Evening star., 1941-02-08
Crisis Expected Soon
In Production Of
Ljouid-CooIed Motors
Curtiss-Wrieht OfficioIs
Predict SIockenine in
Supply Of Materials
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON,
Star Aviation Editor.

Nineteenth article of a series)
BUFFALO, N. Y, Feb. 8.-The
greatest crisis in the mass produc-
ton of the first American warplanes
powered with liquid-cooled engines
to see actual fighting in the pres
ent war will be reached within the
next two or three months in the
great and rapidly expanding plant
of the Curtiss Aeroplane Division
of the Curtiss- Wright Corp. here.
The anticipated crisis is coming
In the supply of raw materials, ac-
cording to officials of the division
now the Nations largest single pro-
ducer of pursuit airplanes.
Although the supply of raw ma
terials today is up to schedule, ac-
cording to Burdette Wright, vice
president, there is already evidence
of Tightening up" here and there
The company now Is studying a
production program which will eX-
tend through 1912 and is setting
up a very careful priorities pro-
gram for submission to the Ma
tional Defense Commission in
Washington.
Some Material Flown to Plant.
The Buffalo plant has been re-
ceiving some of its more essential
raw materials and b-assemblies
by air and there have been cases
where bad weather, interrupting
flying, has held up essential mate
rials and delayed production. Cur
tiss Aeroplane Divisions now are
subcontracting from to per cent
of their total Warplane contracts
and will increase this total by ap-
proximately 100 per cent, to a total
of Is per cent of their contracts.
In the factory machines are run
ming 22i2 hours a day five days a
week and for steadily increasing pc
RODS on Saturdays and Sundays as
the plant program gradually
smooths out and approaches a full
six-day week. with Sundays reserved
for machine and tool maintenance
and Catching up" on items running
behind the general chedule.
Curtiss is working toward the
Standardization of United States
and British airplane models. It now
is turning out eight P-40 pursuit air.
planes daily for England. These
airplanes require about 10000 man.
hours of work each. exclusive of the
Allison liquid-cooled engines. About
$4,000 rivets 60 into each airplane
The export version of the P-40 is
known as the Hawk 81-A" and by
the British as the Curtiss "Toma-
hawk" It is built around the Alli-
son Viz &C" type engine. which is
the first Allison model to reach a
quantity production level. Allison
now is producing engines at a rate
OF approximately 400 a month. the
rate increasing toward a l.0O0-per-
month level next fall. The produc-
ton of &C" engines for the Toma-
hawks has gone ahead of the special
Allison e. model for the Bell P-39
Alracobra pursuit airplane also be-
ing built in Buffalo. The "E" engine
just now is beginning to roll off the
assembly line at the Allison plant.
Planes Going to England
The Curtiss pursuit production to-
day is going almost exclusively to
England, although the first planes
OF a slightly improved type under
a new Army order now are begin.
ming to come off the production line.
The Hawk 61-A is the result of
great forward strides in aerody-
manic cleanness and efficiency over
the P-36 model, which was in pro-
duction at the beginning of the war
In performance it far surpasses its
predecessor. 1t also incorporates ad-
dltIonal armament.
The Tomahawk has a wing span
OF 81 feet inches. as compared with
36 feet 10 inches for the British
Supermarine Spitf1re. and a length
OF 81 feet inches, as compared with
the % feet II inches of its famous
British sister.
According to Air Commodore G.
c. Pirie, Air Attache at the British
Embassy in Washington, a consid-
erable number of these Curtiss
fighters have reached England.
British pilots, he said, report it is
fine airplane to fly and that it
compares favorably with the Spit
fire in speed and maneuverability.
Curtiss-W Wright has received con-
tracts totaling sl30.4Sl.173 for air.
.2lanes only.
Standardization Doubtful.
The transfer from the earlier
P-36 model to the British produc-
ton type in the midst of the Amer
ican production effort is an illus
tration Of the contention of Mr..
Wright that present competition for
air supremacy makes it doubtful
that the industry can ever standard
lie manufacture of really first line
Warplanes as a basis for mass pro-
duction methods.
AS soon as model is standardized
for production, new Improvements,
resulting from war experience and
scientific advances, come along and
soon make it obsolescent. Warplane
production can be standardized in
the United States only if it is stand
ardized in other countries. which
seems exceedingly unlikely. Even
under the pressure of war and
threatened invasion, the British
have changed warplane models, in
terrupting vitally needed production
to do so. The Germans also have
made changes in production models
since the outbreak of the war.