Evening star., 1941-03-31
Plane Plants Boost
Facilities 28 Pet.
In Two Months
$3,S75,000, 1000 untitled
Orders. Are Now Held
By Industry
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.


Working under the double spur of
national defense needs and British
aid requirements, the American air.
craft manufacturing industry in
creased its production facilities %
per cent during the SO days between
January ! and March /, it was
announced today by Col. John H
Jouett. president of the Aeronau-
teal Chamber of Commerce.
At the same time an independent
survey showed a present aggregate
of $685. 100000 in untitled orders
held by the aircraft industry, a
gain of s1OO,OOO,OOO in the last
month. The total is nearly four
times as large as that of a year ago.
Col. Jouett, as spokesman for the
American aircraft industry, report
ed that manufacturers of airplanes,
engines, propellerS and parts had
a total of 24,122 230 square feet of
productive floor space in operation
on March l, as compared with 49,
782,879 square feet on January |.
This is an increase of $3.50 351
square feet, or 28 per cent.
27,261 Employees Hired.
During the two months 27 ,261 ad-
ditional shop employees were hired
and, in vast majority of cases,
placed in training by the companies,
Col. Jouett said This brought total
employment in the plane, engine
and propeller plants to 173,076 on
March l. as compared with 145,815
on January 1, an increase of 10 per
cent
Total floor space of the industry
as Of March |, including engineering
and clerical was 3l,383,967 square
feet, and total personnel, including
executive, accounting, engineering
and research, as we'll as shop en-
ployes, was 226,172. These figures,
however. do not include aeronautical
manufacturing activities of the auto
mobile industry, which is building
aircraft engines under license and
plane sub-assemblieS under sub
contract
The Aeronautical Chamber survey
shows that airplane manufacturing
companies alone increased produc-
tive floor space from 12,664,600
square feet on January to 16,178,-
093 square feet on March l and shop
employees from 1O4370 to 1858.
Increase in Floor Space.
Engine companies during the two
months increased productive floor
space from 5,272.479 to 6,44O,5 500
square feet and shop employees from
$3.50 to 42,591 Propeller companies
at the same time we're increasing
floor space from 845,800 square feet
to 1.5036 square feet and employees
from 5,495 to 6,867.
The independent survey of out
standing contracts held by the avia-
ton industry, made by Aviation
magazine, shows that actual orders
placed so far amount to approx
imately $1,000 aircraft, of which the
United States has ordered 81 900 and
Great Britain and her allies the re-
naming $4,000.
Tools Up Plants.
Preliminary to the placing of large
contracts for bombardment air
planes, for which appropriations are
expected to be available soon, the
automobile industry has been re-
cruited to tool up plants and to
construct new facilities for parts
and subassembly manufacture under
the direction of leading aircraft
companies. Under this plan, orders
totaling as much as $500,000, 900
initially will be subcontracted with
the motor car makers.
The survey shows the latest ap-
proximate untitled orders of 25 pri-
mary producers in the aircraft and
automotive industries: Allison, S234,-
100000; Aviation Corp, S20000,000;
Beech, s24,O00,O00: Bell, $62,50O,O00;
Boeing, S2OO00O,0O0; Brewster, s103,-
100000; Buick, $91 100000; Cessna,
S26,000,O00; Consolidated, s325,000,- 4
600; Continental, $40000,000; Cur
Wright, 100000; Douglas,
$3.50 100000; Fairchild, s20O00,O00;
Ford, sl22, 100000; Grumman, 500
100000; Lockheed, $270,000 900;
Martin, 100000; North Amer
lean. s210,O0O,0O0; Northrop, ST.
100000; Packard, s217000,000; Re-
public, $60,000,000: Ryan, $10,500,-
600; Studebaker, s33,600,000; United
Aircraft, s425, 100000, and Vultee,
s93 100000.