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Show Where Irike Engines Throb Test jBlock Plane of Engine Test Given Vital Job of the Final Check Stages in the Final Preparation Repaired Bngim When engine repair section has finished "repairing an engine scheduled for a return to combat fronts, still only half the distance has been covered. That engine has to be tested, and tested thoroughly, and tested by mechanics who know their business. And it's rather difficult to make ad- justments at 10,000 feet. So employes in the engine test building make these tests, handling . a continuous stream of engines as they come from engine repair, rebuilt and bright as a nickel.' Working amidst the throbbing roar of the great air horses, these Hill fielders can feel the pulse of the American industrial giant, and they know-- it has a strong beat. . When the engine is wheeled in the test block it is lowered by ' elevator to the buildup section basement where a crew of expert mchanics install carburetors, starters, spark plugs and other fittings necessary for testing. Supervisor in buildup is baldish Ira W, (Bill) Baldwin who left a chief electrician's job at the school of mines, Golden, Colo., to come here last January. He's been supervisor for over six months now, likes his work, feel he's making a real contribution to victory. Installation of various accessories for testing requires the engine's being suspended from a big chain hoist With fittings in place it goes, by elevator, to the test cell where It is placed on a strong steel frame. Oil and fuel lines are PRIOR TO WRAPPING . . . Tad Brown, young mechanic helper, Is shown torquing a thrust nut oa connected to supply tanks located in the control room and on the roof. propellor shaft of Wright engine. This job is done In final assembly where engine is safety-wire- d and Thousand Thunder Storms cylinder base studs and thrust bearings are checked. Frank McDonald, supervisor, preparation and room with cement walls, storage, inspects the job. The test cell, itself, is a medium-size- d radiator-lik- e structure made of a light volcanic and a "sound-proof- ," insulator at both ends. The propellor sucks In the air even birds on occasion at one end and out the other. If one doubts the sound i deadened much one has but to open the door to the cell it's one way to hear a thousand thunder storms going at the same time. The "pilot" of the test cell, sitting behind a complex control board In a small room adjacent to the cell, closely observes the engine's behavior through a thick plate glass. Mirrors placed on the far side enable him to see every part of it. Multiple guages show him various IN temperature readings,' oil and gas consumption, the power developed, speed, oil pressure, RPM (revolutions per minute), manifold pressure. Of the 110 employes in engine test, 24 are "pilots" or, officially, operators. Actually, these operators hold the life of the ship's pilot in their hands, for if they don't spot the trouble before he does well, R's too late when he does. They must be skillful and sure, intent on their jobs at all times. Three shift foremen immediately supervise the work of the operators Floyd Prabasco, Clarence M. Iverson, and Wayne J. Thompson. All 24 operators are expert mechanics. Typical is coveralled Albert J. Burningham, here since February, 1943, before that' an automobile mechanic at Bountiful, Utah. Burningham knows he's got an important job, knows what might happen anytime he fails to do that job right, and knowing it, derives real pleasure in being alert to suspicious engine symptoms, catching them in time, making the adjustment, and then watching the big motor roar through the test, meeting every specifica- $p ? t&oj Jr if; , , - j i - 'V tion. Eight Hours . ' ' A. In Cell his engine He runs for about four hours at gradually increasing it at the end of the first and fourth hours. Readings speeds, checking are taken at each speed. Including time involved in mounting and dismounting, the engine is in the cell about eight hours. Arthur R, Smith, genial general foreman of engine test, says that when one considers the time that would be required to make additional internal adjustments after the motor is installed in the ship, removing it, and so forth, the time spent in the test cell is indeed it, profitable. When Burningham spots a defect during the test he sees to it that the engine is taken down and sent back to engine repair for necessary adjustments. That fin- Ished, it will come back to the test block for another run. Engines passing this rigid "physical" are taken back to the basement where various test fittings are removed, final defect check made, valves readjusted, and final assembly completed. Shift supervisors in charge of final assembly are Frank McDonald and Kenneth Aylsworth. Typ- - f 1 "g1"' ? - r MECHANIC HELPERS . . . Vera Hadley, left, and J. R. Doerflinger wrap an engine in pliofilm prior to its being sent to depot supply for storage. General Foreman Arthur R. Smith stops by to lend a of After couple pointers. pliofilm covers engine, air is removed. Dehydrator Is previously inserted ts draw remaining moisture. Pliofilm has been known to keep an engine dry even after several days ... under water. r, 1 1 if . " Suand Diesel was McDonald a pervisor engineer in Omaha, Neb., prior to coming here last February. He's been a supervisor in the test block the entire time. ical tire-le- ss shirt-sleev- ed Precautions He's responsible for the preparation and storage of the engine once testing is completed. It must be carefully safety-wirecylinder base .studs and thrust bearings must be meticulously checked; it must be wrapped in transparent pliofilm and vacuumized. A bag is inserted to draw off any excess moisture "remaining. d; dchy-drat- or Foreman Smith said engines wrapped thus have been removed from sunken ships, perfectly dry, after being under water for days. Many young mechanic helpers are needed to aid in discharging engine test's indispensable victory role. Typical are Tad Brown, Vcrn Hadlcy, and J. R. Doerflinger, 'teen agcrs supplying a sizable share of the sweat and muscle needed in engine test. Brown has been tur alnra lnat uly, came from a California steel in; MSKJley was a railroad work- - ON THE ALERT . . . Albert 9. Burningham, test cell "pilot," peers intently through the plate glass at the engine he's running, watching and listening for anything amiss. Engines are run about four hours: consume around 100 gallons of high octane gasoline per hour at HERE IS er, has worked here since last ruary; Doerflinger ' just arrived this month, likes it, was an Oklahoma farm worker previously. These fellows, along with many others, ready the engines for storage in depot supply. No more repair work will likely be done until it has been flown from 25 to SO sweater and tie, Fore-fhi- s man Smith realize, he's responsible for a big job at Hill Field. But he's got 110 of the best workers on the field to help him, and he Isn't too worried about slipping up. Fifteen of the 110 are women. Smith came here In December, 1941, from San Antonio Air depot where he worked years as a a test block operatorthree so he knows Feb-roughed- up hours. Behatted, usually wearing ! W. (Bill) supervisor of the buildup hol engine on a chain and the of plugs test carburetor, starter, P!?.ry fittings necessary for testing it. From here It spark goes to the cell business. encouif ene,tf"n?e.nSa!? .'P the null foreman since he tered in flight Adding a few interesting vital statistics in the testing procedure, ld that during maximum RPM tests an engine consumes high octane gasoline at the rate of about 100 gallons per hour. A wide, short-bladecalibrated propellor or wooden test club, as it r.. Uidlt. T is called, is used In the tests to Tm First Llnlnul John T. !!!en top RPM. ... Ira,ock' adiu"t,nBaldwin, ln"ton .Jl, Promotions d, MsjM-Wllll- am |