The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-16
MAY TRAIN ALL
| WAR AVIATORS In
UNITED STATES
This Country Will Provide
Training Machines for all
Allied Nations
MUST DEVELOP
BATTLE PLANES
Expenditure of $1,OO0,O0O,-
600 For Aviation Is
Planned
(By Associated Press.l

n
Washington, June 16.-Plans fol
making the United, States a great
elementary training base for aviators
of all the allied nations have been
formulated by the defense councils
aircraft production board which be-
lieves this country can supply not
| only machines suited for training
work for some months to come, but
can take care of the needs of all the
allies in that respect
French and British plants under
| the plan would be released for the
manufacture of battle craft exclus-
lively, while American plants are de-
! veloping battle type which by next
spring probably could give increasing
addition to French and British sup
plies. -
The plan to bring all allied student
aviators to the United States for ele-
| mentary training is an outgrowth of
| the enormous expansion Of the gov
ernment's aircraft policy. The orig
inal program called only for machines
enough to equip American land and
naval forces at cost of about $751;
100000. The aircraft production board
has now mapped out. however, cam
paign that means an initial appropria-
ton of about $600,000,000 and an
eventual expenditure of $1,000, 100000.
General Squiere, in charge of army
aviation, made it clear yesterday that
the war department stands back of
this campaign, which he said was
necessary to put the Yankee punch
into the war;
Our plan contemplates nothing
less than driving the German flyers
out of the air and maintaining a con-
slant raiding patrol over. the terri
tory miles back of the fighting lines"
said Chairman Howard e. Coffin of
the board in a statement last night.
IF we carry through our program to
produce, the thousands of machines
planned, the permanent supremacy of
the allies in the air is assured. What
we need is the money to carry the
program through" .,
Is Standard Machine.
The American training machine has
already been made the standard for
all the allies in order that the parts
may be interchangeable. While exist
ing American plants are said to be
able to supply only ten per cent of the
number of machines wanted, arrange
ments have been made for the con-
version of numerous automobile and
other factories for airplane building.
If European aviators are sent to the
United States Tor elementary train
ing, the number of training fields will
be increased to a score or more and
additional universities will be desig-
mated to give technical aviation
courses Thousands could be given a
degree of knowledge and skill on this
side of the water, that would make 1T
only a matter of a few weeks at most
after their arrival in France before
they could join the active squadrons
at the front. Their machine and equip
ment would be furnished to them in
France.
Mr.. Cofin's statement was prompted
by a report from Paris that Germany
expected to put $500 additional planes
to the front by next spring.
Compared with the number Of air.
planes on which both groups of bell
ligerents SO far have been able to
RELY" he said, "a new force of $500
planes next spring might well prove
discouraging to the allies.' The French
and British alone probably cannot
more than hold their own against
Germany's output. Fitted against
Americas added resources, properly
organized, the situation Immediately
changes. If we can carry through our
program to produAc the thousands or
machines planned, the permanent
of the allies in the air is
assured. The allies so far have not
been able to develop the use OF bomb
ing machines to the needed extent be-
cause they could not secure enough
airplanes to carry out this work upon
a great scale"