Bell-Memphis, Inc.

Bell Memphis is a third-generation family business supplying precision-made parts to the aircraft industry and other companies in the United States and around the world. Our parts have been used on aircrafts since the B-17 Memphis Belle was flying the skies over Europe in World War II.

History

In 1942 Roy Bell Sr, founded Bell-Memphis, Incorporated (originally R.E. Bell Manufacturing). Bell-Memphis grew from a small wartime contract manufacturing shop to become a long-term supplier of aircraft control cable fittings. The patented turnbuckle locking clip we helped develop became an aircraft industry standard and is still used today on aircraft from small private planes to the largest jet airliners.

Bell-Memphis continues to be a key supplier to the aircraft control cable fittings industry. Bell Memphis is on a government QPL (Qualified Products List) to produce MS (Military Standards) control cable parts whose drawings are controlled by the US Military. The standard products consist of swaged wire rope fittings such as ball ends, eyes, and forks. The turnbuckle parts, which are used for adjusting control cable tension, consist of barrels, forks, eyes, swaged terminals, and the locking clip.

Over the years, Bell-Memphis has expanded the product offering to include other government and industry standard parts to complement the control cable fittings. Bell-Memphis' specialty is converting bar stock into high precision aerospace products.

Bell-Memphis is an AS9100 certified business and operates at a single manufacturing plant located at 2844 Directors Cove in Memphis, Tennessee. The company is housed in a 21,000 square foot plant with approximately 20 employees. When customers call Bell-Memphis, they speak directly to an experienced employee who understands their needs.

The Story

Stuke Lock Clip-Locking Turnbuckle

In 1945, a government inspector/inventor named Stukenborg was inspecting the turnbuckle parts that R. E. Bell Manufacturing was preparing to ship to the government. He was curious about the elaborate methods that were used to safety wire the turnbuckle assemblies so that they would not lose tension during flight. Airplane mechanics had to learn the “Double Spiral Safety Wrap” method to securely safety wire the critical airplane flight controls. The safety wiring took a considerable amount of time and the assembly was often in the most difficult-to-reach locations on the airplane.

The inventor’s mind of Mr. Stukenborg imagined that if a slot were milled through the threads on both the male and female parts, and if the slots were then lined up, a pin could be inserted into the channel that would prevent the parts from rotating. The Stuke Lock clip-locking turnbuckle was his time-saving solution.

It took roughly the life of the patent for the invention to become widely accepted by the aviation industry. Eventually the concept was incorporated into the Military Standards. Bell-Memphis was put on the government QPL (Qualified Producers List) of companies that were authorized to manufacture this critical flight component. The patented locking clip was not a big money maker but it helps explain why a small manufacturer in Memphis, Tennessee stayed in the aerospace manufacturing business for so many years.