Evening star., 1939-06-19
Col. |.Lindberqh
To Report Soon
On Air Studies
Expected to Back
10O-MiIIion Plane
Research Program

The secret report of Col. Charles A.
Lindbergh on American aviation re-
search facilities, soon to be made to
Maj Gen. Henry H. Arnold, chief of
the Army Air Corps, is expected to
lend strong support to a proposed
five-year s100,0O0,000 military aero
nautics research program, 1t was
learned today.
Col. Lindberugh, who recently
testified before the House Appro-
priations Committee that the United
States has fallen far behind Euro
pean countries, especially Germany.
in aeronautical research and the
quality of most of its military air.
craft, is of the opinion that this
country can catch up within three
to five years if ample funds are
made available for concentrated re-
search work.
The Air Corps research program,
if approved by Congress, would be
independent of the basic aeronauti-
cal research program of the Ma
tional Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics. Air Corps officers, together
with leaders in the aeronautical in
dustry, are strongly in favor Of the
establishment for the N. A. C. A.
of a second laboratory similar to the
Langley Memorial Laboratories at
Langley Field, Hampton, Va.
Would Amplify Results.
The 100000, 900 Air Corp program
would be confined to applied mill
tary research and would serve mere
ly to extend and amplify the results
of the N. A. c. A. basic research
studies by applying them to military
aircraft.
Most of the Air Corps fund would
be made available to the aviation in
dustry to stimulate design competl-
tions for the purpose of improving
the quality and performance of
American fighting planes.
At present the Government has
no funds with which to reimburse
airplane manufacturers for funds
spent in the development of purely
military aircraft designs. The win
ner of design competitions alone
gains any return on his research IN
vestment-through a War Depart
ment contract for one or more
models of the winning airplane.
Under the proposed research pro-
gram the Air Corps would be en-
powered to purchase the airplane
winning second place in official de-
sign contests at substantial per-
centage of its actual cost to the
manufacturer, the third-place win
ner at a somewhat smaller percent
age of cost and so on down the line.
All manufacturers who made eX-
pendltures for research work to de-
velop experimental airplane models
for military use under this system
would receive some return on their
research investment and the Gov
ernment would receive their air
planes for experimental purposes.
The fund also would permit the
Air Corps to 60 to manufacturers
who had types of airplanes, en-
glnes or aeronautical equipment
which showed promise for military
use and pay them for definite types
of research activity necessary to
develop the product to a practical
state for testing.
Market Narrow.
Under the present system manu-.
facturer may 60 into one design COM
petition and lose and then go into
second and lose with the result
that he is wiped out. Design COM
petitions, according to representa-
tives of the manufacturers, are a
gamble which only the largest COM
panies can afford to take, with the
result that the available market for
military airplanes tends to narrow
rather than widen as it should for
the sake of national security in case
of emergency.
II the Air Corps were able to paw
part of the design costs to unsuc-
cessful entrants in design compete
tlons, according to Col. John H. Jou-
EFT, president of the Aeronautical
Chamber of Commerce, much of the
gambling element would be removed
and manufacturers would be given
an incentive to engage in research
programs, with resulting benefit to
the quality of our military air.
craft.
The regular War Department ap-
preparation bill for the 1910 fiscal
year carries SIS 100000 for the Army
Air Corps for research work. The
supplemental military appropria-
ton bill reported to the House last
week carries 100000 more. This
total of $4,000, 900 is intended almost
wholly for the maintenance and
operation of the sesearch staff and
facilities of the Air Corps Materiel
Division, Wright Field, Ohio, where
the Army conducts all of it's applied
military aviation research.
Continues Studies.
Col. Lindbergh. after two weeks of
active duty under his Air Corps Re
serve commission now is continuing
his research studies on inactive
status, subject to War Department
regulations and control, but without
pay.
In his new book on air power, lust
released, Maj. George Fielding Eliot,
outstanding American military critic,
characterizes aeronautical research
as very important element of air
power.
ITO fall behind. even temporarily,
IN the never-ceasing race for tech
nlcal superiority, may mean the diff
ference between victory and defeat"
ne declared Every dollar spent in
research may save thousands of
dollars in needless waste and obso-
lescence. Research is important to
armies and navies; to air forces it
is indispensable. Germanys excel
lent air-research organization Is
among the principal elements of
her present air superiority in Eu.
rope"
Printing House Croft Unit