Evening star., 1942-09-19
Kaiser Hurries West
With Authority for
3Test Cargo Planes
Mass Production Of
Craft, if Accepted, Held
Impossible Before 1o45
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON,

Shipbuilder Henry ]. Kaiser
was en- route to the West Coast
today bearing Government
"letter of intent" addressed to
himself and his new associate,
Howard Hughes, flyer, plane
builder and movie man, which
will enable them to 60 ahead
with work on three experimental
planes of type twice as big as
America has ever seen before.
I'VE are already at work." Mr..
Kaiser said when asked how soon
he and Mr.. Hughes would start on
the planes.
Engineering is the first job-and
we already have that phase near
completion" he added.
The West Coast shipbuilder dis
closed that the three planes would
be constructed more than half OF
wood or a combination of plywood
and plastic material-and that he
felt certain 1t would be possible to
develop new sources for all critical
materials needed for the ships.
1945 Earliest Date.
The plane could win the war
for America and her Allies, it was
said, but right now 1t is admittedly
little more than an idea for carry
ing tons of valuable munitions
through the air at high speed, an
idea which those in charge of the
war effort hope will materialize.
Any war winning the cargo plane
does cannot come before early 1945.
1t will take that long, experts said,
to get the flying boat in production.
Should plans for the plane develop
successfully, Mr.. Kaiser and Mr..
Hughes probably will receive a large
contract from the Army or Navy,
which have agreed to supply engines,
propellers and instruments for the
experiment. While work on the
samples" is proceeding, Mr.. Kaiser
has been told to draw up plans for
plant in which the planes can be
produced on volume basis. II the
military services decide they want
numbers of the planes, construction
OF the plant will be begun.
The original Kaiser idea of build
ing palnes in shipyards presumably
has been discarded.
U. S. to Advance 1S Millions.
War Production Board Chairman
Nelson announced last night that
at his request Secretary of Com
merce Jones completed arrange
ments through the RFC with Mr..
Kaiser and Mr.. Hughes for the de-
sign and construction of three
super cargo planes" The letter of
intent was issued by Defense Plant
Corp. RFC subsidiary. One of the
planes is to be tested "statically"
and the other two built for actual
flying tests. The Government will
advance $18,000,000 for the work.
The three planes will be alike.
Shown drawing of the giant flying
boat, newspaper men agreed it was
unlike anything they had seen before.
The ship has two hulls and seven
engines. Three engines are located |
in the center wing. Two engines
are outside of each of the hulls. Mr.. |
Kaiser described it as twice as big
as the Mars" the lotion bomber
built experimentally for the Navy
by Glenn Martin.
SO Tons. 1000 Miles.
The plane has a gross, loaded
weight of 250,0OO pounds. 1t is ex-
pected to carry so tons on a 1000
mile hop, 40 tons for 5000 miles
and 20 tons 5000 miles. Mr.. Hughes
engineer, K. F. Ridley, who came
here to show the plans to Mr..
Nelson and other Government on
cials, said he had no idea how far
the boat would fly with no payload
and full of gasoline He said 1t
wouldn't 60 around the world.
Construction of the plane will
mark an innovation in American
aerodynamics. 1t will be built large
ly OF duramold, described simply as
plywood bound together with an
unusually strong glue. Sixty-one
per cent of the ships weight, in
cluding engines, will be plywood,
with aluminium and steel being other
major ingredients. It also will have
small amounts of chromium, nickel.
molybdenum, manganese, rubber.
zinc. magnesium and copper. Air
craft experts have built small planes
OF plywood, but no craft of cargo
carrying size has ever been produced.
All Of the work of design and en-
glneering and most of the actual
construction will be done nv Mr.