A Chance Vought Aitcraft Incorporated Publication

TABLE of CONTENTS

100,000 Visit Plant for OPEN HOUSE  Nov. 15, 1957
CV Song-Writer  Apr. 5, 1957
Cowpoke Came To Round Up His Paycheck Oct 4, 1957
“Happy New Fiscal Year” cards Oct 4, 1957
Major John Glenn Oct 4, 1957
Thousands of 'Kid Letters' Received Each Month by CV Apr 28,1961
Local 893 Ninth Annual Labor Day Picknic Sep. 6, 1957
 

 

 


Nov. 15, 1957
100,000 Visit Plant for Open House
 

  Celebrating "Forty Years of Firsts" in the aircraft industry, Chance Vought Aircraft held open house November 9 and 10 for 100,000 visitors.
   On November 9, reserved for employees, their families and friends, photoelectric "eyes" counted 30,000 visitors, not including an estimated 10,000 small children who passed under the counter beam.
   November 10, set aside for the general public, the "eyes" tallied 50,000 guests, again excluding an estimated 10,000 youngsters.

Hour after hour, taking full advantage of the first opportunity since 1953 to inspect CVA facilities, thousands after thousands of guests followed a mile-long tour route to see the Crusader and Regulus production lines and the many special exhibits located along the route.

         Then, outside the assembly area, they had close-up looks at production models of the world's fastest Navy fighter and the Regulus II and Regulus I mis-

siles and visited the company's low-speed wind tunnel.
   So great was the public turnout that it was necessary to keep gates open an extra hour.



         (Photos on Pages 2, 3)




 


CV Song-Writer
Apr. 5, 1957

   Lawton E. Williams, Chance Vought guard, is the author of the hit western tune, "Fraulein."
    Recorded by Freddie Hart on the Columbia label, the song was recently rated number three by Country and Western Billboard.
   Williams is the author of many western ballads, including "Paper Face," recorded by Hank Locklin on the Four Star label, "You Took Everything," and "Fire Water," recorded by Cliff Bruner on the Columbia label.
   Williams not only writes them, he sings them, too. He's a regular personality on the Saturday night Cow Town Hoedown. He has worked on radio stations in Dearborn, Michigan, and Fort Worth.

 


Cowpoke Came
To Round Up
His Paycheck
Oct 4, 1957

Shades of the "Old West" -the old and the new — the horse and the airplane.
   Company guards, cruising among 7,000 automobiles in the plant parking lots the other day, blinked in amazement. A white horse, its rider clad in range-working blue-jeans, was approaching at a gallop.
   The rider rode up to the south entrance. Dismounting, he tied his horse to a signpost. Then he disappeared into the plant.
   The guards, curious, investigated. C. Q. Weaver, a night shift employee, was only picking up a paycheck.
   "Can you blame us for being inquisitive?" a guard said. "One horse and 7,000 automobiles!"

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    “Happy New Fiscal
    Year” cards
    Oct 4, 1957

       Paul Thayer hit on happy idea of sending "Happy New Fi$cal Year" cards to a few of the folks in Washington and promptly and properly received recognition in American Aviation magazine. "To Paul Thayer, vp of sales and service for Chance Vought," said AA, "goes the award of the year for the most timely and unusual greeting card. It portrays all manner of tools which, the card says, are 'reserved for budgets.' Will get many a thoughtful chuckle in aviation and government circles. Moral: Gloomy as the outlook may be, the business hasn't lost its sense of humor."

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    Major John Glenn
    Oct 4, 1957

       Major John Glenn, USMC, currently occupied in getting rich as a contestant 011 the "Name That Tune" national network TV program, isn't a bit bashful about giving other credit where other credit is due for his achievement last July in setting a coast-to-coast speed mark. Noting that the Crusader he piloted set the first supersonic transcontinental record in aviation history, Major Glenn made quite a point of telling millions of televiewers that the flying machine was built by Chance Vought, that the Navy was mighty proud of it, and that "we think it's the best fighter in the world."

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    Thousands of 'Kid Letters'
    Received Each Month by CV
    Apr 28,1961

        Television personality Perry Como doesn't have exclusive rights to the "We get letters" routine. Chance Vought's public relations department, which receives approximately 1,000 "kid letters" each month, also has a claim.
        "Kid letters" is the term applied affectionately by the department's secretaries to missives from airminded youngsters throughout the world seeking pictures and information on Chance Vought aircraft, missiles and rockets. Almost without fail the "kid letters" begin this way: "Dear Sir: Could you please send me . . ."
        The letters incorporate requests which range from "a complete set of your airplane pictures" to a plea for detailed plans which will enable an exceptionally technically-minded (and ambitious) youngster to construct his personal Crusader.
        The "Unusual Category"- Some fall into what the busy secretaries call the "unusual category." This includes requests for "one of your airplanes; information on how to become an aeronautical engineer; the reason why the wing goes up and down on the Crusader; technical information which will keep me up to date on advancements in the field of rocket development; the exact time required to build a Crusader; historical information on Chance Vought."
        Presenting an extra problem are foreign letters, which account for approximately one-fourth of the total received. Often written in French, Japanese, Spanish, Italian or German, these letters are routed promptly to one of the company's multi-lingual language experts for translation.
        In a separate category are hundreds of requests from school teachers for "scientific material and information" to be utilized in teaching science classes.
       

       Sometimes     the     youngsters aren't content to rely on Uncle Sam's    mail    service.    Several years ago an overly-anxious lad telephoned  long  distance  from Los Angeles three times in one week to  request  rush  delivery of pictures of the F7U Cutlass. (He  readily  explained  that his mother didn't mind the long distance phone bills but the secretary who handled the calls is still wondering.)
        Many times letters contain emphatic paragraphs to the effect that "I am not a Russian spy collecting information—I just like the Crusader."
        The communications come in assorted sizes, colors and descriptions. They arrive scrawled in childish handwriting, in precise block letter style, on the backs of postcards, on perfume drenched stationery and as typewritten messages. Some have had a "legible" address added by "Mother" and others neglect to include a return address. Some defy deciphering
        Some reach the department only after some deft deciphering by the nation's postal service and the company's mail room. Letters with addresses varying from "Mr. Aircraft, Dadastexas" to "Crusader Maker, Dallas, Texas" have been delivered promptly. Letters arrive from such varied places as Brooklyn, New York and Hollywood; Beirut, Lebanon, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Harp, Texas and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
        Unable to fill all requests for photographs, the department mails, in most cases, a seven-language (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portugese and Swedish) brochure titled "Chance Vought USA" and including pictures of the F8U

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