World War II Aircraft Maintenance Ads
January 07, 2016![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/gallery_images/1941.png?itok=LV2R9lw8)
Think of the Maintenance Job . . .
Nov. 1, 1941
"We're building a whale of a lot of airplanes—demanding the biggest maintenance job ever tackled for the men who have to 'Keep 'Em Flying.
"The men responsible for aircraft maintenance are hungry for information these days about better maintenance methods . . . about advanced ideas.. about actual practices employed at the front . . . ."
Read full issue from Nov. 1, 1941.
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DoAll Keeps 'Em in the Skies at United Air Lines
June 1, 1941
"Aiding in the big job of airline maintenance and, therefore, in the vital role which air transportation is playing today in the war effort, are DoAll Contour Machines, such as installed at United Air Lines' Maintenance Bases . . . ."
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Man, These Are Fightin' Tools
Nov. 1, 1942
"'I'm plenty glad we bought a good lay-out of Blackhawk Wrenches. It sure is great the way they take the daily punishment we give 'em. And today they're good as new. That proves there's a lot to those special steels Blackhawks are made of. They're tougher than an army mule. So I know they'll see us through the heavy going of the war years . . . .'"
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Fewer Men on the Ground Can Keep More Men in the Air
Sept. 1, 1942
"By duplicating original factory standards of precision and finish quickly--by permitting any ordinary mechanic to 'blind' grind valve seats and valve faces accurately without time lost in repeated gauging operations--by making valve overhauls unnecessary for hundreds of extra flying hours, Hall Aero Valve Servicing Equipment actually keeps more men in the air with fewer men on the ground . . . ."
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By Dawn's Early Light
May 1, 1942
"Pop doesn't get home so early as he used to, somehow isn't quite as ready to romp and play as once he was.
"And Mom--she's quieter, and every now and then is caught looking at him, long and slow, a brooding tenderness in her eyes.
"War? Sure, he know's there's a war. It's in the headlines, names of far-away lands, unreal as any fairy tale . . . ."
Read the full issue from May 1, 1942.
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If You Are 17, 18 or 19 Years of Age
July 1, 1942
"Maj. Gen. Lewis B Hershey, national selective service director, has said that 12 million men would be shifted to new jobs, either in the armed forces or on the war production front, by January 1, 1943. Now is the time for you older men to get specialized training to take an important place in the aviation industry as younger aircraft technicians are called to armed services."
Read the full issue from July 1, 1942.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/gallery_images/1942-Sinclair.png?itok=JPFbJZcf)
War Paint For Peace Birds
Aug. 1, 1942
"At dawn, a gleaming plane rolls in. At dusk, an olive-drab war bird--the same plane--flies out. The Army has drafter another American Airlines Flagship for military service!"
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Yes, She's in a Service Uniform, Too
Nov. 1, 1942
"She helps make ball bearings. She is one of many thousands of men and women in this vital work--days, nights, Sundays, holidays . . . ."
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Flying Boxcars Rush AAF Airplane Filters To Our Fighting Fronts...
Oct. 1, 1943
"AAF airplane engine filters are but one of hundreds of necessary items ranging from medical supplies to thread and needles—that get the call when a flying 'boxcar' is loaded with critical freight for United Nations forces . . . ."
Read the full issue from Oct. 1, 1943.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/gallery_images/1943-Aircraft%20Tools.png?itok=BAqv_FQZ)
Tools That Are Smashing the Axis
Jan. 1, 1943
"This new, completely revised catalogue fully describes the Aero-Craft line of production and maintenance tools . . . shows a number of new tools designed by out staff to solve tough shop problems . . . ."
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Baffles Dirt and Stumps Gremlins, Too!
March 1, 1943
"Above, a Gremlin board of strategy known as the Grit-passers, probes for weak spots in one of the many type of AirMaze airplane engine filters.
"The adult Gremlin with the air hammer is vibrating the filter element, hoping it will pack down or separate. The augur-necked Gremlin with the detachable head is chagrined to find his drill unable to pierce the metallic element . . . . "
Read the full issue from March 1, 1943.
Related Galleries: History of Gremlins
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For the War Program
Oct. 1, 1943
"27 Bulletins on ball bearings—their use, installation and maintenance. Available to engineers, designers, draftsmen, shop men, service mem and maintenance men."
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When Aircraft Get Thirsty...
Nov. 1, 1943
"War-time refueling must be efficient . . . .accomplished without loss of time. Today, on numerous combat, training, and commercial airfields, at home and abroad, 'when aircraft get thirsty,' Buckeye time-tested refueling equipment gets the job done quicker . . . better . . . ."
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/gallery_images/1943-Gremlins.png?itok=mf-NAROI)
How We Jinx the Gremlins
April 1, 1943
"'Aircraft landing gear is no place for gremlins,' is the way we figure it.
"So from the design board, right through the research, metallurgy, and test departments, into manufacture and out onto the fields and runways of the world, Hayes Aircraft Wheels and Brakes are giving ours and allied forces reliability, easy maintenance and around-the-clock readiness for action . . . ."
Read the full issue from April 1, 1943.
Related Galleries: History of Gremlins
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Ready for Action!
Dec. 1, 1943
"Life a pilot's oxygen tank at 30,000 feet—the man in the cockpit depends on the filters protecting his engine against dust, to keep the heart of his ship ticking smoothly and powerfully."
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Sharing the Air Lanes with War
Feb. 1, 1943
"Transporting fighting men . . . flying munitions, food, airplane engines and tank parts over land and sea to military bases--that's how the commercial air lines are sharing the air lanes with the war effort . . . . "
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Safeguarding Our Gallant Fighters
April 1, 1944
"Today, amazing developments in electronics communications make possible new methods of aircraft control to aid our gallant Air Forces. Modern communications equipment is helping to coordinate fighting forces in the air . . . is helping to safeguard them on their vital missions. Air Communications is proud to help supply many precision-build products used in America's march to victory . . . . "
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Tomorrow's Objective
July 1, 1945
"As the course is charted toward Japan, Southern works toward final victory, the war in the Pacific demands full attention for the big push ahead."
From Aviation Week’s new 100 year archive, here are some aircraft maintenance ads from World War II.
To view the full Aviation Week archive, click here.