Aspects of Aviation Coatings

The writer remembers — with a healthy nostalgia — when data sheets still included information on medium taughtening dopes and the chief test‐pilot of his principal account raced a greyhound, took bets and qualified for jets as a grandfather. Those were indeed the days and we speak of Blackburn Aircraft Limited in the epoch wedged between the Beverley freighter and the Buccaneer, otherwise known as the NA39 fighter‐bomber. An impeccable salute from the commissionaire for which he received a new crisp 10/‐note, breakfast in the flying club with the chief security officer, lunch with ‘Sailor’ Parker later to be tragically killed in action, so to speak, testing the NA39. On summer evenings golf with the purchasing boys on the fine Brough course then, the tasting of fine wines and perhaps, a measure of after dinner hilarity. In between we did a great deal of effective work.