The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-21
New Warship of Sky. Equipped
With Liberty Motor. Best
Type in World
KEATS ALL RECORDS
FOR CLIMBING AND
SUSTAINED SPEED
Secretary of War Baker Makes
Announcement Of Achieve
ments-M a c hines Ready
Months Ahead of Time

Washington. Feb. :o-The hrst
Anericsn-bu war planes are on their
way to the battle front In France.
Equipped with lg-cylinder Liberty
motors and representing the latest
product OF com blned allied ingenuity,
they have surpassed in tests all records
for speed and climbing for planes Of
their type
They are being delivered practically
fosr months ahead Of schedule Other
battle planes will follow immediateiy
and in quantity. The peak OF amor
mous production, brought about
through typical American standartza-
ton win be reached within the next
month. when thousands Of them will
be on their way to cloud the Western
skies against tho German hordeR
Announcement OF this achievement
was made today by Secretary of War
Baker he told, In A very FRANK sim
pie statement the triars and difficulties
that the undeveioped aviat ton service
OF this country had to overcome to
reach the point OF perfection attained
by the warning nations under the urge
of their greatest emergency. Three
times were the planes. drawn by the
aviation experts on the war front.
changed or discarded for the more
!. modern eattleship Of the sky and
again, the three thousand miles that
separated the American aviation COM
mission from it's base In Washington.
caused delays Of from seventeen days
20 eleven weeks In the shipment Of
important samples
Secretary Baker makes II quite APP
parent that the size Of the air feet
that America can put forth is limited
only by the numb % men who can
be trained fer the service
Must Have Two For nne-
After three years Of warfare said
the secretary ia outlining the task
surmounted. the total number OF
plane IN the air, gives truer perspec-
on either side Of the Western front
has not been over $500, This. com
oined with tho fact that forty-s men
are required on the ground for ths
plane IN the air. gives a truer prespec-
tive of the Eurpeau aviation situation
than Is commonly possessed. For every
plane In the air. thsre must be two re-
placement planes on the ground. and
one training plane for every pilot who
eventually reaches the front with n
rpAra engine for each plane. Moreover,
while the American program has been
delayed by difficulties which were I'm
possible TO foresee when the tentative
3 program was adopted in all our lack
of knowledge last spring. Il may 10
eaid that American planes are not due
IN France under the original schedule
until July.
AT the outbreak Of the war. THO
FIRST step both In sequence and i'm
portance. was to build up an industry
40 rush out the training planes needed
for the prospective aviators who were
Immediately on hand This fresh and
moot promising personnel afforded in
deed Americas largest Immediate
source OF aid TO her associate nations
In the war, which. while well able to
turn out the latest type of airplaneA
were seriously drained CT men capa-
bic OF manning them. The ultimate
goal however. was the construction
OF large feat OF battle planes
Two serious problems interviewer
and reacting. were Immediately met
the almost total lack both of airpIane
industry and at aIrplane engineering
knowledge. The estimate. OF the to-
tai value Of the industry vary from
$4,000. 900 TO $4,000. 600. and OF en-
pioyes from 5000 TO 1Aoo The gov
eminent was practically the only pur.
chaser. having ordered SIS planes the
year before the war of which only six
ty-six were delivered.
The engineering problems were
even more complex. Europe. at war,
with the best engineers of each coun-
try pitted against each other TN a
| struggle which knew no close. had
worked out the most ingenious devel-
opments IN the light OF actual hght-
ing experience. Information reaching
mere waE generally Ir&4nentAFy and
always late. As result when war
came, the United states had practical
~ no airplane staff and no modern
nghting planes. The drst step was to
obtain information from Europe.
"a commission was early sent across
which rushed back the last minute de-
tails, upon tho strength OF which a
large number OF hghting planes OF q
certain type were ordered. The raw
materials were very largely at hand
and the drawings within several days
of completion when another cable said
that this type had been superseded
and should not be built.
Nearly q month was thus lost
Drawings came then for another typo
They had Just been redrawn and the die
makers put to work when a second
and different set arrived. Just as IL
was nearing completion. stiii third
set OF drawings arrived and third
start was necessary. II Is significant
Of the rapid development of aviation
that not single type of the original
schedule has survived into the present
prog am
TIE greatest problem now remain
ing is to secure the thousands OF
skilled mechanics. enginemen, motor
repair men. wood and metal workers
perfect condition. This great engf-
neering and mechanical force at the
airdromes, flying fields and repair de-
pots. both here and beyond the lines
in France. is a vital Industrial link in
the chain OF cir supremacy. without
them the planes turned out would be
useless and the flyers helpless Now
that American battispianes are going
overseas. a great increase In the VOL
mateering of skilled mechanics ID both
esssntfal and expected"
n y