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Fulmer Research Institute was founded in 1947 by the late managing director of Almin Ltd., Colonel W. C. Devereux, its object being to provide confidential research facilities for industry, on the results of particular investigations, including patents, belonging solely to the individual sponsors. No grant related to industrial income is received from the D.S.I.R., nor are any dividends distributed to the parent company, any excess of income over expenditure being converted into new equipment to increase and improve the available research facilities. Although equipped and staffed to deal primarily with metallurgical problems, many investigations outside this field yet falling within the competence and experience of the staff have been undertaken. Studies on glass, plastics reinforcement, properties of insulating materials, asbestos, cosmetic emulsions etc. have been or are being undertaken.

SPONSORED industrial research by independent organisations has been a feature of American industry for many years and one need only mention the famous Battelle Memorial Institute, which has just completed its quarter century, as an example. In Britain it was not until 1946 that an institute, which could be described as being at all comparable in conducting research on a non‐profit basis, was founded by the late Colonel W. C. Devereux, C.B.E., at Fulmer, Bucks. It was founded primarily as a service to British industry and since its inception the programme of the Fulmer Research Institute has included the investigation of over 1,100 problems dealing with service failures, the design of equipment and the development of materials and processing. Results arising from sponsored industrial research, including patents, belong solely to the sponsors. The Institute is staffed and equipped to deal mainly with metallurgical problems and this includes the study of corrosion and stress corrosion of metals and alloys exposed to various atmospheres.

THE specialities of my Company are the manufacture and application of those aluminium alloys which gain their high strength by suitable forms of heat treatment. Our main business has been to satisfy the demand of the designer of aircraft and aero‐engines who is influenced by two major considerations—reliability and weight.

A monthly feature giving news of recent Government and professional appointments, industrial developments and business changes, etc. Three changes among the executives of Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited of Coventry, Warwickshire, are announced by the Hawker Siddeley Group of 18 St. James's Square, S.W.I.

A SURVEY of the information available regarding the application of the results of tests of models in towing basins to the design of floats for seaplanes was made by the National Advisory Committee lor Aeronautics in 1929. It was found that the development of flying boats and seaplanes had been assisted very much in the United States, and possibly more in other countries, by tests of models in towing basins or tanks (References 1 and 2). Some tanks already existed which were designed especially for testing models of seaplane floats and the construction of other tanks for this special purpose was projected (References 3 and 4). There was no such tank in the United States; in fact, there were only two tanks, both constructed before the appearance of the seaplane and designed originally to test models of ships. The construction in the United States of a special towing basin that could be devoted to tests of models of seaplane floats and hulls might reasonably be expected to be of great assistance in the further development of this type of aircraft, the importance of which appeared to be increasing.

FROM the conventional wartime under‐carriage consisting of a straight through axle suspended on bracing struts by shock absorber cord has developed the complex modern undercarriage which is required to absorb the energy of descent, provide smooth taxying and the braking effort, and disappear when not in use. These requirements have brought in their trail a collection of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical auxiliaries and a comprehensive treatment of the subject would assume some magnitude. This paper therefore summarises existing practice to some extent, and presents some notes on various design aspects which, it is hoped, will prove informative.

ON several occasions we have referred to the advances made in the science of metallurgy in recent years. The developments that have taken place in metals for all purposes during the last fifteen years or so have been most remarkable. The ferrous metals, in spite of great improvements in that particular field, no longer hold unchallenged the position they did a comparatively few years ago.

THE medical problems of flying were first seriously tackled during the latter part of the first world war, when it became obvious that mechanical construction was indivisible with pilot performance. Research has since proceeded along two main lines: pre‐selection of personnel for flying duties and the maintenance of the physiological efficiency of flying personnel. There is no doubt that the work accomplished is proving invaluable in these times of extended air force expansion and added interest is therefore given to the report of the symposium held at Washington D.C., at which Air‐Commodore H. E. Whittingham represented Great Britain.

COST AND EFFICIENCY. The economics of corrosion, like the economics of society, is a matter of continuous debate. In any attempt to cost the effects of corrosion and anti‐corrosion measures what criterion should be selected as the most important? The extent of damage due to corrosion; the cost of applying protection; the probable extent of damage had protection measures not been applied? These, and other factors, have all to be taken into account before any rational approach to the problem can be made. It is a matter of regret that, in this country at least, there has been no real systematic study of the corrosion problem with a view to establishing valid criteria for costing corrosion and anti‐corrosion procedures in industry.

THE advent of the metal‐ and ply‐covered plane has caused a number of one‐time academic problems in the theory of torsion to become of practical interest to the aircraft designer. Any satisfactory solution, therefore, of the academic problem implied in the title to this paper will be a step towards the more complete analysis of the stresses in the root portion of the metal‐covered wing.