Evening star., 1940-12-12
Plane Tests Rushed
To Get New Models
In Production
Craft Given GrueIIing
Tryouts by Flyers
At Wright Field
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

In an effort to clear new produc-
ton models of American warplanes
for immediate manufacture to meet
the emergency facing the British
Royal Air Force and the needs of
the United States Army, relays of
combat crews have been assigned by
the Army Air Corps to accelerate day
and night service tests.
According to report received here
today from the Air Corps Materiel
Division, Wright Field, Dayton,
Ohio, where all the tests are being
flown, accelerated tests are being
made of the first of the new types
of the production lines in an effort
to subject the new planes to the
beating they would get in actual
service over many months of field
operations.
Combat crews at Wright Field are
working in relays on tests Of the Bell
P-39B Airacobra pursuit -interceptor,
the new Boeing B-17C Flying Fort
ress bomber and the Douglas A-20A
attack bomber,
Tests Are EXacting.
Almost continuous day and night
missions are being flown with these
alrplaneS under full military loads
The tests are purposely being made
as gruelling as possible. They are
designed to give each of the new
WarplaneS the equivalent wear and
tear of months of normal service in
approximately one month of in
tenslve flying, during which the
planes are flown almost constantly.
Minor bugs which could only be
found after months of service under
normal conditions, are discovered in
record time by the new test method,
1t was reported.
In $50 hours of flight" it was
stated by Wright Field officials,
most of these latent defects can be
found and corrected while the air
plane is still in the early stages of
production"
Under the speedup program, ac-
celerated service tests are being
centered at Patterson Field, Fair
field, Ohio, adjoining Wright Field,
where the Air Corps engineers and
factory representatives have their
headquarters. The actual flying is
being carried on by combat crews
flown in from combat squadrons
throughout the United States. Cen
orally, three crews are assigned to
each alrplane during test.
Confer on Defects.
ANY defect becomes the subject
OF an immediate conference be-
tween the crews and ground engi-
neerS,' it was explained. While
this group analyzes the detailed
flight reports. a service crew pre-
pareS the airplane for the next flight
crew waiting to take it up on an
other flight mission. Factory rep
reSentatives then relay reports to
the manufacturer"
1t was announced that success of
accelerated service tests expert
mentally conducted more than
year ago was responsible for making
the plan a regular policy.
1T not only saves an unestimated
amount of time and money in the
production process, but also provides
from the tactical groups to familiar
ize themselves with new equipment
considerably in advance of quantity
deliveries of new airplanes to their
home stations" it was announced.
1t is understood that Army off,
cials are especially desirous of ex-
pedlting tests of the new pursuit
and pursuit-interceptor airplanes
powered with the General Motors
Allison iquid-cooled engine, to de-
termine exactly what may be ex-
pected of the combination of planes
and as yet relatively untried power
plants. The Allison is used to power
the Bell P-39, the Curtiss P-4O, now
being sent to Europe, and the two
engined Lockheed P-38, not yet in
quantity production.
New Navy Fighter Speedy.
Anxiety over the performance of
these airplanes with the still un-