons system on BAC TSR-2; size of workforce; opinion of BAC TSR-2 project; calibre of design and development team; use of rigs to test prototype BAC TSR-2 systems.
REEL 11 Continues: background to cancellation of project; problems of modifying prototype aircraft; decision making process during BAC TSR-2; role of ministry liaison officers; restrictions on access to records of BAC TSR-2 project; effects of cancellation of BAC TSR-2 project; presentation to politicians; offer of job with Boeing in Seattle, United States of America.
REEL 12 Continues: elements of electronic systems used on BAC TSR-2; question of effects on career of cancellation of BAC TSR-2 project; work on BAC 311 project and reasons why it never flew; visit to aircraft division of GE Aviation in United States of America; comparison between visits to GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce Ltd in Derby.
REEL 13 Continues: carbon fibre problems with Rolls-Royce RB211 Engine; visits to United States of America to promote BAC Three-Eleven; cancellation of BAC Three-Eleven project; background to move to Bristol to work on BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde; opinion of workforce at Bristol; question of enmity between Bristol and Weybridge sites; language and cultural problems with French partners.
REEL 14 Continues: management culture at Bristol site; opinion of Eric Hyde; further details of management culture at Bristol; effects of cancelling generator prototype; method of dealing with French counterparts; degree of innovation on BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde's electrical systems; characteristics of wing on BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde; problems during design of electrical systems.
REEL 15 Continues: working arrangements with French partners; problems of obtaining simulator for BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde Concorde and its subsequent development; acquiring parts for simulator; work on BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde nose and other roles; opinion of French aircraft design practices.