Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-21
LIBERTY PLANES ON.
WAY To PERSH|NG;
AHEAD Of PROGRAM.
THOUSANDS OF GIANT Fl!ERS TO
BE TURNED OUT IN MONTH
PROBLEM NOW is TO GET MEN
FOR MACHINES.

W dSAtuStIu, Z tp- 81 lt HF>l
American-built battle planes are O..
their way 10 the front in France
Equipped with twelve-cylinder Lib
erty motors and representing the lat.
est product of combined allied inge.
nuity. they have surpassed in tests
ali records for speed and climbing
for planes OF their type.
They fare being delivered practical,
Is four months ahead OF schedule.
Other battle planes will follow i'm
mediately and in quantity. The peak
OF enormous production, brought
about thru typical American stand.
ardization. will be reached within the
next month, when thousands OF them
will be on their way 10 cloud the
western skies against the German
hordes.
Announcement of this achievement
was made today by Secretary of War
Baker. He told. in a very frank. sim
pie statement, the trials and Difficult.
Ties the undeveloped aviation service
OF this country had to overcome to
teach the point OF perfection attained
By the warning nations under urging
OF their greatest emergency.
Three times were the pans drawn
by the aviation eperts on the wa.
trent changed or discarded for the
more modern battleship of the sky.
And, again, the 5000 miles that sep
arate the American aviation commis
sion from It's base in Washington
caused delays OF seventeen days t,
eleven weeks In shipment of imporl
ant samples.
Secretary Baker makes it apparen
that the size OF air fleet American
can put forth is limited only by til
number OF men who can be traineL
for the service. The secretary out
lined the task sutmounted.
After three years Of warfare the
total number of planes able TO take
the air at any time on either side o!
the western front has not been over
a.soC.
AT the outbreak OF war the first
step, both in sequence and import
ance, was to build up an industry Ia
rush out the training planes needed
for the prospective aviators imule.
diately on hand. This fresh and most
promising personnel afforded indeed
Americas largest immediate source
OF her aid to her associate nations in
the war. which, while well able to
turn out the latest type Of airplancs,
were seriously drained OF men cap.
able OF manning them The ultimate
goal, however, was construction OF n
large feet of battle planes
Two serious problems. interviewer
ard reaeting, were Immediately ne
tLt diiAost Aoldi HUN DOtu VI al
plane industry and OF airplane ca
ginoerins knowledge.
Estimates CT the total value OF iht
Industry vary from 500 ,000to 81
100000 and OF employees from 5000 L
10000 The government was prat
tlcaly the only purchaser, having OF
dored 800 planes the year before ii
wal, Of which only Gb were delivered
The engineering pEo3lems we.
even moro complex Europe, al wal
with the best engineers Of each cour
try pitted against each other in ;
struggle which knew no close, ha
worked out the most ingenious dove
opments in the light Of actual llghtii
experience. Information reachin
here was generally fragmentary ant
always late
AS Jesuit when war came tn,
United States had practically no ali
plane stan and no modern hrhtia.
planes.