The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-04-25
The American Air Fleet
By Frederick ]. Haskin

Although the United, States after |
! year of war, is three or four months /
behind schedule in its air craft con- /
struction program. Howard L. Coffin, 7
chairman of the aircraft production
board, and other government officials
are firmly of the opinion that there is
no cause tor pessimism as to the future
of the program.
They point out that airplane con-
| struction, more than any other form OF
war manufacturing, must be subject
to the almost daily improvements IN
the science of seronautics, which the
war is bringing about; and that re-
ports from General Pershing and the
recommendations of British, French |
and Italian aviation experts in this
country have been the cause Of fire.
quent alterations in the design of the
Liberty motor and OF airplane bodies,
which have delayed The airplsne pro-
gram. These same experts have en-
phasized most strongly that to send
American flyers into battle in machines
months behind the developments of
German aeronautic skill would be a
criminal act.
Criticism of the aviation program has
been a dominant note in Washington
| for tie past month. 1t is criticism
which at the first glance seems amply
justified and had it's origin when Major
General George o. Squier, Chief of the
construction department of the Signal
Corps, admitted before secret session
OF the Senate Military Affairs COM
mittee that up to the middle of March
but one complete aeroplane and ten
aeroplane engines have been shipped
abroad from this country.
But criticism based on these facts
alone is as unfair as would be state
ment that Americas part in the war
is negligible because our soldiers have
as yet done little actual fighting.
Attic but one complete airplane has
heen shipped from this country to
France, hundreds of tons of parts have
been sent over. have been assembled in
American hangers at the front by
American mechanics, and are now flying
as complete aeroplares over the German
lines, guided by American aviators.
The airplane and motor factories, at
home, in spite of heartbrakining delays
ard cancellation of plans for the reasons
pointed out above, have now reached
the stage of quantity production. This
is no small achievement in view of the
fact that one short year ago the science
of aronautics in this country was in the
experimental stage, the number of
fully equipped factories less than a
dozen, and the very sight of an airplane
aloft above the American soil the cause
of public wonder and comment.
The real cause of the present air
craft situation are being ascertained by
a spacial board of aviation experts, ap
pointed by the Senate Military Affairs
Committee, with the approval of the
War Department. The committee is
composed of H. Snowden Marshall, Ed
ward Wells and Gaven Mcneil.
These men will lay before President
Wilson recommendation oS changes n
organization designed to speed W pro-
duction.
They will report that the may
changes in specifications necesstatsd
by the rapid development of aerou-
autical science are primarily responsible
for the airplane program fl Hing so bal
ly behind schedule
Because of this difficulty IN keeping
up with Europe developments, the
United States will henceforth concen-
trate on training and bombing planes,
the heavy warships of the air. The
construction of the fast scout planes,
the destroyers of the air, will be left
largely to France and English factories,
which are prepared to make more
quickly the necessary changes in speci-
fications.
This does not mean that American
aviators will be kept out of the specta
cular scouting which is the work of
these light planes. 1t simply means
coordination of aircraft construction
among the Allies to enable each nation
to produce the types for which the cir
cumstances OF war have rendered it
most fit. America fitted by her great
industrial development to achieve
quantity production more readily than
any other nation. will turn out bombing
planes for all the Allies. Hundreds of
them. now building at Detroit and Buff
falo, will this summer be flying over the
interior of Germany guided by French
and British sviators, giving the German
people a taste of the warfare they
have brought so ruthlessly to the world.
Similarly, hundreds of scout machines
turned out in France and England will
be flying over the German trenches in
the hands of American flyers now train
| sprr he