General Dynamics News, Volume 18, Number 6, March 17, 1965 Page: 3 of 6
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Wednesday, March 17, 1965
GENERAL DYNAMICS NEWS
Page 3
Ancient (1916) Patent Discloses
Early Version of Variable Wing'
General Dynamics is more of
a pioneer in the variable wing
concept than one might think.
It’s general knowledge, of
course, that GD/Fort Worth is
turning out the F-lll, the na-
tion’s first production variable
wing fighter, at the Texas plant.
What’s not generally known is
that E. F. Gallaudet was think-
ing firmly in terms of a “variable
wing” airplane as far back as
1916.
Gallaudet was an aviation pio-
“OLD" IDEA — Oct. 3, 1916 patent of E. F. Gallaudet’s ‘‘varia-
ble wing” airplane is displayed by Chuck Dawson of GD/Fort
Worth’s patent office.
Navy Pilots Briefed on F-111
As GD/FW Group Goes on Cruise
A 10-man contingent from GD/
Fort Worth “swapped” informa-
tion with the U. S. Navy recently
during a two-day cruise on the
USS Shangri-La.
The GD/FW crew got a first-!
hand look—particularly at aerial I
operations—of an attack aircraft
carrier in action.
Navy pilots were given an up-to-!
the-minute briefing on the F-lll, j
which is slated for fleet service i
soon.
In addition, Shangri-La person-
nel saw a demonstration of GD/
FW’s latest fire-fighting equip-
ment conducted by Phil Cummins,
security officer.
Making the cruise were: Cum-
mins; Charles McCauley, assist-
ant to F-lll program director;
Jack Haynes, manager of manu-
facturing control; Howard Mcln-
tire, assistant to F-lll program
director; Robert Andrews, man-
ager F-lll flight tests; Dan
Brew, superintendent of manu-
facturing control; Norman Brown,
AFPRO; John Ferris, AFPRO;
Ken Morris, AFPRO; and Maur-
ice Spinks, president of ALSCO
Manufacturing Co.
“These people saw carrier avia-
tion from every angle, with em-
phasis on their particular areas
of work,” said a Navy spokes-
man. “Much of their time was
spent observing launches and re-
coveries from the island struc-
ture of the carrier.”
Navy personnel were shown
first-flight films of the F-lll.
And a scale model of the vari-
able-wing fighter was used to
explain its upcoming role with
the Navy.
“When Shangri-La returned
to port, the visitors had a bet-
ter idea of what the Navy needs
in the F-lll, and Shangri-La
personnel knew more about the
new aircraft and GD/FW,” the
Navy official said.
Cummins demonstrated GD/
FW’s new survival suit and Fire
Cat, the division’s futuristic ap-
proach to remote-control fire
fighting.
The survival suit consists of
rows of bladders. These bladders
are covered with fire-repellant
material and are sewn over the
entire uniform about two inches
apart.
In an emergency, the airman
simply triggers a pocket-sized
container of pressurized foam at
point near the belt line. Each se-
! ries of bladders inflates accor-
| dion-like, pushing the bladders
together and forming a virtual
one-inch coat of foam over the
entire uniform.
The change takes place within
18 seconds, and the foam adds
only about eight ounces to the
total weight of the uniform!
Cummins pointed out that air-
craft ground crews could wear
the survival suit with comfort
while on regular duty. In case of
fire, they could go to work al-
most at once.
“The Navy people were quite
impressed with our equipment,”
Cummins said.
NAVY’S DAY — Capt. R. L. Werner, skipper of aircraft Carrier
Shangri-La, gets F-l 11 briefing from Howard Mclntire, right, as-
sistant to F-l 11 program director, and Phil Cummins, security offi-
cer, during recent two-day tour.
neer who started his own avia-
tion company, which later merg-
ed with Consolidated (forerunner
of General Dynamics).
His patent for a variable wing
aircraft was brought to life by
Chuck Dawson of GD/FW’s pat-
ent office during a “routine legal
search.”
Of course, Gallaudet’s patent
(No. 1,200,098 dated Oct. 3, 1916)
wasn’t for a sweep-wing plane as
we know it.
“He was slightly less ambi-
tious,” Dawson said. “All he
wanted was movable wing tips
for checking a plane’s slipping
movement.
“But in those days engineers
were primarily interested in get-
ting the plane in the air and
controlling it, not speed.”
The modern concept, of course,
is for a wing that sweeps from
almost straight out, back to a
virtual V-position, providing effi-
ciency both at low and very high
speeds.
But Gallaudet’s thinking—in
the relative infancy of aviation
—was perhaps every bit as bold
and imaginative as the current
concept.
To put it in his own words:
“The movable wing tips were so
connected that the tip on one
side can be extended and that on
the other side simultaneously
withdrawn to produce differen-
tial changes both in the area and
the center of pressure of the
wings on opposite sides of the
machine.”
Simply stated, the tips would
swing in opposite directions, one
outwardly and forwardly, and the
other rearwardly and inwardly.
Just the thing to right a “fly-
ing machine that commences to
sideslip.”
History has considerable to
say about Gallaudet, a Yale pro-
fessor turned aviation tycoon.
Many of his early designs, in-
cluding a number of racers and
a twin-motored hydroplane, gain-
ed renown.
Technical Papers
CONVAIR
ARMSTRONG—R. C., Dept. 262-0.
