Evening star., 1939-04-23

gagged only in manufacture of COM
mercial planes and several now idle
were included. a condition consid-
cred impracticable short of war be-
cause of patent and license compli-
cations, the industry could raise
production to approximately 5000 or
$500 planes a year, provided the
program was we'll co-ordinated and
called for all types of planes, and
planes now in service. Merely as
comparison, Germany is credited
with producing 5000 planes last
year and planning to expand ca
pacity to 5000 a year by 1910.
Inasmuch as the estimates are
not based on expansion of any ex-
listing plants, Air Corps officials are
not worried about the American air
craft industry being unable to carry
on the program to increase the air
force to 5000 planes in two-year
period. The quantity problem seems
well in hand. The question of quail
ity is just as important. however,
and at the moment getting more
attention, although any categorical
statements relegating the United
States to a back seat in aviation
progress are far from the truth and
totally unjustified.
1.-TWO years ago." Maj. Gen. Henry
H. Arnold, chief Of Air Corps, said
in recent congressional hearing,
1--WE could truthfully maintain that
our air force was equipped with
planes of quality equal or superior
to those of any other nation. Our
fighting planes were the envy of
the world. Today, unfortunately,
we cannot make those claims"
Research Vital.
The reason, or perhaps the ex-
PLANTATION, he pointed out, could be
found in the relative amounts spent
for research and development of
new types: Great Britain, $15,00O,-
900 in 1888; France. more than $10,-
100000, and the United States only
about $6,OO0,000. How much Ger
many and Italy spent is unknown
outside Of military circles in those
countries. The Army learned dur
ing the World War that money can
not make an air force, but it also
learned that an air force cannot be
maintained at peak efficiency with
out money.
Last week, for example, the Air
Corps announced purchase of two
new experimental pursuit planes,
one from the Bell Aircraft Co. of
Buffalo and the other from the
Seversky Aircraft Corp. of Farming
dale, N. Y. They will undergo
minute examination during the most
exhaustive tests at Army airdromes
to try out their capabilities under
varying conditions of climate and
service for several months. If they
live up to expectations, after all
technical difficulties, known to the
aeronautical trade as bugs" have
been eliminated, sample or "serv-
ice" order Of 13 planes will be placed.
These will in turn go through more
tests in the field, requiring several
more months, before the planes are
placed in production to eventually
equip all pursuit squadrons with the
improved type.
Experimental Tests.
Should this one experimental
model crash, as did the Douglas
light bomber only few weeks ago
in California, or the Lockheed pur-
suit ship 1t. Ben S. Kelsey piloted
to a new transcontinental record
few days later, these tests are
suspended while new experimental
model can be produced. To pre-
clude this possibility, the German
air service in building up its fleet,
now conceded to be the largest in
Europe, adopted a policy of order
ing experimental planes in groups
of IS to 20. In that way a dozen
or more necessary tests may be
made at the same time in different
parts of the country under all ci-
matte conditions. When the expert
mental tests were completed, the
Germans, instead of ordering 13
planes for a service test, ordered 200,
so that some could be assigned to
every squadron and all pilots could
familiarize themselves with the lat
est types. Most of our Army flyers
never get an opportunity to fly
new types until long after they have
been in production.