Convairiety, Volume 12, Number 6, April 1, 1959 Page: 5 of 8
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Wednesday, April I, 1959
CONVAIRIETY
Page 5
Stromberg-Carlson
Stresses SCATE Sale
ROCHESTER — A new sales
force with exclusive responsibil-
ity for the sale of SCATE—Self-
Checking Automatic Test Equip-
ment — in Stromberg-Carlson’s
Electronics Division has been an-
nounced.
SCATE is a pre-programmed,
automatic computer-type test sys-
tem which can reduce the time
required to check modern weapon
systems from hours to minutes.
SCATE can be adapted to test
any missile, aircraft, or ground
electronic system.
NEWS FROM OTHER
DYNAMICS DIVISIONS
General Dynamics Corporation, created in April, 1952, as suc-
cessor to Electric Boat Company, is composed of six divisions and
a Canadian subsidiary, Canadair Ltd. of Montreal, airframe
builders. The divisions are:
Convair, head offices at San Diego,. Calif., aircraft, missiles
and space systems.
Electric Boat of Groton, Conn., submarines.
Stromberg-Carlson, of Rochester, N.Y., telecommunications,
electronic equipment.
Liquid Carbonic of Chicago, 111., carbon dioxide producer, in-
dustrial and medical gases.
General Atomic of San Diego, Calif., nuclear research, devel-
opment, production.
Electro Dynamic of Bayonne, N.J., electric motors, generators.
FLEET'S FLEETEST—World's fastest nuclear powered submarine,
Skipjack, built by Electric Ek>at Division, shown in dramatic photos
taken during builder's trials last month. Note blimp shape and
diving planes on "sail" (formerly known as conning tower).
Guards Need Photo Memories
To Keep up on Different Badges
Security guards at Convair
SD aren’t memory experts but
sometimes it might help.
Seventeen new badges and
three new identification cards is-
sued last month to various cus-
tomer representatives and other
outside groups skyrocketed the
total guards must remember.
For security’s sake, guards
must be familiar with roughly
600 signatures (those authorized
to sign passes), 40 badges, 19
different identification cards and
over 700 cars with in-plant clear-
ance.
And many of the “old-timers’’
know the faces that go with the
badges, cards, signatures and
cars!
‘Space Exploration*
Bossart Talk Topic
“Space Exploration Problems”
was the topic of K. J. Bossart,
assistant to Convair’s vice presi-
dent-engineering, at the March 26
meeting of the American Society
for Metals at the Lafayette Ho-
tel, San Diego.
Bossart’s lecture was an intro-
duction to this month’s ASM edu-
cational program on space metals.
Sooner or later, because guards
switch duty locations from day
to day and change shifts every
four weeks they become person-
ally acquainted with the varying
aspects of Convair SD’s security
set-up.
In addition, to enable guards
to keep pace with changes, peri-
odic classes are conducted by
commanding officers.
“Headquarters” at both Plants
1 and 2 are the focal points of
activity.
Located at each are master
keys for Convair offices, build-
ings, files, etc. Close tabs are
kept with the plant fire depart-
ment and the San Diego Civil
Defense set-up and in case of
emergency both locations are
equipped to take over the plant’s
loud-speaker and radio system.
C. M. Durst, guard chief, said
members of the security force
come from all walks of life but
that the majority have had some
prior association with law en-
forcement in either the military
or as police officers.
“Because they are constantly
dealing with people, their job is
one of public relations, also,”
Durst said.
Canadair 540
Starts World
Sales Tours
MONTREAL — First of three
world sales tours of the Canadair-
Convair 540 jet-prop transport
began last month, when a 540
left Montreal for a 17-000-mile
tour of the United States and
Western Canada.
The 540, powered by two Nap-
ier jet-prop engines and devel-
oped from the Convair 240, 340,
440 series, will be demonstrated
to airline operators, owners of
executive aircraft and military
authorities. A second 540 leaves
late in April for a 25,000-mile
tour of South America and a
third is to leave in May for a
tour of Europe.
The first 540 will visit 19
North American cities in the
next two months and cover 12,600
miles in point-to-point flights.
First stop is Utica, then on to
New York, Washington, Atlanta,
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Las
Vegas, St. Louis, Chicago, De-
troit, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Ed-
monton, Calgary, Vancouver, Se-
attle, San Francisco, and Los
Angeles.
Electric Boat Gets
Contract to Build
Sub Missile Device
GROTON — Submarine sailors
soon will operate nuclear subs
and fire ballistic missiles from
the ocean depths—without ever
leaving port.
An electronic simulator, called
the “submarine FBM (fleet bal-
listic missile) training facility,”
will make the land-based training
of missile sub crewmen possible,
according to an announcement
made by the Navy.
Electric Boat has been selected
to undertake the design and con-
struction of the unique simula-
tor’s diving, steering and navi-
gational systems under a $1%
million contract with the U.S.
