The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-05
AMERICAN CONTROL
Of AR IN SIGHT
Mundredfold Increase I'm the Number
EFF Planes Is War Record, and
More Are Coming.
MOTOR RELIEVED BEST
Allies Also Making Effort TO Render
German Plans Negligible in final
Days of Conflict.

! NNhhHh tNtEtEAptC Ah AAhNb
| Days of Conflict.
Albany, y. Y. Jan 4.--Gov. Whit
man has been advised from Wash
/ ington that American aviation units
have moved up to stations immediate
iy behiad the front in France. The
vanguard OF the new army Of the
air, for which congress voted $780,
OhO.00 last summer, is about to join
forces OF land and sea in action
against the Germans.
The navy has tripIed in size since
the war begun and the army has null
ttplied itself by thirteen. Those are
rapid increases. But the first year
plans for the air service call faE- an H.
crease Of more than a hundredfold.
Last spring the aviation corps had
fewer than 900 airpilnes of all de-
grees of serviceability. Now flect
Of $4,000 planes is being built. when
war began there were seventy-five
aviators. force of 10000 aviators
is being trained. The total personnel
of the old flying corps, ground work
ers az well as flyers, was 1000 The
total personnel Of the, new flying corps
Is 100000.
To provide the airplanes is the work
of the aircraft board the new body
conn osed OF three men from the
army. three from the navy and three
from civil life, that recently has taken
the place of the old aircraft produc-
ton board of the council OF national
defense. Before any real fghting
planes could be turned out a new
American industry had TO be created,
This is the great task that has been
accomplished in the last five months.
When the aircraft production board
started Its work, only two companies
manufacturing afrplanes were in oper-
alton in America, and the machines
they had been making for the allies
were of a type serviceable only for
practice flights.
New Engine Designed.
The first move OF the BOARD was TO
stop negotiations for the use of exist
ing patents and to set men ut work
designing new airplane engine which
should comprise as many OF the good
points of the different patents as these
men cared to use. In a week twenty
expeNts working together had evolved
the liberty motor, which Secretary
Baker has called the greatest achieve
ment OF the war so far.
The liberty motor is a model OF
Standardization. II is BUILT with four
cylinders, or with eight, or with
twelve, and the same parts are inter
changeable for ali three of the diff
ferent sizes. The greatest automobile
fa stories IN the world have been pro-
vided with the machinery necessary
for turning out this notor--the fac
tories that have supplied the United
States with It's 1000. 900 automobiles
when all the rest Of the world gets
along with only goo
1t has been necessary all along not
to interfere with the supply of raw
materials, particularly spruce, and OF
certain completed airplane parts, to
the flying forces of our allies. Amer
lea is the hope OF the allies not only
Tor aviators but for materials. In re-
turn for thsae materials the allies are
giving us the rich benefits of their e7x-
perience. For months Young Arnerl-
Gang have been I'm training for our air
corps on the flying fields of England
and France. on dozen and more Of
new flying fields In America veteran
myers from the western front are
helping in the preliminary training OF
our newly com missioned aviators. II
takes six months 10 make a flyer and
costs so France says $3.50 for each
man.
Great Britain entered the war with
about 100 fairly serviceabIe planes,
most reliable British authority
stated the other dav that the Roval
nying corps Is seventy to a hundred
times stronger now than in 1914 The
London Times history OF the war Is
satisfied that In 1917 England has
been building At least one plane for
every plane built hy the Germans,
and considers that in 1918 England
alone will outbuild the Germans two
to one.
France had about 800 airplanes
when the war hegan--prac tfcailv the
same number that the Germans pos
sessed. Through the first two years
of fighting France built flying equip
ment for Russia and Rumania and
Italy as well as for herself In the
year ended August l. 1917. French
ayIators shot down ISL enemy planes
as against 1875 accounted, for by the
British Since no one has vet ac-
cused the French OF being less than
a match for any other nation man
for man IN the air one meaning of
these figures is that French produc-
ton OF planes has not quite kept
pace.
On the other hand italy. formerly
dependent on France recently has
ptSH boiiuihG exceptionally me air.
craft I'm her big motor car works I
II is in automobile factories that most
of the airplanes OF all the warning
nations have been built
As TO whether the war can be won
in the afr there seems TO be two opin-
ions. At any rate our aviation sec
ton Is not leaving any stones I'M
turned.
Moose Give Dance.
The monthly entertainment and