Here and There

THE now established annual event of the Institution of Production Engineers Conference on aircraft production at South‐ampton was this year devoted to the comparison of British and U.S. practice, and three papers were given (they are summarized in this issue). Two dealt comprehensively with current methods in the two countries respectively, and the third gave a detailed description of the manufacture of a particular major airframe component. Particular interest was given to this last by the fact that it involved publication of hitherto ‘classified’ information on the aircraft in question, the P.1. This structure is in any case of special interest in that it has a high degree of sweep, and a thin section. At first sight the structure is surprisingly conventional, but the fact that the structure is built from the skin inwards is a sign of the times. In any case it must be remembered that these design matters must have been frozen at least five years ago, probably more, and certainly before the first of the successful series of conferences the latest of which is under discussion.