I was always OK on technical stuff, usually 2nd equal in my class on those subjects. I lived with my Mother, and we (she mostly) ran a couple of boarding houses near central Wellington NZ. But as fate would have it the big developers had their eyes on our houses, to tear the down for development into a big international hotel. I went to the metal work teacher and asked if he new of a job where I would be self sufficient, able to support myself in a short time.
I can remember going for drives around Wellington airport, looking at aircraft there, and thinking those look nice, little did I know that is where I ended up. An apprenticeship at Hawker Siddley International, that was really something. My first jobs there were to paint strip a 30cm square of silver paint of the fuselage of Airforce planes, took hours, and really boring. Lock-wiring stupid Pommie aviation fuel lines out on the tarmac in freezing cold southerly winds, not fun.
But after six months I was transferred to the stripping bay, much more interesting. My equal class mate was there with me, and it was not too bad. Got to dismantle all sorts of engines, degrease, paint strip, crack check etc. We used to have inspectors, in white coats that checked our work, we got up to all sorts of pranks while there, but that's another story.
The aircraft I first worked on was the De Havilland Dove, RNZAF. and DHC2 Beavers.
Engines, De Havilland Gipsy Majors, Gipsy six's and Gipsy Queen 70's. The radials were Pratt & Whitney Wasp Juniors & Wasps.
Went up in a Tiger Moth a few times (VH-BEQ) and was always fascinated by the Gypsy Major engine being upside down with the crank on top, also that it had been manufactured by General Motors Holden. I would have loved your job as engines or anything mechanical is my weakness. Was in Vienna a few years ago and they have a museum dedicated to Austrian built/designed aero engines...hundreds of them...a 7th heaven.
In 1950, aged 3 years & 6 months went to live with a Uncle and Aunty in Sydney for about 4 months from a country area. Uncle owned a truck and for ever after, wanted to be just like him, "A Truck Driver". From about 10 years old I had part time jobs, the first was delivering groceries to a couple of homes near our local corner shop. Then I had a paper run, the days of PMG delivered telegrams on my bike during school holidays, at 17 for a short time, it was glass for windows with trayback ute. Change came about, become breadcarter delivering bread for 3 years. Drove tractors out western NSW for a while for something different.
Then I started in a medium size blue metal quarry, learnt some new skills there which come in handy as the years went by. Grew tried of being confined to a quarry.
From there drove interstate, buses in New Zealand while on a working holiday 1971, come back to Australia in 1972 and for the next 41 years till I was coming upto 66 year old I drove transports though the eastern states of Australa.
Started a paper run at 12yo, 6 mornings a week and Saturday night. Finished the paper run the Saturday night before starting work. About the same age I started rag collecting and bagging them up and each fortnight I would sell a bag to a local mechanical workshop, dozer, trucks etc.
When I was 15 yo, year 10 at school, every Friday night the future boss and his wife would go out for a meal and dance. Well midway Through the year I started dropping in, without fail about 5.45, just before we he went out. I started discussing when I would start work, not if I had a job. I letf school on Thursday, went around normal time on Friday night and asked what time he want me to start on Monday. Still talking an hour later (he is now late), he tells me another couple of boys are interested also. I asked who they were and he told me a couple of school mates, I told him they were drunks and not what he was looking for. His words were "well ****, ya better be here at 8 in the morning"
So I did
My first lesson was you dont put rocks for extra weight in Bags of rags you are selling the future boss. He never let me forget.
He was a good and fair boss
cheers
blaze
The original Gipsy Major engine was designed with the cylinders up-right, but it was turned to inverted and given more power and capacity. Reading why as I had it wrong, the reason for inverted motors was, with the crankshaft higher, a larger dia prop could be fitted, center of gravity of the motor was lower, and better visibility for the pilot.
My apprenticeship started January 1968, it was a full 10,000 hr contract, and I had to do 95% of my schooling by correspondence. That course followed the air-force training syllabus. The establishment was very big, with a large machine shop, large stores, which also distributed Lister motors, and Topper Aluminum dinghies. Welding workshops, a complete area for making the aluminum boats, and another for making aluminum petrol tankers. The aviation side consisted of a ww2 hanger, the stripping bay, which had big vats of degreasers, and paint strippers, sand, and glass bead blasting, magnetic and die penetrant crack checking. Then there was the inspection bay where everything was inspected, under magnifying glasses, measured etc. There was a cylinder head bay, carburetor/fuel injection bay. Don't remember any electrics being done there. And last and most interesting was the engine test cell, a concrete structure around the bay, with an operators room with glass window to watch as engines were run up and tested. That was the best job. It was similar to the picture, but with piston motors not turbines.
