The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1919-05-15
D Development Aircraft
So Rapid Frequent
! Changes Were Made
VAS BIG SHORTAGE
! VARNISII & CLOTH
American Inve n tion
Able Supercede All
Other Types
Associated Press


+. WASHINGTON, May 15-Adm:s
Ion that both military and civilar
9iperts over estimated 'ee country
8 pabll1tics in setting III 1917 ''tc
81 complish the impos~ lie task" o;
s'oducing 22,O0O airrlanes in Il
onths is made in the official history
| the governments efforts to build
% the industry made public today by
sie War Department. Realization OF
his error resulted almost immedi-
YIely in the placing of contracts ir
rance Tor 5.875 planes of the Spad
#ieuport and Breguet types. -
s The report shows that by May %,
ED1S, American factories had deliver
81 5,270 planes, or "a percent of the
nbitious program while the French
ad delivered 81 percent of the num-
aer promised on that date. Up to
s 5ovemDer II, total OF 1864 air
lanes had been produced in America
at these were largely training ma
sines, fighting planes completed dur
slg the war period totalling only
1928.
Broadly stated" the history says,
'ghe United States produced for her
srmy alone in her Jecond year OF
anufactule, as many airplanes as
8ngland produced ior her army and
savy in her third year.
! Organization of the manufacturing
Industry is declared to have been the
ssnallest of the air services problems,
II alarming shortage of cloth and
brnish, or "dope" for the wings de-
k.loping at the very start. Lack of
IN adequGate supply Of linen was over
.pme quickly through the assistance
g the United States Bureau of Stand
Ssrds which evolved a special cotton
,bric with u tensile strength of 30
sounss to thesquare inch. Produc-
on of this niaterial was soon at the
sate of 100000 yards per month.
. '}Cotton proved to be not only an
Sd hirable substitute for linen, but
sv'sn better fabric than the original
9 9TH" the report says, "No matter
low abundant the supply of flax may
fe, it is unlikely that linen will ever
&gain be used in large quantities for
Vrplane wings"
s Search for a varnish to protect air
Jane wings resulted in the establi-
shment of 10 large chemical plants
ID produce acetcne, the principle in
..redient.
"Had the war continued" says the
Sistory, ''these new plants would have
aiken care of all American and Allied
Military needs, allowing the produc-
Esion of private plants to go eScluSi-
9ely to fill commercial needs"
q Development of aircraft was sc
apid that frequent changes in mo-
Eaels and designs were before the SER
syice experts for consideration. At the
lime of the armistice, the whole pro.
sluction machinery had been, or was
sbout to be, turned over to putting
but a new De Haviland, known as
b-A; the Lepere, two-seater bull,
around the Liberty engine, and the
great Handiey-Page machine fol
bombing work. Experiments alse
Nvere under way with the Italiar
to be driven by three Liber
Ey engines.
! "But American invention was abl,
do bring out strictly American bonn
hing plane that promised to super
rede ali other types in existence,
|says the report. This was the Mar
Kim plane which, with wing spreat
Ibf 75 feet, attained speed. of III
|miles per hour against 100 for tn
Handley-P Page and Caproni. Wher
the foreigners required 46 minutes t
climb $1,000 feet, the Martin Graf
hook 80 minutes"