A VACUUM cleaner and chip board box may seem like strange tools for designing aircraft, but British Aerospace worker George Seyfang used them as inspiration.

George, 52, who works at the Warton site in Business Development, has won an accolade for his research into reducing the landing speed of aircraft on to a carrier.

His award winning design involves blowing a current of air across the deck of the aircraft carrier to slow down the oncoming plane.

"Initially we used a vacuum cleaner and chip board boxes to look at the Headwind project," said George: "It was a case of applying today's technologies and reducing the need for expensive and high risk mechanics."

George was one of only five workers at Warton to be singled out for one of the nine silver prizes presented to British Aerospace workers up and down the country in the Chairman's Award for Innovation project.

Systems technology manager Mark Taylor, 37, also won a silver for a training and development course he set up for people with communication difficulties, as did the internal communications team.

Warton site director Jeff Mountain said: "Truly successful innovative behaviour deserves recognition. Only by sharing best practice can we stay one step ahead." Warton staff also won 21 of the 45 bronze awards on offer.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.