AUSTRALIAN FEAT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 89, 11 October 1941, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN FEAT

MAKING BEAUFORTS

TWO 1200 H.P. ENGINES

The Acting Australian Trade Commissioner, Mr. J. L. Menzies, recently held a picture evening under the auspices of the Australian Imperial Forces Association when pictures were shown depicting various phases of Australia's war effort. A 'film which attracted considerable interest related to the manufacture of aircraft.

Australia's most notable achievement in aircraft manufacture, which was begun in earnest less than three years ago, is the production-of the Bristol Beaufort bomber, one of the fastest and most modern aircraft of its kind in the world today, and regarded by many experts as the most successful.

The Beaufort came into service in England only last year, and the Aus-tralian-built machine made its first "public appearance" in the air on July 1, when it broke the speed record for a flight from Melbourne to Sydney.

The Australian machine is faster than the British, and its. high quality and the speed with which it was brought into production, despite many setbacks and difficulties, is one of the most impressive of many impressive illustrations of how Australian industry has risen to the occasion since the outbreak of war.

The Bristol Beaufort bomber is a twin-engined, medium range, torpedocarrying aircraft of mid-wing design and comparatively high wing loading. It is designed to carry a large bomb load, or, alternatively, a torpedo. Weights and performances are secret, but it is known that its speed exceeds 300 miles an hour.

The Beaufort has a solid, sturdy appearance. The compact cabin accommodates a crew of five—pilot, navigator, bomb aimer, radio operator, and rear gunner. In the unusually-shaped fuselage is a gun turret designed for the firing of twin machine-guns. It has a wing span of 58 feet, an overall length of 44 feet, and a height of 14 feet 5 inches. It is fitted with two American type Pratt and Whitney twin row Wasp engines, each developing 1200 horsepower. The construction of these first-line military aircraft has created a new and important industry under conditions not previously experienced or even contemplated in Australia. Of the 33,000 jigs, tools, and fixtures required for the Beaufort, 26,000 have had to be made in Australia, and in the completed machine there are more than 30,000 individual parts, excluding rivets and screws. There were many setbacks in the early stages of production. One of the first difficulties was in the supply of jigs, tools, and fixtures. These were to have come from Great Britain under the original arrangement, but the war made it impossible, and the majority had to be made in Australia. Britain was also unable to supply the necessary raw materials and equipment, and alternative sources of supply had to be found. The construction of Beauforts gives employment to 4500 persons, but before long more than 8000 will be employed.

FIRST ENGINE COMPLETED

LONDON, October 10.

A great new factory in Australia has just completed the first 1200 h.p. engine -for the Australian-built Beaufort bomber. It is the climax of four years of planning. The factory and ■ plant cost £1,500,000, and are described as the finest in the country. The engines turned out now are twice as powerful as any previously built in Australia.