Evening star., 1941-11-19

/, increased, experts are convinced
without fatal damage to civilian life
Handicaps Overcome.
The American achievement is the
more notable because of its handi-
caps. Germany began adapting
airplane manufacture to quantity
production in 1884 and completed
the process TWO years later Amer
lean industry undertook the trans
formation last September. Six
months were spent in blueprint
work. and emergency production be-
gan last March. In the summer of
1910, output was 500 military planes
a month. 1t has already multi
piled fourfold, with the prospect
OF fivefold increase in January.
Three months ago, 60 per cent Of
production was of trainer planes,
which have no direct combat value.
Today so per cent of the output
consists of fighter planes and light.
medium and heavy bombers. In the
middle of the program emphasis
was shifted to the heavy bomber,
a four-englne model popularly
known as the Flying Fortress"
The proportion of each type of
combat plane to the whole OUTPUT
is restricted. 1t can be said that
production Of heavy bombers has
almost doubled since last summer,
though it still remains very small
percentage of the total. One CAL
culation is that whenever ejrplane
output is doubled numerically, the
heavy bomber program represents
an increase of three or four fold in
terms Of weight or engine horse
power. .
Bottlenecks Overcome.
In the brief space of emergency
manufacture, the aviation industry
is declared to have overcome two
serious bottlenecks-thoSe of air.
craft engines and propellers. Today
motors are being produced at rate
of 5000 a month, which is ample
to power the current new output
of military planes with engines and
spares. Not long ago, it was neces-
sary to transfer propellers from one
plane to another when tests were
made. At present. experts of the
Office of Production Management
declare "the propeller is licked"
Production of 100 heavy bOmbers
month could have been reached
last summer, according to American
authorities, if the Col. Blimps of
Britains aviation and purchasing
missions had not refused even to
discuss the Flying Fortress" out
standing contribution of the United
States to aerial warfare. They
jeered at it as flying target
and insisted that British plants built
in this country should be fooled for
fighters and light and medium
bombers.
The result is that several medium
bomber factories, though completed,
are now standing idle because ma
chine tool priorities have been
transferred to heavy bomber plants.
Yardstick for Production.
The most optimistic estimates as
to American plane production are
those of Theodore P. Wright. assist
ant chief of the aircraft section of
o. P. M. and former vice president
and director of engineering in the
Curtiss- Wright Corp. In the first
World War he served as lieutenant
in the Naval Reserve Flying Corps.
Mr.. Wright. who last visited Ger
many in 1886, has worked out a
yardstick for airplane production
to which he has given the name of
parameter" 1t involves, in his own
definition, output per unit of floor
area and labor man hours, qualified
by more indefinite factors such as
supply of tools, management, labor
training and materials, together
with judgment as to what a country
as a whole can do"
Exact figures as to British and
American output of military planes
are known to Mr.. Wright and he
asserts that estimates reached by
the "parameter" method proved to
be in close correspondence with