Evening star., 1926-11-28
THE WORLDS WINGS
VI-America's Place i'm the Air

tion for memorial bridge the Potomac
River at Washington.
This S14 900 900 bridge, when completed could
be rendered valueless by bomb from an air
plane costing less than $4,000.
Price of Ship Guards Coastline
CARRYING the comparison further, the money
expended in the construction of one modern
dreadnaught-which also could be quickly de-
stroyed like the Memorial Bridge between the
North and the South--might be used in pro
curement of sufficient number of lombard
ment. pursuit and attack planes to protect the
whole cOaStlne of the United States.
Despite it's potential destructiveness in war
fare and it's peculiar availability for defense
the a1rplane is cheap instrument. On an aver
age. the training plane may be constructed for
$4,000, the bombardment plane for $4,000, the
pursuit plane for $4,000. and the attack plane
for $35, 600.
Congress- however, has yet to extend the
liberal hand to the Air Service. That service.
hampered by the budget figures and by the
luctance of Congress fully to recognize the
transcendent Importance of this new and most
powerful weapon, is carrying on from year to
year with limited appropriations while other
nations are lavishy approprating for airpanes
and have approached, approaching, sub
sidies for the development Of commercial avl.-
ton, which would be of nestimable aid in event
of conflict For instance, the amount recon-
mended in the recent Army bill is only about
$2,7o0,O00 more than was recommended last
year.
In what shape is the aircraft fleet Of the
United States, assuming the expenditure OF
Such amounts allOCated for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1926? table supplied
by Gen. Patrick is rather disconcerting fore
east:
This table reveals that were all planes
and heretofore authorized be purchased and
delivered by June 20, 1926, the Air Service
still faced deficit of 939 airplanes needed for
it's peace-time establishment. And even the ad-
ditional expenditure of the S14,000,0 900 then
pending in the Army bill left the Air Service
shy of GIL planes. AS set out by Gen. Patrick,
the total number of planes hand shortly
after the end of the fiscal year follows:
Primary training, $50; advanced training, rs;
observation, 534; bombardment, 11o pursuit,
l72; attack, Is; total, 1856, with the training
and observation planes far in excess of the
fighting craft.
The deficit therefore, was as follows
Deficit remaining after delivery of fiscal
year 1926 purchases: Primary training, Ill ad
vanced training, none observa ton, 172: bonn
bardment, So; pursuit. 2oS; attack 90; total GIL.
X X x X
1t must be kept in mind that this deficit"
figured by the Air Service was on the peace
time footing. No has estimated what the
deficit would be in event of sudden war, but,
from what is known of the airplane develop
ment in other nations. the United States un-
questonably would lack many thousands of
planes.
Asked to explain purchasing plans under the
appropriation proposed for the current year,
Gen. Patrick succnctly and significantly said:
I'VE will buy 15S training planes so lombard
ment planes, so pursuit planes and 10 attack
planes. will buy with that money altogether
26S planes. 1 will then have deficit remaining
after these purchases OF o pItHeS L VIII nave
on hand after all the purchases with this
money, on assumption they may be delivered
shortly after the end of the fiscal year, 1886
planes of all types, of which 425 will be train
ing planes.'
While the United States, the birthplace OF
the arplane, lags behind in its recognition OF
the wartime potency of this instrument which
has revolutionized methods of conflict between
nations other countries have no such hesi-
fancy Each of the large nations is today
utstripping the United States i'll the produC-
ton of aircraft This is we'll known to officers
of our Army, and even to many law observers.
Nation by nation the appronr2 tiCnS for air
craft DEVELOPMENT for the current year are
far in excess of what this country expects to
spend on airplanexS for the next year, to say
nothing of the present period.
Great Britain long the proud mistress of
he seas" has looked toward the horizon Of the