Evening star., 1931-11-29

| that knoNleQge 10 arrange a COmpre-
| hensiVe airship program.
| An overwhelming trend toward the
use of monoplanes is revealed by the
| Aeronautics Branch of the Department
| Of Commerce in a report on domestic
| airplane manufactures during the first
nine months of the year. The use of
monoplanes both in civil aeronau-
tics and in the Army combat squad
! rons is steadily increasing, and the
| production figures for the first three
quarters of the year show most strik-
ingly how far this tendency is affecting
airplane types in America.
OF the 1888 airplaneS constructed in
| this country during the nine months
for domestic civil aeronautics l.l3O
were mOnoplancs, a majority of them
being one or two place open cockpit
types. OF the 800 biplanes built ma
Jority were t|o or three place open
/ cockpit types. There we're So autogiros
and two heltcopterS produced, together
with 637 military airplanes, bringing
the production total for the nine
months to 1921 aircraft.
The pronounced swing toward the
monoplane, which stands out as the
feature of this years manufactures,
| may be realized better when it is re-
called that during the first nine months
OF last year there were more biplanes
,
ton, the figures being 967 as against
| cas-.
The monoplane's rapid climb to su-
! premacy has been due in great part to
the ms!stent demands Of operators and
! the flying public for greater and vet
greater speeds. The Army Air Corps.
keeping close check on all the worth
while improvements in the field of avi-
alton, also has followed the civil trend.
FD,
for all types Of combat aviation except
pursuit. The result has been tremen-
dous increases in average fighting plane
speeds.
Production Is Less.
The production figures for the first
nine months Of this year show the eff
fect OF the business depression. being
$50 less than the totals for the same
period last year
Not only does the survey show
| amazingly increased traffic in mono
planes, it also SHOWS that the autogiro
mas come to figure prominently in the
llSt OF aeronautlcal manufactures. Three
companies now are building the wind
| mill" planes, and during nine months
they Sprang from a production rate
which was negligible to one which de-
mandS separate category.
American airplane exports to foreign
countries also suffered a decrease dur
ing the nine months. The total ex-
| ports for the period this year amounted
to 1Ol aircraft of various types as
against 1913 for the same period last
year.
The number of planes sold to the
united States Army and Navy, however,
increased this year, the total for the
nine months being 637, as against 556
last year. The increase was due in part
to the completion of the Navy's i've
| year airplane program and to efforts
Of the Army Air Corps to build up to
! the terms of its five-year program.
! which has not yet been completed due
/ TO lack Of funds.
| The report of the Department of
! Commerce is based on the licenses and
| ioentiflcat1on marks which it issued
Tor domestic aircraft, reports as to ex-
! ports and data from the Army and
| navy as to their purchases. There is
! a possibility, 1t was admitted. that
! there are few aircraft manufactured
within the nine months which were not
! covered by the survey owing to the
| iact that they have not yet been
licensed or identified
| Private Flying Increases.
The growth of private and snort
/ living is revealed in the large numbers
OF one, two and three place planes sold.
| THESE types being too small for air
transport work. CT for many types of
miscellaneous commercial operations,
Ot the 1,130 civil landplane tvpe