Naval Training Device Center,
Port Washington, N.Y. The mis-
sile fire-control system has been
assigned to Curtiss Wright, with
General Dynamics responsible for
technical integration of the entire
project.
Senior Citizen
In Retirement
A partnership of over 35 years
came to a close last month.
Leo Bourdon, well-known and
well-loved figure at Convair San
Diego, has retired, ending an ac-
tive association of man and com-
pany, dating back to pre-Convair
days in Greenwich, R. I., and
Buffalo, N. Y.
In point of service, Bourdon
was Convair’s most senior citi-
zen.
He came to San Diego with
Consolidated in 1935 and served
in various capacities as superin-
tendent and foreman.
Looking back, Bourdon recalls
his association with Convair as
a happy one. “It gives me satis-
faction to think that I grew up
with Convair, with mutual bene-
fit to both of us,” he said.
Bourdon, now 72, has not made
elaborate plans for his retire-
ment, but has always been an
avid hobbyist (building detailed
replicas of everything).
COUNT 'EM—C. M. Durst, SD guard chief (right), points out
additions on badge board to D. D. Hendry. Additional badges
and cards issued last month swelled total guards must remember.
ORVILLE WRIGHT—Just after completing a flight in De Havil-
land 4 is Orville Wright, left, and Howard Rinehary, chief pilot of
Dayton-Wright Airplane Co.
Gallaudet Co. Dissolved
After Study by Fleet
(Consolidated Aircraft, from which Convair stemmed, was created
in 1923 from the assets of Gallaudet Aircraft plus designs and
engineering talent from Dayton-Wright Co. Following is another
installment in a continuing history of Convair which relates the end
of Gallaudet and describes some of the early history of Dayton-
Wright.)
When Reuben H. Fleet took
over direction of Gallaudet Air-
craft Corp. as general manager
in the fall of 1922, (at a time
when the company had lost near-
ly $3 million since World War I)
the directors asked Fleet to study
the operation from the inside for
three months, then report back.
He did—with the conclusion
that Gallaudet “has nothing wor-
thy of perpetuity or continuity,
and would not bring more than
$100,000 if you could find a buy-
er.” In addition, he reported that
he wanted to form a company of
his own, with his own resources,
and offered the directors this
proposition:
“I will finish off your con-
tracts. Since labor will lag at
cutting off its meal check, I
will use the men on my own
work as they are available, and
pro-rate the labor costs. I will
charge my salary fifty-fifty to
you and me. I will use materi-
als from your stock room on
my own work, at cost plus 10
per cent. For rent, I will pay
you 10 per cent of my own pro-
fits, if any. Thus, I will kill
off your company to your best
advantage while establishing
my own.”
The directors were deeply dis-
tressed, but decided to accept
Fleet’s offer. The major there-
upon set about forming Consoli-
dated, which he organized as a
Delaware corporation with an au-
thorized capitalization of $60,-
000 in shares of $100 par value.
Actually, only $25,000 was issued;
Fleet subscribed $15,000 and his
sister, Lillian Fleet Bishop, $10,-
000. For aircraft designs and an
engineer, he turned to General
Motors, which had decided to
close out its aircraft subsidiary
(Dayton-Wright Co.) at Dayton.
He sfc
Dayton-Wright had a history of
its own.
In 1915 Orville Wright sold his
Dayton factory and patents to
the Simplex Automobile Co. syn-
dicate and the next year entered
into a period of informal colla-
boration with Charles F. Ketter-
ing, inventor of the auto self-
starter.
Early in 1917 Kettering or-
ganized the Dayton Airplane Co.
with three associates—E. A.
Deeds (later the head of National
Cash Register); Col. Harold E.
Talbott, a paper mill and power
plant industrialist; and the lat-
ter’s son and business associate,
Harold E. Talbott Jr. (later Sec-
retary of the Air Force).
Wright was retained as consult-
ant and the company put up a
shop and hangars at South Field,
near Dayton.
With additional capital sup-
plied by a Detroit group, the
enterprise was reincorporated as
the Dayton-Wright Airplane Co.
on April 9, three days after the
U. S. entered the war.
Dr. J. K. Leverett Given
President Citation
Dr. J. K. Leverett of Convair
Fort Worth this month was
awarded a Presidential Unit Ci-
tation and Presidential Unit Ci-
tation Ribbon Bar transmitted to
him through the commandant of
the Eighth Naval District at New
Orleans.
The citation came as a result
of Dr. Leverett’s service with the
First Marine Aircraft Wing dur-
ing the Korean War. Dr. Lever-
ett is Convair Fort Worth’s chief
physician and head of personnel
department’s medical section.
11 111
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LEISURE TIME—Leo Bourdon, Convair's most senior citizen,
recently retired, takes pride in landscaping and flowers at his San
Diego home.
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General Dynamics Corporation. Convair Division. Convairiety, Volume 12, Number 6, April 1, 1959, periodical, April 1, 1959; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1117943/m1/5/?rotate=180: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.