New-York tribune., 1918-08-23
seven had reached the front by July /.
Fly Over German Lines
Continued from page

seven had reached the front by July l.
Fly Over German Lines
August Z squadron of eighteen
De Haviland fours flew over the Ger
man lines. Details of its performances
have not been received.
we have not single American
made chasse Cor plane of attack upon
the battle front.
I'VE have not single American
made heavy bombing plane upon the
battlefront
1--WE have not developed In quantity
production successful chasse or
fighting plane.
I'm the opinion of the committee, i"
the report stated "the disappointing
results in production are chiefly due
to three causes:
\. That the alrpiane programme was
largely placed with great automobile
and other manufacturers, who were :g-
norant of aeronautical problems.
" These manufacturers undertook
the impossible task of creating motor
which could be adapted to all classes of
flying craft. 1t is not too much to say
that our airplane programme has been
largely subordinated to the Liberty
motor.
SO. We failed at the beginning of the
war TO adopt the commonsense course
of reproducing the most approved types
of European machines in as great num-
bers as possible. That should have been
carried on coincident with the produc-
ton Of the Liberty motor. This sound
policy has been very recently, but after
q lamentabe lapse of time, adopted"
Criticising officials for causing over
optimism regarding the aircraft pro-
gramme, the committee says:
"Whle much god has been accom-
/ plished, for which due credit should
be given, it must nevertheless be ad-
mitted that our acroplane programme
has. up to the present, presented many
aspects Of failure"
Other criticisms includes:
Abandonment of the standard J
training machine after 1900 had
been built at cost Of $4,000 900 and
condemned as dangerous.
Cancellation of orders for 1000
Spad single-seated fighting machines
last September as obsolete and
afterward the ordering Of 1000
S. +. single-scat Spads.
Abandonment of the Bristol fight
ing machine latter expenditure Of
$G,5O0,O00 and the loss of several
valuable lives"
Delay in developing the dc Havi-
land machine.
Failure to rush manufacture of the
Caproni and Handley-Page heavy
bombing machines.
Failure to develop an airplane
around the Liberty motor.
Incompetency of inspectors.
Location of flying fields at insult
able sites.
Failure to encourage airplane pro-
ducers.
Patent monopoics of original in
ventcrs.
Might Have Been Avoided
"The mistakes and errors referred
TO-" the report continues, "would prob
ably have been largely avoided if the
aircraft programme had been under
the control Of one man, assisted BY
skilled aeronautical engineers ant
practical fiers to design and test oul
dinate to them"
The Liberty twelvc-cylinder motor
was declared to be "excelcnt" fol
heavier planes and other purposes, bu
too heavy and powerful for lighter
types
at is not yet perfect" the committee
reported, "but is improving under re
peatcd experiments. 1t is now in guam
t;ty production, more than 1900 having
been delivered, and is approved by oul
allies, who are anxious to obtain more
Of them than we can at present supply
In the DEVELOPMENT of this motor the
Al craft Board has performed and i'm
portant task, for which due credit
should be given. But the announce
ment that it had becl. evolved in few
days was untounded and the notion
which was encouraged that it could be
used for planes Of all sizes and char
acter was largely responsible for de
lays to our plane production.
Programme Year Late
"Motor production has proved to be &
formidable task, magniied in some de
gree by the reluctance Of the designers
to promptly accept and act upon sug-
gestions Of imperfection from compc-
tent engineers and critics and hior
and make changes in conformity with
them.
Manufacture of the best foreign
motors contemporaneously with the
development Of an American engine
would have been sounder policy
That it was partially adopted late
confirmed this conclusion. We are do
ing what should have been done ycal
ago and are producing the Hispano
Suiza motor in quantity"
After deploring failure to build the
Kolls-Royce motor and French motors
the committee added:
"No fighting plane of American OF
other design has been built around The
Liberty engine, although it is an axiom
ir acronautics that planes must be
adapted to motors. Until Libert,
plane is successfully built around
Liberty motor by competent acronautit
engineers. and thoroughly tested out
our air programme will not be com
plete."
Efficiency Was Impossible
Efficiency in administration was i'm
possible, the committee declares, with
the Aircraft Production Board exercis
ing authority without responsibility.
Telling in detail Of efforts last fall t6
adopt the Spad, Bristol and de Navi
land Fours 20 the Liberty motor, tho