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PRINCESS FLYING BOATReading Sinclair Wilson’s article in the RMSA newsletter, summer 2004 set my memory going. I rang John Poad to get Sinclair’s tele- phone number and in conversation discovered that John had served his apprenticeship at Saunders-Roe at Cowes and had worked on the Princess, and another long conversation ensued. I started as a craft apprentice at RAE Farnborough on September 1st 1950 age 16. The Apprenticeship was arranged a week and week about between the College and practical experience in the Establishment’s workshops, hangars, design offices and laboratories, the first in a training shop in the College grounds. |
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The College time ceased for July and August when we were “allowed” to take our one weeks paid holiday (34/6d) and two weeks unpaid holiday if we wished to take it (in 1952 this changed to two weeks paid and one week unpaid). So early in July I was allocated to work in the Structures department. In each department we worked in we were put in the charge of a tradesman, Draughtsman or Experi mental Officer, my “Apprentice master” as they were called in Structures was a Centre lathe turner named Mervyn Quartermain, and between us we made hardware for the “Boffins” who were carrying out a stress to destruction test on a Princess Flying boat. The Aircraft to be tested was just wings and centre fuselage, the fuselage section filled with water. All of this was housed in a “Cathedral” a huge structure of RSJ’s. The upper surface of the wings was attached in very many points to a “Firtree” array to distribute the calculated lift amount of each point to an electrically driven jack There were strain guages and monitoring equipment in abundance and cine cameras covering every square inch of wing, wing route and fuselage. When all was ready and tested over and over again the test was commenced. The test controller would announce over a PA system “Stand by, testing to 10%”, cameras would roll and the jack would lift, then Engineers responsible for each section would inspect and report. This practice would continue in 10% steps until about 80% then 5% and slower. I think it was at about 140% (it’s a long time ago) that a line of rivets went off like a machine gun. I can tell you this was quite something for a 17-year-old boy to watch. Incidentally, if there are other ex RAE Apprentices reading this, or any one who knows any, they may be interested to know that there is an Association and that a grand reunion is planned for 2005. Anyone wishing to contact me on this or any other subject, my e-mail address is: - Ron Frost |
