The sun., 1918-02-21
Baker Announces Air Pro-
gramme Is Six Months
Ahead of Schedule.
LATEST TYPES GOING
More of 10000 Will Flow to
Front in Increasingly
Amazing Quantities.
PROBLEMS ALL SOLVED
Many American Machines to
BE Flying Over German
Lines This Spring.
LATEST TYPES GOING
PROBLEMS ALL SOLVED
Special Despatch to THl Sun.


WASHINGTON, F'eb. 2o.-Americas gi-
gantic air programme Is rapidly becom-
ing an accomplished fact. The first ma
chine OF that enormous fleet Of aerhl
battleships whose Overwhelming number
Is to decide the war on the western
front in the belief Of many strategists
are to-day already en- route for the
American front In France.
These machines. equipped with the
first Liberty motors turned out BY Amer
lean methods OF quantity production
and believed to be the superior of any
machines now In actual operation. will
be flying over the German lines in
few weeks They we're not scheduled to
reach France until July. but American
machine shops and American workmen
have done their bit and to-day the
American aviation programme. calling
for the production Of 10000 airplanes is
practically six months ahead OF sched-
ule. Great as have been the triumphs
Of machinery, in this country, no such
record as this has ever been made be-
fore.
The fact that American battle planes
were now en- route to France In great
gained on the aviation programme was
disclosed to-day in review BY Secre-
tary Baker Of what had been accom-
pushed in this direction. With Germany
greatly reinforced on the western front
Il Is on Americas capacity for over
whelming the Germans in the air that
many hopes are pinned, and from what
was disclosed Of the progress made to-
day these hopes would seem to be justi-
ned.
Prediction steadily Increases.
Ma5or-G George o. Squier. Chief
Signal Officer. In charge Of the American
aviation programme, wanted to put pro-
duotion on a so-called quantity produc-
tton basis. which means that once pro-
dud,ion starts 1t flows freely and with
increasing rapidity. This has now been
done and the stream Of airplanes from
American shops has started for the
front Responding to the appeal made
for speedy action. the airplane Industry
in the United States has already ex-
panded more than twentyfold-
Engine production which began a
month ago Is now on a quantity produc-
ton basis and the peak OF production
will be reached in a few weeks. Only
the twelve cylinder type is being made
as developments abroad have made II
wise 70 concentrate on the high powered
engine instead Of the eight cylinder
The American built battle planes will
be operating against tho Germans by
spring. BY then the number Of ma
chras flowing from the factories to
France will have increased in amazinl
proportions. It Is stated. 1t IL not per
mitted to say how many machines ol
how many American aviators are now
ready for service. but 1t can be stated
that the number Of trained American
fiers is now greater than the combined
British and French aviation force:
operating on any single day on the west
ern front.
Great Dimculties Overcome.
The first shipment OF battle plane.
marks the final overcoming Of man!
difficulties met in building UP this new
situation in the air Secretary Baker!
statement says:
After three years of warfare the tota
number Of planes able to take the air a
any time on either side of the western
front has not .been ever $500. This
combined with the fact that forty-si,
men are required on the ground for ever.
plane In the air. gives a truer perspective
OF the European aviation situation thai
- commonly possessed.
For every plane in the air there mus
be two replacement planes on the groun'
nN one training plane for every plo
who eventually reaches the 'front.' with
spare engine for each plane. Moreover
while the American programme has bee
delayed by difficulties which were i'm
possible to foresee when the tentativ
programme was adopted in all our lacl
OF knowledge last spring, It may be sal
that American planes are not due Il
France under the original schedule unit
July.
at the outbreak Of the war the frs
step both in sequence and importane
was to build up an industry to rus
a.. ,hc training planes needed for tn
prospective aviators who were imme
d!ately on hand. This fresh and mos
Promising personnel afforded indee
Americas largest immediate source O
MD to her associate nations In the wa
which while well able to turn out tn
attest type OF airplanes were seriousl
drained of men capable OF mannin
them. The ultimate goal. however, wa
the construction OF large fleet Q
battle planes.
serious Problems Conquered.
The serious problems, interwove
i geac,lng were Immediately me
These were the almost total lack bot
of airplane industry and Of airplan
engineering knowledge. The industr
vas rudimehtary with only one coH
.fny on an appreciable production basl
And a dozen smaller experimental cor
Dan!es. The metal work was mostl
done by hand. each machine being bul
As separate unit and little attemI
vas made to manufacture from die
Jgs or gauges. The estimates Of III
p'il value OF the industry vary frol
1000, 900 to slo.000.O00. and of Il
D0pioye.s from 5000 to 10000 tt
Government, which was practically tn
only purchaser. had ordered 366 plane
''c year before the war; Of which onl
Nty-siy were actually delivered.
The engineering problems were eve
more complex, Europe at war with Il