Out of Mothballs

Two of the biggest Government-owned aircraft plants were still being used mainly as warehouses until last week. Then Washington decided to put them to better use.

Lockheed Aircraft Corp. was asked by the Air Force to put the 2,000-ft.-long, 115-acre plant in Marietta, Ga. in shape for production. Where Bell Aircraft made B-47s during the war, Lockheed will start modifying B-29s. When Air Force procurement moves into high gear, Lockheed expects to start producing Boeing's six-jet B-47s as well as its own planes. To boss the new operation, Lockheed picked square-jawed James V. Carmichael, former Bell manager and onetime candidate for governor of Georgia.

Douglas Aircraft Co. began cleaning out the 7/8 of a mile-long, 62-acre factory in Tulsa, Okla., in which it made B-24s and A-26s during World War II. Douglas hopes to be at work within six months turning out B-47s.

Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. last week test-flew its new two-motored turboprop transport plane, first in the U.S. The plane, powered by Allison engines geared to propellers, is a modification of Convair's 240, a 40-passenger ship used on commercial lines. Consolidated expects its new plane to be as fast as and more efficient than jet transports for short-and medium-range hops.

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