Evening star., 1942-07-12
By Richard L. Stokes.


CHARLES E. SORENSEN.
FCrd's production engineer is
typical OF the miracle -,oorking
technicinns Dho are helping to
7rin Americas battle OF produc-
ton. Wide World Photo.
ical Corp, and later founded his own
company, the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
Corp, now a subsidiary of United Air
craft. Both Wright and Pratt g. Whit
ney have specialized in air-cooled en-
gines.
Around these motors the engine Sec
ton of the Bureau of Aeronautics devel-
oped the Boeing and Curtiss fighter
planes, the Vought "Corsair" scout plane
and the Martin torpedo and bombing
craft. At Mr.. Rentschler's instance, Mr..
Wilson resigned from the Navy in 1880
to become president of the Hamilton
Standard Propellers division of United
Aircraft. He was soon appointed presi-
dent of two other subsidiaries, Sikorsky
Aircraft and the Chance vought Corp.
On May 6, 1910, he was elected president
OF United Aircraft itself.
United Aircraft Products.
During these years United Aircraft
promoted the controllable-angle propel-
Ter, considered one OF the foremost con-
tributions to modern aviation; the Sikor-
sky s-42, built for pan American Air
ways, which pioneered transoceanic
passenger and cargo fight; the two-seat
dive-bomber, which added machine
gunner to its protection and the Sikor-
sky helicopter.
The latest achievement Of Pratt g.
Whitney Is the Double Wasp, an 18-cyl-
inder job OF more than 1000 horsepower,
which made possible the Army's ace
among high-altitude fighters, the Re-
public Thunderbolt. United Aircraft
will build and operate the new $85 900 900
plant in Kansas City for making Navy
airplane engineers.
But Mr.. Wilson and Mr. Rentschler
are proudest of the claim that they saved
q years time in the countrys airplane
engine program by freely turning over
to Ford, Buick, Chevrolet and NashKel-
vinator their designs, machine tool
models and technical know how" They
were aware, the aircraft executives said,
that after the war an attempt would be
made by the automotive industry to
swallow their business, and that their
only hope of survival, against resources
so vastly superior, would lie in keener
engineering originality.
Mr.. Wilson and Mr. Rentschler give
credit to the Ford Motor Co.'S produc-
ton wizard, Mr.. Sorensen, for his quick
ness is seeing what William S. Knudsen
OF OPM and motor makers in general
were blind to-namely, that the industry
could not be converted to manufacture
Of airplane engines and airframe sec
tions by closing down a month or so
for installing new jigs and dies. but that
1t would have to be made over from top
to bottom.
Trained as Pattern Maker.
Mr.. Sorensen sent engineers to the
Pratt & Whitney and Consolidated
plants, and on receiving their reports
Instantly pronounced that this is a new
job From his decision grew the Ford
works building Pratt & Whitney mo-
tors, and the Ford Willow Run factory,
biggest machine shop in the world,
which a few months from now expects
to be turning heavy bombers off the
assembly line at rate Of Is to 18 day.
Mr.. Sorensen, with steelier temper
and more ruthless mouth. is in several
respects younger Knudsen. Both are
physical giants. Both were born in Den
mark, started their careers at the work
bench and became top production men
for huge automobile companies-Mr. Sor-
ensen for Ford and Mr.. Knudsen for
| General Motors. incidentally, Mr.. Knud-
sens fate is one of the motives actuat-
ing industrial companies in keeping their
best men at home and lending to the
War Production Board only second-rank
officials and often their deadWood
While Mr. Knudsen came to this coun-
try when 20 years old, Mr.. Sorensen ar
| rived at the age of 4, attended public
school in Buffalo and went to work as
boy in a stove factory. He was trained
as pattern maker The turn in his life
came when he migrated in 1900 to De-
troit. There he was employed by various
| stove companies. machine shops and
foundries. In 1904 he joined the Ford
working force as pattern maker. In
few years he was head of the depart
ment. Then he became assistant super
intendent of the company On July 26
194l, he was appointed vice president, in
charge Of all Ford defense manufactures
Glenn L. Martin, q native Of Iowa,