Letter To The Editor
Dear Dave,
Thirty years is quite along time! I had quite forgotten about the Dural ladder,
but re-reading the log extract, I felt that a brief note about it would be of
interest in these days of more sophisticated laddry and S.R.T.
Dan Hasell and I were fortunate in working in a certain
aircraft establishlment (No - not B.A.C.!) We had absorbed Casterets 'Ten Years Under the Earth' and were rather
fed-up with carrying the (then) standard ropes and wooden runged ladders to
Mendip on pushbikes.
So - aircraft use dural tube, and controls were worked by
wire - each of first class quality. Add
to these lots of brass ¼ whit nuts; a lot of 2 BA high tensile bolts and
Symonds nuts. Some flux and solder and
we were in business.
For a jig we screwed bits of metal to a mitre block and off
we went. I believe we used rungs 9"
long by ¾" dia. at 11" centres. Holes were drilled off-set, the wire passed through them and a loop
pulled out of the end of the rung - a brass nut was passed over the loop which
was then 'sized' to a 2BA bolt. The wire
was then soldered to the nut, the loop pulled back inside the rung and the 2BA
bolt passed through the off-set hole - one rung complete.
We used this ladder for a very long time and believe it or
not, when it was scrapped I kept it and still have it - I've also some of the
original wooden and rope ladders - any good to the club as Museum pieces?
All the best,
Harry Stanbury
25th July 1979
Many thanks for the letter, Harry. I have not mentioned this to the Committee
yet but I know what their answer will be - yes please. The UBSS are usually credited with being the
first club in the