New Britain herald., 1918-02-21
!. s. BATTLE PLANES
 ON WAY TO FRONT,
First Shipment Five Months
 Ahead Of Schedule

Washington, Feb 21.-Secretary 1 Baker announced last night that the first American battleplanes" are i today enrOute to the front in France" They are equipped with Liberty mo- tors of the improved tWelVe-cyclinder type which has been adopted as substitute for the eight-cyclinder en- zines because higher powered.
 Tho Secretary pointed out that un- der the tentative program adorted last Spring the American planes were not due for delivery in France be- fore July Those already delivered are nearly five months ahead of the original schedule. MT. Baker says that the production of engines for battle planes had now been in prog ress on quantity basis for a month and that in a few weeks f'the peak of production will be reached
 The great problem now, he point ed out, was to obtain the thousands of skilled mechanics, engine men, motor repair men, wood and metal workers and other workmen neces- sary to keep the planes always in per- feet condition. In a formal state ment issued last night Secretary Ba- ker told of airplanes being on their way to France, and then went on:
 
 self not large, marks the final over- coming of many difficulties met in building up this new and intricate in dustry.
 'These planes are equipped with the first Liberty m otor from machine production. One of them in a recent test surpassed all records for speed and climbing for planes of that type.
 Engine production, which began a month ago, is now on quantity bas is, and the peak of production will be reached in a few weeks. Only the twelve cychnder type is being made, as developm enE abroad have made il wiso to concentrate on the high-pow cred engine instead of the eight cyClinder.
 ''Thcse statements should not be exaggerated, but should be consid- cred in the light of the following facts: After three years of warfare 1 the total number of planes able to 1 take the air at any one time on eith- CT side of the western front has not 1 been over 2,5OO. This, com bined with 1 the fact that forty-six men are re- quired on the ground for every plane l in the air, gives a truer perspective 1 of the European aviation situation ! than commonly possessed.
 t'For every plane in the air there 1 must he two replacement planes on the ground, and one training plane for every pilot who eventually reach es the front with a spare engine for each plane. Moreover, while the American program has been delayed by difficulties which were impossible to forcSee when tho tentative pro- gram was adopted in all our lack of knOWledce last Spring, it may be said that American planes are not due in France under the original schedule until July.
 "At the outbreak of war, the first step, both in sequence and nlport- ance, was to build up an industry to rush out the training planes needed for the prospective aviators who were immediately on hand. This fresh and most promising personnel afforded indeed Americas largest immediate source of aid to her associate nations in the war, which, while able to turn out the latest type of airplanes, were seriously drained of men capable of manning them. The ultimate goal, however was the construction of a large fleet of battle planes.
 'Tlre serious problems, lnterwov- en and reacting, were immediately met, the almost IOCal 1aCK DOlH or airplane industry and of airplane en- g.ineering knowledge. The industry was rudimentary, with only one com pany on an appreciable production basis and another dozen small exDer- imental companies. The metal work was mostly done by hand, each ma chine built as a separate unit, and little attempt made to manufacture from dies, jigs, or gauges. The estl- | mates of the total value of the indus- ! try vary from $2,000,000 to $10,000,- l 900 and of employees from 5000 to 10000 The government was practi- l callv the only purchaser, having or | dered 366 planes the year before the l war, of which only siXty-six were ac- ! tua1ly delivered. The engineering problems were even more complex. Europe. at war with the best engineers of each coun- trv pitted against each other in a struggle which knew no close, had worked out the most ingenious devel- opments in the light of actual fight ing experience. Information reach ing here was generally fragm entary and always late. AS a result, when war came the United States had prac- ticalIy no airplane engineering staff and no modern fighting planes