Evening star., 1927-12-04
COMMERCIAL PLANES UNFIT
FOR WAR, SAY u. S. FLYERS
Cost and Design Cause Wide Difference
in Military and Privately Owned
Air Machines.

him. under the single wing and its
trailing edge, IS passenger carrying
space, which would have to be remod-
eled for bombing operations. observ.
ing, Photographic and radio work,
along with protection in the form OF
machine guns. The gunner, In some
fashion. would have to be out in the
open in order to swing his guns about
while enemy pursuit craft swarm
around the plane like bees.
Such plane. some military airmen
believe. would be less valuable for OBJ
servation work and the fighting duties
that go with it than the wartime Lib.
erty-engined De Havilands used by
the Americans and British. But there
are other military aviators who be-
iieve they could serve a small useful
purpose IN this work if time permitted
reconditioning, but even so. they lik-
ened the planes unto the Paris taxi.
caps which were pressed into service
as troop carriers when the enemy was
at the gates of the French capital.
Opinion Of Pilots.
While 1t may be possible to stretch
q few. points of imagination and on
timism together with aeronautical en-.
glneering and military strategy and
utilize some commercial types for
bombing and observation work. the
lighting pilots are unanimous In their
declaration that pursuit aviation can
flnd no substitute among non-miIitary
craft to date. The pursuit planes, al.
most universally bi-planes, are built
and braced to withstand terrific pres
sures brought against the wings In
violent acrobatics so vital i'm the type
OF fighting which the single-seaters
indulge in.
Further. they are designed to carry
Dut one man. who is pilot. gunner and
bombardier: an extraordinary blood.
thirsty young man who must be so
well drilled in the art of flying that
he maneuvers about the sky by intui.
tion in order to concentrate entirely
on firing at the enemy with his fixed
guns mounted on the fuselage in
front of him and which shoot through
the propeller. Every time this pilot
takes aim he must aim the plane, and
If he is not accurate to the fraction
of an inch an enemy bullet may find
its way into a vital part Of the plane
or The airman's body.
The Army and Navy's Boeing and
Curtiss pursuit ships are equipped
with engines with horsepower ranging
from 400 to 700. giving them speeds
in excess of 165 miles an hour. and.
in experimental cases. over 200 miles
an hour. No commercial plane in ex-
istence today can compare with these
tigers of the air.
Pursuit aviation constitutes the
strongest arm of aerial defense. Pur-
suit planes and pilots are required to
block any aerial invasion in addition
to serving as protectors for bombers
and reconnaissance craft. It is the
most spectacular. daring and thrill
| ing of all forms of aerial warfare. and
| nothing but the best in airplane con-
struction and airplane engines Is &C.
cepted.
Commercial planes of the transport
and passenger-carrying type have no
other function than to take off with a
pay load in a normal climb, gain the
desired altitude, circle the airport des-
| tination and make a normal glide into
| the field for landing. Because this
| is all that is expected of them, the
monoplane is used owing to its high
| lifting power. The strength Of that
| wing is sufficient to preclude struc-
tural failure even should some aero
battles be indulged in, but 1t is generally
| conceded that the commercial mono
| plane could not survive the terrible
| beatings the heavily-braced biplanes
of the military services receive month
in and month out without the slightest
sign of weakness.
Requirements of Planes.
All military planes. except the big
night bombers, must be as agile as
contortionist. Washingtonians are
familiar with the squirmy character
istics of the Army and Navy pursuit
ships as they stunt" over the city.
The observation plane must possess
ability to escape from the enemy
should it be caught out alone. The
observer, standing up in the rear COCK
pit and raking the sky with his guns.
together with the pilot firing fixed
guns as a target flies past his forward
| vision, is not sufficient to guarantee
prolonged life.
The two-seater must be able to dive
at terrific speeds. loop, roll, spin and
side.slip. without falling apart. Because
the two.seater is heavier and carries
a heavier load, it must be constructed
strongly enough to withstand the
mighty air pressures brought against
the wings and control surfaces in these
naneuvers. Hence the biplane. because
it offers additional means of bracing
and interbracing, although the efH-
cheney of the lower wing with respect
to lifting power is almost negligible
compared with that Of the upper
panels.
The bomber is not required TO de-
part from dignified, horizontal flight.
and, even If it were, such efforts
would be practically useless in the
ships. The bomber's business is to
carry a load of bombs to a certain
objective, drop them and return home.
He should use his guns from the
front and after cockpits. from the
engine nacelles and from underneath
the plane while he flies on in stately
manner as the sparrows peck at his
wings. The tremendous weight the
bomber must carry, though, makes
it necessary that his wings be strong.
and sufficiently strong to withstand
the stress and strain brought upon
them many times greater than the
load for which it Is designed.
Capacity of Factories.
The aircraft industry. engaged pri.
marily in the manufacture OF military
planes, turns out on an average "a
planes a week in peace time. What
these factories capacities would be
in war time cannot be learned.
There are several commercial facto-
ries of wide reputation engaged in
building cabin monoplanes, in the
main, powered with the "Whiriwind"
engines. They cali for strong con-
struction, first-class material, excel
lent workmanship, and the Govern
ment regards them as being nucleus
for reserve industry. The manufac-
turers Of the small, double-cockpit 90
horsepower biplanes and monoplanes
also bring up the third line Of reserve
by virtue of their familiarity with
modern airplane construction.
: Transportation facilities usually are
manned by the Government IL at war,
and commercial air lines and activi.