Evening star., 1939-04-11
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
To assure the pilots of our COM
bat squadrons of the benefit of the
latest advances in aeronautical re-
search without actually delaying the
production of the airplanes so ur-
gently needed for our protection is
one of the most difficult problems
In connection with the expansion
program.
Production requirements must be
ssharmonized with engineering prog
ress. It Is believed that Intellectual
efforts to reach such harmony
are responsible for delays in foreign
air construction programs, especially
lin Great Britain and France. The
effort to obtain better alrplaneS
than those of other countries has
delayed the release of models Tor
production.
. The research and experimental
engineers in striving for perfection
naturally are reluctant to turn over
to the production engineers models
of aircraft which they feel can be
improved still further, given little
more time. This naturally is a
snever-ending process. AS result,
If production ever is to begin, some
one must step in and arbitrarily
take the model away from the re-
search people so that production
may be started.
= Continue on Improvements.
Even so, after airplanes are COM
~pleted and in service the engineers
continue to work out improvements
and changes which can be incor-
sporated in the completed airplanes
sor in those still in course OF pro-
sduction under the same contract.
One pursuit airplane built for the
Army Air Corps had 247 engineer
Ing changes made in it after it had
gone into production and before
that particular type was aban-
done outright in favor of a later
and better model. All of this, OBJ
viously makes for great delay.
In an effort to reconcile the very
natural desires of the experimental
people to gain as much time as
possible for further improvement
and development of their models
and the wholly commendable wish
of the production men to start
turning them out the Army Air
p Corps has acted to set up some sort
of a boundary between the two
camps.
To expedite the air defense pro-
gram the Air Corps has reorganized
its materiel division at Wright Field,
Dayton. Ohio, chiefly with view
to bringing satisfactory expert
mental models to the production
stage as quickly as possible.
= Experience since the World War
shows that nearly five years elapse,
under peacetlme conditions, between
the time an airplane design comes
into existence on the drafting boards
and the time it goes into produc-
ton. In past years this has not been
q very serious matter. The Air
Corps was not under any particular
pressure and could afford to wait
FOR better airplanes.
= The launching of our present air
defense program, however, has
changed this situation. Production
must begin, but with the least posi-
Bile sacrifice in quality.
The Wright Field reorganization
started with the creation of sep
arate production engineering section.
Under the new setup the military
airplane originates in the research
and development section. Here the
engineering development progresses
to the production stage. At this
point the design must be frozen"
and turned over to the new produc-
ton engineering section, which sees
TO it that the airplanes are properly
and rapidly produced.
Industrial War Plans Unit.
The organization includes an in
dustrial war plans section, intend
ed to function in case of emergency
by assigning to the most suitable
aircraft factories for production the
aircraft released for production by
the production engineering section.
This section will function, of course,
only in an emergency so great that
the competitive bidding system now
IN effect must be laid aside and the
entire aviation industry put to work
On basis of negotiated contracts.
After the airplanes have been
built and delivered to the Air Corps
responsibility passes to the field
service section. organized at Wright
Field to supervise all maintenance
and repair activities. This section,
through Air Corps repair depots
and airplane ground crews, sees to
1t that the airplanes are made to
last lnnuer and Hu halter