The Washington herald., 1918-12-09
AMERICAN "PEP"
SPURS ON GREAT
AVIATION PLANS
Actual Facts Revealed for
First Time in Annual
Army Report.
AIDED BY OUR ALLIES
Foreign Officers Tackled
Job of Building Up Big
Flying Corps.

Actual facts concerning this coun-
tTy's unprepaTedness in all branches
of aviation at the outbreak of war
are revealed for the first time in the
annual report Of the chief signal Of
ticer Of the army. made public yes
terday.
Due to long years of neglect of aero
nautiCs since the Wright brothers
brought out the original flying ma
Chimes. the beginning of hostilities
found the United States with but a
handful Of filters and few machines
There practically was no aviation in
dustry and the number of trained de-
signers and engineers vas so small
as to be negligible.
Outside of a few men there was no
one in the United States with ex-
perience in the building even of train
ing planes. The aviation section of
the army consisted of only ffty-twO
officers and 1.lOO enlisted men and a
few civilian employees. The military
authorities tackled the job and in
creased the personnel of the section
within fourteen months to l6,OS4 off,
GERS. 1882 enlisted men and s,S3S
civilian employees.
Appeal to Allies.
An appeal was Immediately made to
France. England and Italy to send to
this country trained fliers, aerOnau-
teal engineers and designers forth
with. Foreign officers fulfilling these
requirements came here. At the same
time a technical commission of Amer
leans was sent abroad to study at
fist hand conditions there.
A few days after the outbreak of
war an arrangement was made with
Canada by the War Department for
use of the Canadian designs for flying
fields. To expedite training, Ameri-
can cadets were sent to Canada.
France. and Italy to be trained in
their flying schools.
In addition an arrangement was
made by which ten flying squadrons
OF the Air Service were to be trained
by the British government and also
equipped with machines and trans
port, complete and ready, for service
at the front in exC'sEhge for providing
aying facilities for the Royal Flying
Corps Of Canada during the winter
months.
Vacancies in allied training schools
were filed to the maximum Of ca
Iacity by American students. The de-
Eartment bought from France combat
-'Gnes for the immediate use of Per-
shings forces.
Work of establishing training
schools and flying fields in this eoun-
try was conducted at top speed. In
an amazingly short time hundreds Of
factories were engaged in producing
machines and engines. The produc-
lion of spruce had to be tremend-
ously increased involving the build
ing of mills, railroads and other
equipment
Before July l of the present year
there had been purchased or made
Sass airplanes. 12,626 engines, Ill bal
looms. 1l5.oo0 instruments of various
kinds. $500 items of motor transport
and 2.Tl7 hangers had been erected.
Regarded as Best.
The American-made DeHaviland
battle plane, modified to receive the
Liberty engine another conception
and creation of American genius. is
today regarded as one of the best
battle planes used on any front in the
war
Other achievements of American in
genuity and enterprise developed un-
der the stress of necessity are emu
merated in the report, as follows:
The creation of special radio appa-
ratus. the details of which are with
held for obvious reasons, permitting
new control of the operations of air
planes on masse and the development
Of a fabric as a substitute for the for
merly-used linen fabric at only a lit
tie NOR" than oue-haIf the cost of
the latter.