The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-31
RECOMMENDS SEPARATE
AIRCRAFT COMMITTEE
subcommittee OF Senate Military At
fairs Wants Department Given
Full Control.
HAS MADE FULL INVESTIGATION
Believes That Powerful Central Body
Is Needed by the Government TO
Supervise the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Has Been Slow to Get Under Way.

Washington. July so.-The suhcor,, :
mittes of the senate military !, - RS
committee, which has been ir-- -
(! ing aircraft product,--.. VIA recon-
mend the Great. OF a separate de.
partment to .iave full control over all
aerial wvrk
Every phase of the Investigation has
served TO reveal the need of power
/ full central body of the government to
take over the work OF production, dis
ltributlon and the fighting of aircraft.
The first and great fault which the
aircraft production program is thar
IL has been slow to get under way.
The one way, in the opinion of mem
hers of the committee, for the United
States to play its important part IN
gaining absolute mastery of the air,
and winning the war In the air, indie
pendent of the armies on land ana
the navies at sea. is to establish I'M
mediate touch between a great and
independent department at home ana
every phase of the development or
aerial warfare abroad.
There is no disposition on the part
of v. members of the committee to
maj e" recommendations contrary to
the wishes or plans of the president
or the war or the navy departments.
The question is simply one OF develop
ment OF stupendous growth in i'm
tportance to the United States and the
allies Of gaining the mastery of the
air. Admittedly. this cannot be done
without the full use of the tremend-
ovs resources OF the United States, and
lYor the United States to give in full
this needed strength will require work
4r ~ II
ton of a department of the govern
ment greater in the strength of Its
personnel than the war and navy de-
partments combined.
Today the subcommittee took up the
subject of the DeHaviland fighting
machines which were to be the main
istay of our forces in the air at the
front in connection with army opera
tons Disquieting reports have been
circulated about this machine. The
American model developed from the
British model, was said to have de-
Iveloped serious faults OF construction
to be unsafe and lacking the qualities
necessary for fighting machine. Cen
eral Pershing was reported to have
. asked that no more OF this type be
, sent to him in France.
Secretary Baker. in denying the re
, port that General Pershing had aban'
doned the American DeHaviland as Q
, lighting machine. summarized the
, situation in aircraft production exact
| ~ as it has been revealed by the in
, vestigation of the senate committee
Mr.. Baker said:
No Perfect Machine.
e There are proba bly, no perfect air.
> planes. Improvement in the best Of
4 them Is constant and rapid, both as Il
| types and succeeding numbers of the
$ lsame type. This Is true of the De
Haviland, as of all others The lat
e est machines made of that type arr
a better than the earlier ones and thi
y Improvement we hope, will be con
g slant.
= General Pershing has requested ;
large shipment OF DeHaviland planes
q tDeHaviland ~. of the present typ,
q on the proritory schedule for Au
i gust"
Secretary Baker was asked abou
the cable dispatch in which Caproni
- who developed the great Italian bomb
!. ing planes. had predicted super air
planes OF the type of great battleships
. carrying crews Of 100 or more men
. large quantities OF explosives, and cap
= able of warfare In the air same a
a great battleship at sea. He said:
Nobody is safe in being incredulou
: ment in heavier than-air machines
r Reinsurance, both from the war de
partment and the senate committee
about the DeHaviland machines be
q Ing successfully developed, instead o
|: having proved hopeless failures, 1
1. glad news to Washington. because pro
i duction in quantity is being attaine'
p In this type of machine and the grea
part that the United States is to pla
. In aerial warfare Is production Il
. quantity.
1t is said that the first American
: DeHavilands sent abroad went with
!" out instructors or demonstrators, an,
were virtually strange machines to TIL
:. airmen with General Pershing's forces
~ These airmen. however, were so anx
:. ious to get American made machine
" that they took them in the air on trust
Some accidents may have resulted, o
u faults developed in assembling or tun
ing up the machines, hut after expert
: who had handled this model in tn
u country 49, to the front, the DeHavi
lands are reported to have provet
Themselves worthy lighting machines
Most OF the American airmen now a
the front are fighting In English mad
u Nieuports. In this model OF machine
tho airman in seated in the gasolin
tank--thAt In the seat IL virtually bull
u into the tank. The result Is that II 1
= |tracer bullet penetrates the gasolin,
y tank. the airman Is almost Immediate
- ly enveloped in flames. 1t was whit
fighting in this type Of machine tina
Major Lufberry met his death. TIL
y French airmen. 1t is reported, refus
to fight in this type of Newport ma
chine. Members of the American ny
ing corps are begging for machines.
Q The senate subcommittee expects I,
y have its report ready by the end o
next week. and special meeting o
: the full committee will be called t,
y receive the report