The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-17
'I9pLANE PROGRAM
DID NOT COME Up
TO EXPECTATIONS

lhat both military ana civilian experts
overestimatcd the county's oplbili-
ties in setting out in 1917 " to accom-
plish the impossible task of producing
- 900 airplanes in II months Is made
in the official history OF the govern
ment's efforts 10 build up the industry,
made public today. by the war depart
ment. Realization Of this error result
ed almost Immediately in the placing
Of contracts In France for 5,S15 planes
of the Spad, Neiuport and Breuget
types,
The report shows that by May 23'
1918, American factories had delivered
5.27O planes, or "a per cent of the
ambitious program while the French
had delivered 81 per cent of the mum
Der promised on that date. Up TO No
vember II, a total Of 1l,36i airplanes
had been produced IN America, but
these were largely training machines,
lighting planes completed during the
war period totallms only 3,S2S.
Broadly stated" the history says,
hc United states produced for her
my alone in her second year OF
.lauulacturc, rs many airp!anes as Eng
,nd produced for her army ana navy
d her third year
Organization of the manufacturing
industry is declared to have been the
smallest OF the air services problems,
an alarming shortage OF cloth and var
nish, or dope" for the wings develop
mg at the very start Lack Of an
tf
quickly through tie assistance of the
ntted States bureau OF standards
N;ich evolved a special cotton fabric
ui.h tensile strength OF 10 pounds 20
ie square inch. Production Of TINS
.lateriai was soon at the rate Of l.
-l0,UC0 yards per month.
Cotton proved 10 be not only an
mirabc substitute ior linen. but even
ID better fabric thau the original cloth
me report says. NO matter how
..Dundant the supply Of flax may be, 1t
is unlikely that linen will ever again be
used in large quantities for aiiplane
wings"
Search for Narnish to protect air
plane wings resulted in the establish
ment of 10 percent larger chemical
plants to produce acctoue, the principal
ingredient.
Had the war continued says the
history, these new plants would have
taken care of all American and all cd
military needs, allowing the production
of private plants To 20 exclusively 10
iii commercial needs
Change in Design
Development of aircraft was so rapid
that frequent changes in models and
designs were before the service experts
for consideration. At the time of the .
armisticc, the whole production mach .
inery had been. on was about to be, +
turned over to putting out new de
Haviland, known as "a, the Lepere, u .
two.seater built around the Liberty
engine and the great llmdley Page
machine for bombing work. Expert
ments were also under way with the
Italian Cuproni, to be driven by three
Liberty engines.
But American invention was able TO
bring out strictly American bomb
ing plane that promised to supercede
all other types in existence says the
report" This was the Martin plane
which with a wing spread of Is feet
attained "a speed of l13 miles per hour
against 100 for the iiandley.raee and
CaproII. Where the foreigners ~
ouired I6 minutes to climb $1,000 feet,
the Martin craft took 80 minutes"
our entire chapter of the history
is given TO tine evolution and prepare.
lions for the production of the Liberty
engine First drawings were made May
%, 1917 and that the first S-cylinder
engine was delivered July !, 1917 On
August %, the first Liberty twelve"
successfully passed It 5Ohour test.
As am achievement in speed IN the
development Of successful new en- +
gine-this performance has never been
equalled in the motor history OF any
country" the report declares, quoting |
British official statement that more
than one year from the conception to |
completion must be allowed i'm such |
cases. The performance was possible, |
it added, because all the inventive and |
manufacturing talent of the country |
was turned over pauioticaiy to the !
government for use without stint, even