"Attenuation of Sunusoidal Acceleration
Stresses by Use of Positive Pressure
Breathing,” 36th Annual Scientific Meet-
ing, Aerospace Medical Association, New
York.
DEMPSEY—R. P., Dept. 490-2. "Safe-
ty Measures Practiced by Industry for
High Energy Rate Forming of Metals,”
Manufacturing Section, Governor’s In-
dustrial Safety Conference, Los Angeles,
Calif., Feb. 5.
NEWSON—B. D., Dept. 375-1. “Adap-
tation to Prolonged Exposures in the
Revolving Space Station Simulator,” and
"The Effect of Positive Pressure Breath-
ing on the Vibration Tolerance of the
Mouse,” 36th Annual Scientific Meeting,
Aerospace Medical Association, New
York.
REARDON—G. V., Dept. 558-5. "Con-
siderations in Selecting Plastics for Elec-
trical Insulation in Space Applications,”
ANTEC, Society of Plastics Engineers,
March 1.
STEVENS—J. D„ Dept. 142-4. "Test
Equipment Calibration Control and Per-
formance History System for Compli-
ance with MIL-C-45662A and NPC
200-2.”
WIBERG—D. M„ Dept. 556-7. "Appli-
cations of Non-Interacting Modes to
Spatial Effects in Reactor Kinetics,”
Nuclear Science and Engineering Oak
Ridge National Laboratory.
* * *
Papers presented at ASME National
Conference of Aviation Space Division,
Los Angeles, Calif., March 14-18:
ARMSTRONG—R. C., G. L. DRAKE,
and J. R. BURNETT, “Development
Status of a Prototype Integrated Regen-
erable Life Support System.”
GARROCQ—C. A., "Optimum Solid-
ity.”
LOMEN—D. O., "Sloshing in Para-
bolic Containers Due to Vertical Excita-
tion.” LOMEN and L. L. FONTENOT,
“On the Vibration of Parabolic Mem-
branes.”
STODDARD—John E. Abstract, "Dif-
fusion Bonding Titanium Alloys and
Superalloys.”
VALANIS—K. C. and J. R. LLOYD,
“A Matric Method for the Analysis of a
Stiffened Sheet Structure Loaded Beyond
the Elastic Limit.”
WILSON—P. E. and E. E. SPIER.
"Nonlinear Bending of a Stress Cor-
rosion Specimen.”
ELECTRONICS-ROCHESTER
RUBEGA—R. A. "Design Parameters
for Active Target Classification,” 22nd
U. S. Navy Symposium on Underwater
Acoustics, Austin, Texas.
TUCK—W. P. "Data Transmission
Equipment for Industrial Telemetering
and Control,” IEEE meeting. New York,
Feb. 3.
WALKER—W. F. "Linear Modeling of
Long Underwater Acoustic Paths,” sub-
mitted to Journal of Acoustical Society
of America.
HELLO THERE — With young master, Mark Dorian at controls,
“Tobor” the robot gives hearty wave while displaying sophisticated
electronic ‘‘innards” which 13-year-old Mark assembled from sur-
plus materials.
*Human* Quality
Robot, Designed by GD Son, 13,
Subject to 'Frustrations'
There’s a definite human qual-
ity about “Tobor,” though his
head looks like an upside-down
wastebasket, his physique is
somewhat boxy, and the “muscles
of his brawny arms” are not only
“as strong as iron bands”—they
really are!
Tobor is “robot” spelled back-
ward. And he’s the creation of
13-year-old Mark Dorian Jr.,
whose father, M. L. Dorian,
works in the space sciences sec-
tion at GD/Convair’s Kearny
Mesa plant.
Mark, an eighth-grader at Hale
Junior High School, designed and
built Tobor from surplus elec-
tronic equipment, as a science
project. Like those of many other
General Dynamics sons and
daughters, his exhibit will be dis-
played April 1-4 at the Greater
San Diego Science Fair.
Tobor, at six feet, is taller than
Mark, but through his complex
electronic circuitry the robot is
completely subservient to his
young master’s commands. Mark
is the pusher-of-buttons to direct
Tobor from as much as a block
distant by means of a radio con-
trol transmitter like those used
with model planes and boats.
With Mark conveniently out of
sight (but close enough to over-
hear the conversation) it’s easy
to develop a rapport with Tobor.
“What’s your name?” you
ask, and he rasps, “My name
is Tobor,” (with the help of a
tiny concealed tape recorder).
“Raise your right arm (or ex-
tend your left),” you command.
Tobor does it, drawing power
from the two auto batteries
deep in his chest. “Turn right
—turn left,” and again the
fabulous “tin man” follows in-
structions.
But the final proof of Tobor’s
sophistication is seen when he
faces problems beyond his abili-
ties. Like his flesh-and-blood
counterparts, Tobor is subject to
frustration.
“Jump up and down,” you say.
Or, “Quote me the theory of rela-
tivity.” Tobor is silent and mo-
tionless.
Then, alas, his will crumbles.
His eyes spin wildly. His nose
flashes red. A great tumult, as of
a dozen bells and bike horns, is
heard.
Tobor—or rather Mark—has
pushed the “panic” button!
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General Dynamics Corporation. Convair Division. General Dynamics News, Volume 18, Number 6, March 17, 1965, periodical, March 17, 1965; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth777607/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.