Evening star., 1930-12-12
AIRCRAFT BUILDING
URGED BY MOFFETT
Navy AeronautiCS Bureau
Head Cites Defense and
Employment Relief.

Building up of the naval aircraft
squadrons to the full strength permitted
by the London treaty, not only as a
matter of national defense but also as a
means of providing unemployment re-
lief, is recommended by Rear Admiral
william A. Moffett, chief of the Navy
Bureau of Aeronautics, in his annual
report made public today.
Admiral Moffett reported this con-
struction program would involve the
/, building of 5000 tons of aircraft car
riers and number OF cruisers carrying
landing decks.
It wish to invite attention" he said,
"to the very favorable reaction an ex-
tensive naval building program will have
Ion business conditions in the United
States Warships and aircraft are so
intricate in design that practically all
arts and industries participate in ther
construction"
Asks Additional Planes.
Admiral Moffett requested legislation
to increase the present limit OF 1000
planes under the five-year aircraft pro-
gram to 1,l25 so that additional planes
may be allotted the naval bases at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, and Coco Solo, Canal
Zone.
There are insufficient enlisted men
available to maintain aircraft in eff
B cient operating condition and, unless
additional men can be obtained, it will
be necessary to resort to civilian en-
ployeS, in which case approximately
$1,000, 900 more per year must be made
available for pay roll purposes, Admiral
: Moffett said.
Pursuance of the policy of increasing
the number of naval reserves in aviation
was urged by Admiral Moffett, who re-
ported that an average of 81 reserve
naval aviators were maintained in the
fleet during the past fiscal year. Estab-
liShment OF two new reserve bases, at
Miami. Fla, and st. Louis, has been
authorized during the current fiscal
year.
Wooden Fuselage Passes.
The past fiscal year witnessed the
passing of the last wooden fuselage
airplane in the naval service and wooden
wing ribs and tail structures have been
almost entirely replaced by metal con-
struction, while new production aircraft
have metal wing beams as well. Expert
ments with stainless. steel and other
corroSlon resisting metals are under
way. Admiral Moffett requested that
the bureau be given additional support
IN its effort to extend the experimental
aircraft program.
0OAAceA
with throat size of feet inches, to
replace the present 4-foot tunnel, is in
progress at the Washington Navy Yard.
Admiral Moffett reported, and its COM
pletion will permit many urgent tests
on models of current designs. A new
speed course for the timing of airplanes
was established during the year at the
Anacostia Naval Air Station, and fight
tests were conducted there on 20 air
planes. A fireproof building has just
been completed there for the testing of
aircraft motors.
In the lighter-than-a department
Admiral Mofett urged construction of
the ZRS-5, second of the giant Navy
al. 3ib'es authorized. The ZRS-4 now is
U r ccnctruction in the Goodyear
i7clin plGT. at Akron, Ohio, and
10 : ; competed in June, he report
I1is viii be b. far the worlds
L - Hi1ship. Definite progress has
ban /, 1c during the year toward solu-
ton o. tl'c prch I'm of handling large
sirships, he saio He asked for con-
s;ructior of West Coast airship base
2, Sunnyvale. Calf, near San Fran
c SEQ,