The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-19
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATTON BUREAU
By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, d. c.
PLANNING AMERICAS AIR
PLANES

problems their wholesale order IN
volyed. OF all the strategists who are
advocating 10000 American aircraft
to flutter over Germany next summer,
there are probably very few who real
ize what difficulties must be overcome
to put a single thousand war planes in
the air. But here in Washington
there is a body of scientists naval
military and civilian, who know what
these difficulties are, because it is
their business to overcome them. This
body, one of the most important and
least known forces behind the worlds
uOnai advisory committee for aero
nautics.
There are a dozen men on the COM
mittee. Two of them are army Off
GERS, two come from the navy, four
are men high up in other government
departments. and the remainder are
technical and theoretical experts Sc
lected from the country at large.
Their business is with the theory of
aircraft, their work is too hopeleSSly
technical to come under the eye of
the layman or to be understood when
it does, yet it must be the foundation
for all quantity production of flying
craft. Recently the committee PUG
lished "a report of which it was said
that not more than ten men in the
United States could understand the
whole of it. But reports like this are
what make possible the sudden ap-
pearance of new and improved types
of airpianes on the fighting front, such
as the Fokker of the Teutons and the
allies Newport and Spad. Behind the
wood and steel of every machine lies
a maze of theory and technical calcu-
lation that determines power, stability
and speed.
The Magnitude of the Project.
The advisory committee understands
the magnitude of the construction
problems involved in our aircraft pro-
gram, but that is far from indicating
that they believe we have bitten off
more than we can chew" The prob
lens will be solved, but the public
ought not to take it for granted that
there are no problems, nor fan TO ap-
preciate the value of the men who
work them out.
For example, the committee is about
to publish report on the use of cot
ton fabrics in the wings of airplanes
Ihat report represents triumph over
an obstacle of the first magnitude It
was long believed that linen was the
only suitable material for this use
Our great aerial fleet could never
have been built with linen wings.
There is simply not enough linen to be
had. The problem was taken up as
one of the most immediate irnpor-
lance, and the committee worked 1t
out with the cooperation of the bu-
reau of standards. In the laboratories
OF the bureau, process was perfected
by which cotton can be made to take
the place of linen, and serve not only
Just as we'll, but actually better. Thus
a lack that threatened the whole pro-
gram was not only overcome but ac-
tually turned into an advantage
The advisory committee for aero
nautics was established before the
war. Back in 1915, congress saw that
aIrplanes were being used good deal
in Europe. and appropriated $4,000 a
year for the use of a committee of ex-
perts to study theoretical questions
| connected with aviation. By 1916, the
airplane as a war instrument was
showed up to 100000. This year the
committee has about $4,000 to
spend. This looks like a small. sum,
but it is about all that can ne used.
The work is limited not by funds
available, but by the number of suit
number of capable men.
Flight and Aircraft Design
Broadly speaking, the committee
deals with the theoretical problems
of flight and aircraft design. 1t is
! the function of the committee to Sc
lect certain problems that need study
| and experiment, and to see that they
| get it first. For there are not sufft-
cient facilities in the United States to
work at the same time on all the
features that will bear improvement.
Hence the most vital have to be picked
| out for precedence.
Having decided what to work on,
| there are various ways of going to
work. Several important and expen-
sive Investigations have been con-
Quoted under the supervision of the
committee without any expense to the
| government. Such work is done by
| industrial corporations, whose busi-
ness will benefit if the problem in
question is solved. Other investiga-
| lions are carried on in university lab
oratories which are particularly well
equipped for the task. In such cases
! enough money is taken from the APP
| preparation to cover the cost. Very
important work has been done at the
bureau of standards, and at the
weather bureau. Then, the commit
tee has a laboratory of its own, and
an experimental flying field which il
shares with the army. All the facili-
ties of the army and navy shops are
at It's disposal None the less. the
resources of the nation for expert
mental work are admittedly made
quate, and still more so is the number
of men sufficiently expert to carry il
out.
house for problems of airplane con.
struction. At its meetings, scientist.
from the universities, engineers from
the shop, aviators from the field, off
GERS of the army and navy, represen
tativeS of government bureaus work.
ing along allied lines, get together
and thresh matters out. Question.
are raised and suggestions are crit
ciZed. Any outside" inventor with
new idea who thinks he can max,
any improvement in an airplane il
turned over to the committee.
Airplane Instead of AeropIane.
Various details of equipment ant
construction are being standardized
and exactly defined. Specification
have been drawn up for the seventeen
instruments which the modern aviato
carries in his flights Even the word
which apply to all the parts and TIL
evolutions of aircraft have been givei
standard definitions. The committe
: has done away as far as possible witt
foreign terms, giving the preference
to the English equivalent where on