Evening star., 1940-11-03

totaling some $l6O,000 900 for about
| 1900 engines for both the Army
and the Navy during the l941 and
1912 fiscal years. These engines are
to be of various types, ranging from
500 to 1000 horsepower.
An additional order for airplane
engines in the amount of SAL 1886, ,58l
was awarded to Pratt & Whitney
during the past week by the Navy
Department, however. bringing total
contracts to above the 5000 ,000, 900
mark for this one factory, exclusive
of British contract requirements.
The current Pratt & Whitney
plant expansion program will cost
about SIS 1000, 900 and will bring total
floor area to about 1,5O0, 900 square
feet. During the past 18 months
this single concern has added $16,-
| 100000 in plant construction and in
creased its employment from 5000
to 900 persons.
The Wright Aeronautical Corp.
holds contracts for the production
of approximately 10000 warplane
engines during the 1941-42 fiscal
years. 1t now has 1880 workmen
engaged in building airplane engines
| at its Paterson IN. j. plant. Pro-
ductlon there, according to the
Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce,
totaled $50 engines for September
and a scheduled $50 for October.
BY spring the production is expected
to reach 1000 a month.
Wright to Build Giant Plant.
Wright has completed arrange
ments for the construction of a giant
new aircraft engine factory at Lock-
land, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and has
placed orders for more than $8,0O0,.
900 worth of machine tool equip
ment. The plant will provide more
than 100000 square feet, or more
than Is acres, of floor space and will
employ between $4,000 and 5000
persons. Because of line production
methods, about go per cent of these
workers will be comparatively un-
skilled employees trained in local vo-
cational schools The factory is ex-
pected to have an ultimate produc-
ton rate of 1000 engines a month.
The Paterson plant has been in
creased in year from little more
than 1,000,0 900 to 2,300, 900 square feet
of floor space, and personnel from
less than 5000 to more than $4,000
persons. Among the new factory
installations now being made is
the first American Ine-production
foundry devoted exclusively to the
molding and casting of aluminium
alloy cylinder heads for aircraft
engines.
Millions for Development.
The Allison Engineering Corp, a
General Motors subsidiary, estab-
lished at Indianapolis three years
ago to produce iquid-cooled aircraft
engines in the warplane sizes, has
put millions of dollars into develop
ment work. Up to mid-year, how
ever, the factory has been delivering
less than 100 engines per week. It's
total December production is ex-
pected to amount to about 400 en-
gines Early in 1941, the rate is ex-
pected to be about 500 engines
month.
The Allison engines are badly
needed for three types of high-speed
pursuit airplanes. Some of these
airplanes now are standing out in
the open, under tarpaulins, complete
except for the power plants neces-
sary to turn them into fighting craft.
The 1941-42 aircraft engine pro-
gram already equals the total World
War program. During 1917-18 the
United States set itself q program
goal of 22,625 airplanes and 45,250
engines. America actually did pro-
duce during the World War total
of II ,760 airplanes, and at the close