Aviation Accessories

As the automobile industry has developed many an accessory industry (notably tires) so the aviation industry has its accessory fields. Thus Scintilla magnetos are standard equipment on Curtiss, Wright and Pratt & Whitney engines. Thus ignition systems built by Delco Aviation Corp., General Motors subsidiary, are used on all Liberty aviation engines. As the aviation industry develops, so the making of aviation accessories increases as well.

To this accessory industry came last week its first great merger. Known as the Bendix Aviation Corp., the new company will be 25% controlled by General Motors.

Other companies represented are Bendix Corp., Electric Auto-Lite, Wright and Curtiss. The new aviation accessory corporation will be capitalized at $140,000,000 President of Bendix Aviation Corp. is Vincent Bendix, inventor of the Bendix Drive, now used on more than 30,000.000 automobiles, developer, also, of the Bendix Four Wheel Brake. Tallish, well-built, with brown hair and a boyish complexion that shows no signs of his having been in existence for almost haF a century (born 1881), Mr. Bendix is nevertheless alarmed concerning embonpoint. Lately he acquired an elastic belt to pre vent undue Bendix expansion. An incident in the Bendix rise to fame and financial potency was his part-purchase of the Potter Palmer castle-mansion (TIME, Nov. 19) and other Lake Shore Drive parcels. But Vincent Bendix him self is perhaps most "at home" when entertaining tycoons, on the 38th floor of the Bankers' Building on Chicago's Clark Street. He sits at one end of a large, glass-topped table, around which are nine straight-backed chairs. There are five windows,, softly curtained, and a thick soft carpet. Along one entire wall is hung a tapestry which reaches from ceiling to floor. Behind the tapestry, in a kind of recess, is a large and well equipped refreshment counter. Across the room from this counter is a large safe, containing money and other valuables. One door leads to a shower; there is, however, no dressing room. P: Last week also-- saw further consolidation in the parent industry when newly-formed (TIME, March 18) Aviation Corp.. took over Colonial Airways, capitalized at $5,000,000. P: Pratt & Whitney (produced 960 engines in 1928; plan 2,000 in 1929) an nounced net profit first quarter of 1929, of $1,300,274 as against $337,012, first quar ter 1928.