Convairiety, Volume 6, Number 25, Wednesday, December 16, 1953 Page: 3 of 8
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Convair/General Dynamics Newsletters and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.
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December 16, 1953
CCNVAIRIETY
Page 3
Two More AF Wings
Pass 1,000 Hours
Of Flying in B-36s
Two more B-36 Wings this
month received recognition for
their 1,000 hours of B-36 flying.
Accepting the new Convair
1000-hour plaques are the 72nd
Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at
Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, and
42nd Bombardment Wing at Lime-
stone AFB, Maine.
B. G. Reed and M. L. Hicks,
assistant FW division managers,
and Gus Green, chief of FW serv-
ice, made the presentations.
Other wings that have received
the award are: 7th and 11th
Bombardment Group, 8th Air
Force at Carswell; 28th Strategic
Reconnaissance Wing, 8th AF,
Ellsworth AFB; 5th Strategic Re-
connaissance Wing, 14th Air Di-
vision, 15th AF, Travis AFB;
92nd Bombardment Wing, 57th
Air Division, 15th AF, Fairchild
AFB; 6th Bomb Wing, 47th Air
Division, 8th AF, Walker AFB;
and 99th Strategic Reconnais-
sance Wing, 57th Air Division,
15th AF, Fairchild AFB.
SD Man Wins
So. Calif. Award
For the third straight year a
Convair San Diego employee has
been named the outstanding ap-
prentice in the Southern Califor-
nia region by the educational de-
partment of the National Asso-
ciation of Manufacturers.
Edward B. Denton, a tool and
die apprentice in Dept. 24, is the
1953 winner of the award.
A graduate of Grossmont High
School and San Diego Junior Col-
lege, Denton entered the appren-
tice program in Sept., 1950, and
is scheduled to graduate in Janu-
ary, 1954.
James M. Guess, Dept. 300, is
the latest graduate of the appren-
tice program, having graduated
in November, 1853.
Other Convair employees to win
the outstanding apprentice award
were Richard Planchon in 1951
and Reuben Grossman in 1952.
is IX ,'
TOP MAN—Edward B. Den-
ton of San Diego, named out-
standing apprentice in Southern
California region by N.A.M.
Wills Takes New Job
Tom Wills, Dept. 3, this month
was appointed executive develop-
ment administrator at San Diego
replacing Claude Roberts who is
transferring to contracts depart-
ment, according to D. C. Wilkens
Jr., manager of industrial rela-
tions.
For Many an Engineer at San Diego,
Alma Mater Means Convair College'
For San Diego engineers “alma mater” may mean Cal Tech or MIT or NYU or any
, a host of great names in education. But a substantial number admit divided “col-
legiate loyalties that stem back to “undergraduate days” at another great center of
learning, the San Diego Division factory departments.
“It isn’t widely known, but a
considerable number of our engi-
neering personnel have served as
many or more years on the manu-
facturing side as they have on the
engineering side,” H. T. Brooks,
engineering personnel supervisor,
revealed.
As an example he cited a re-
cent survey in the electrical and
electronics group that revealed 25
per cent carry “degrees” from
“Convair College.”
“Thirty-four of the 125 people
in our group fall into this cate-
gory,” said Paul D. Ferrara,
senior design group engineer.
“Others have had shop experience
elsewhere but we refer strictly
to previous experience at Convair
SD in this survey.”
Time spent in “Convair Col-
lege” ranges from almost 11 years
down to a little over a year with
the average between three and
five years for the group.
R. R. Parga, V. E. Korski and
M. A. Crosley, all design engi-
neers, are veteran “graduates” in
the group, having worked IOV2,
8 and IVz years respectively in
factory departments at SD before
moving to engineering assign-
ments. Supervisors in the group
like C. B. King, design group
engineer, and Bill Garcia, design
specialist, have also served “time”
in factory departments.
Because of the complexity of
modern aircraft design and be-
cause changes are constantly
being made in new models, it is
essential that engineering and
factory personnel work hand in
hand to iron out problems, Fer-
rara commented.
“Newcomers have to be taught
factory procedures and practices
followed by Convair, while these
shop veterans know the score
from past experience,” he added.
“Probably the most important
thing they have learned is how
to compromise.
“And it is a fact that any mod-
ern airplane is largely a series of
compromises.”
Drive Donation
Draws Thanks
Thanks for the support Convair
San Diego employees gave to the
1954 United Success Drive
through their Con-Trib-Club was
received this month from Rear
Adm. Wilder D. Baker, USN, Ret.,
president.
In a letter to the Con-Trib-Club
committee, Adm. Baker wrote in
part:
“Words cannot express my deep
gratitude to you and to the mem-
bers of the Con-Trib-Club for
their additional contribution.
“Please convey my feelings to
them and commend them for their
contribution which is the highest
amount for any single employee
group.”
(Con-Trib’s original gift was
$75,000, later supplemented by
an additional $6,000.)
Two Tie for Housekeeping Award
With Perfect Monthly Records
★ ★ ★
Manufacturing control at Plant
1 made a big vault from sixth to
first to tie plant engineering,
Plant 1, for monthly housekeeping
honors at San Diego during No-
vember. The two departments will
share the good housekeeping
award.
Plant engineering, Plant 2,
climbed into second place in the
standings with electronics and
fabrication, Plant 2, following in
that order.
Average violations per em-
ployee dropped from .029 in Octo-
ber to .016 in November.
Violations
Per Employee
Nov. Oct.
Manufacturing Control,
Plant 1 .................................000 .016
Plant Eng., Plant 1 ...........000 .000
Plant Eng., Plant 2 .............002 .011
Electronics ...............................003 .014
Fabrication, Plant 2 ..........005 .043
340 Major and Final .........006 .042
Experimental ....... 007 .015
Fabrication, Plant 1 ..........008 .000
Mfg Control, Plant 2 _______ .008 .107
Toe Mfg., Plant 1 ....... .010 .031
Tool Mfg., Plant 2 ..._........015 .135
Material ------------------- 017 .008
T-29 Primary & Major .....022 .032
R3Y Major ........... 025 .014
S'2,9, FXnaI .................... .025 -000
Field Operations ........... 039 .000
Flnal ...........................047 .022
F-102 097 .045
ALUMNI Not all Convair SD engineers come from behind ivy walls. Here is a sample from
three sections (electronics military electrical and 340-T-29, all parts of'electronicrand^recTricTl Voup)
who came from factory. They are grouped according to section. In foreground are William Garcia left
design specialist, and C. B. King, military electrical supervisor.
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Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation. Convairiety, Volume 6, Number 25, Wednesday, December 16, 1953, periodical, December 16, 1953; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth777531/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.