Australia’s First Beaufort Bomber

Northern Advocate, 28 May 1941, Page 9

Australia’s First Beaufort Bomber

Seemingly insuperable difficulties were overcome to produce in Australia Bristol Beaufort bombers, the first of which will undergo flying tests within the next two weeks, says a Sydney message.

The decision to build Beauforts was made more than 12 months ago, but the reorganisation of British aircraft industry prevented machinery and prefabricated parts being imported as originally planned. The Government was, strongly criticised for its decision, in the face of such obstacles, to persist in its programme to build Beauforts instead of switching to another type of aeroplane, but the advice of experts that Beauforts were most suitable to Australia’s needs was accepted. Design Modifications

It was necessary to make 2000 ■•modifications to the sample British design. The pressure on American production again led to delays, and some deliveries of vital materials have not yet been made. Machinery for rolling and extruding aluminium, for instance, was originally due here in April, 1939. This order was taken over by Britain. Another order was placed, and delivery was expected in May last year. This, too, was commandeered. A third order was placed in America. Delivery was expected in the latter part of last year, and the rolling mills were delivered early this year. Only after the most strenuous representations by the Australian Minister at Washington (Mr. R. G. Casey) was the extrusion press released, and it was shipped a few weeks ago. Installation of the machinery will make Australia independent of the rest of the world in alloying, rolling, and extruding aluminium.

Precautions

To prevent a recurrence of this hiatus in equipment, Australian manufacturers have been encouraged to start making instruments and outfitting equipment for the air-frames. Outfitting equipment includes such items as undercarriage legs, wheels, and propeller hubs and blades. Production of these items is being developed, so that by the middle of next year Australia will be largely selfsufficient.

Modifications to permit the installing of American Pratt and Whitney twin-row Wasp motors in place of British Bristol Taurus engines necessitated, among other things, a complete redesigning of the engine mountings, nacelles and controls, and modifications to the wings. Finally, before production began many craftsmen had to be trained in the finest classes of fitting and engineering. As an example of the degree of precision attained by inexperienced craftsmen, Australian-made components were actually fitted to British parts in the final assembly of the first machine. This experimental aeroplane will be test fiown by a pilot from England. The first 20 machines will be built with 10 sets of prefabricated materials and 10 sets of raw materials from England. Later, machines will be constructed from raw materials obtained from the United States, and subsequently from material processed in Australia.