Evening star., 1940-10-30
Auto Industry Sees
Plane Production
AS lis No. | Job
1912 Models Will Be Little
Changed in Interest
OF National Defense
Srecial Dispatch to The Star.

ST6Clal DlSpdICH 10 1 ne 0Jdl.
DETROIT, Oct. 30.-W. S. Knud-
sen has placed full responsibility
upon the automotive industry to see
that its resources shall be utilized
to the best advantage toward sup
plying the aviation industry. mean
while maintaining car and truck
production. According to Rupert Le-
Grand, Detroit editor of American
Machinist, however, observers close
to the Government feel that auto
mobile production will have to take
second place. Now the industry sees
aircraft parts as its mo. job" and
promises to do its utmost in putting
all resources of skill, equipment and
needed plant capacity behind the
aircraft procurement program.
Nobody can foretel accurately at
this stage just how the aircraft parts
program will develop, Mr.. LeGrand
said. When the work is first assigned
to auto, body and parts plants, it is
likely that only individual parts or
small subaSsemblies will be manu-
factured for shipment TO the plane
plants for assembly. Later on the
exigencies of mass production may
demand that larger subassemblies
be produced by principa lsubcon-
tractor, who may or may not be
supplied by a number of parts
makers. Entire wings are now being
considered. The whole idea of the
program is TO make use of the skill
and resources of the automobile in
dustry without involving procure
ment of much equipment from the
already overburdened machine tool
industry.
Sheet Metal Parts.
Sheet metal parts for wings, con-
trolls and fuselages of airplanes are
indicated as the principal contri-
button Of the auto industry. But the
tools, dies, fixtures and jigs and
gauges for these parts must
be designed and made after con-
tracts are awarded. While the COM
plexity of the tooling may not reach
that found in many automotive
operations, those familiar with air
craft work say that several months
will be required TO design and make
the tools after jobs are assigned by
the committee and approved by the
Government. 1t is fair assumption,
therefore, that the actual pieces
wanted by Mr.. Knudsen cannot COM
mence to flow to plane plants much
before F1aYt NarOh q leo and
haps not before summer.
Commercial aviation manufac-
turing facilities of Vultee Aircraft,
Inc, will be concentrated in the
Detroit area to be near supplierS
of parts and local sources OF skill
and mass production manufacture.
Two months ago Vultee acquired
Stinson Aircraft Corp, which last
year moved its commercial and
newly developed military lines to a
plant at Nashville Now the COM
mercial business is being returned to
the Wayne. Mich, plant, which will
be known as the Stinson Division Of
Vultee.
Long Range Program.
Executives at Vultee told Aneri-
can Machinist that re-opening of
the Wayne plant marks the begin
ming of long range program by
Vultee to develop production
manufacture OF commercial aviation
as the mainstay of its business in
the future. Production of the Stin-
son los will be stepped UP to 100
per month in the early part Of next
year, and the larger Reliant will be
built in lesser quantities. A broad
research and development program
is under way to widen the scope of
the commercial market served, par
ticularly loWer-priced pleasure craft.
In the interest of national defense,
the Automobile Manufacturers AS
sociation has gone on record against
mechanical changes in 1912 models
that will require purchase of equip
ment next spring from hard-pressed
machine tool industry. Some revi-
sionS in fender, front-end, trim and
hardware can be expected in 1912
models. Their extent will depend
upon conditions in the tool and die
industry which will be busy next
spring on the aircraft parts pro-
gram. If the emergency continues
for two or three years more. the
automobile industry will undoubt-
edly spend huge sums for new
equipment with which to bring their
products mechanically up to date
at that time.