The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-23
up to the present presented many az
meets Of failure"

up to the present presented many as
poets Of failure"
The original $40, 100000 appropriated
by congress for aviation in July. 191''
saws the report. has been exhausted and
practically wasted" with SSS4.eVu'ooo
more found necessary. and 1t adds:
"NhIle an army Of three and q nall
million has been raised. the eircraA.
situation is as follows:
"Siy hundred and ono De HaVllano
fours have been embarked for France
I'D to August !, 1918. OF these. sixty
seven had reached the front by July l..
On August squadron or eighteen De
Baytland fours flew over the German
lines. Details Of its performance nave
not been received.
I'VE have not a single merican maoe
Cbasse Cor plano Of attack upon 'ho
battle front
we have not q single American made
heavy bombing plane upon tho paltie
front. a..
we have not developed and put IN
quantity production successrul cnaSse
or lighting plane.
Other criticisms included:
Abandonment Of tho standard tram
,nr machine after 1900 had been quilt
Mt cost OIL So,VVp'V'V eHN 49,"
donned as dangerous.
ranca,I.t,on Of orders for 5000 Spad
sinale seated fighting machines last Sep
tnroher as obsolete and afterward or
dcrInr 1000 8. E. single seat spads'
Abandonment Of the Bristol ngatlns
Machine latter expenditure Of s6,bo"'-
600 and tho loss Of several Vaiuao'e
lives" = .,-r,,
machine. .. .,a
canront and Handley-Page heavy bofho-
ing machines. o,,,,
Failure to develop an airplane around
the Liberty motor
Tncompetency Of inspectors.
Location Of flying fields at unsuitable
sites.
Failure to encourage arplane produc-
Patent monopoltes Of original inven-
tors.
I'm the opinion Of the committee the
renort states. "the disappointing results
Gin production are ci'1e''S u0'
to three causes:
!. That the airplare program was
largely placed in the control OF great
automobile and other manufacturers
who were ignorant Of aeronautlcal prop.
lens.
These manufacturers undertook the
innoosstble task Of creating a motor
which could be adapted to all classes Oh
fvfnr craft. 1t is not too much IN say
that our alrplane problem has hecn large
w suhordinated TO the Liberty motor.
8. We failed at the beginning OIL inc
war to adopt the common sense course
Of reproducing the most approved types
~ F,nronean machines In as great num-
here ne POSSIBLE. This should have been
carried on co-!ncldent with the prodnc-
49,, ~ RI. Liberty motor. This sound
nolicy has been very recently. but after
lamentable lapse OF times oeeh
adopted"
.Tho mistakes and errors referred 10.
the report continues. would prooanlS
have been largely avoided II the alrcral I
nrorram had been under the controi OF
one man. assisted by skilled aeronautical
engineers practical fliers to design ana
test our machines. with production made
subordinate to them. :,
rhe Liberty l2-cylindcr motor was de-
clared to DO excellent for heavier planes
and other purposes. but too heavy ana
powerful for lighter types
Chairman Thomas put into the rccorc
a letter from Howard E. Collin. FORMER
chairman Of the Aircraft PRODUCTION
Board, denying that he or the o'nr'
civilian members of the board were IN
any wny responsible for delays In the
army program. lie said decisions aS l"
tvnns and the letting Of contracts wore
in the hands of tho war and navy uc
nar,nents. and suggested II WAS Slgnill-
cant that tho navy. bearing the same
roIotIon to the board as tho army. mas
gone ahead with it's program ut h'Sh
speed.