Laurel outlook., 1946-09-18
Plane Output Is
Just a TrickIe
10 Billion Yearly Volume in
War Is Cut to Billion,
Survey Discloses.

NEW YORK. - In a summary
made public by Aircraft Industries
association, representing all manu-
facturers in the field, the biggest in
dustry in the world IN VI Day e
year ago, American aircraft manu-
facture has shrunk from its more
than 18-billion-dollar yearly volume
to a mere n billion dollars a year
and 10Th place in point of employ
ment among American industries.
In the following respects, howev-
er, the summary shows a situation
much more favorable than many in
the industry dared hope for a year
ago, when the army air forces
showered them with 1928 cancel
lation kilograms stopping 7h bill
lions worth of work and the navy
issued 5,597 cancellations worth
more than three billion.
l. The cancellations we're carried
out so quickly and in such an or
derby fashion-almost all have been
wound up within the year-that all
principal aircraft manufacturers
are still healthily in business, con-
trasting with the years of delay and
litigation following World War 1,
which drove every plane maker out
of business.
2. Demand for transport and per-
sonal planes, at home and abroad,
leaves the industry with a backlog
of orders on its books for 47,657
civil planes and employment for
200, 900 men and women. This con-
trasts with the biggest prewar year
of 1941 when only 6,597 planes were
made.
Surplus Disposal.
3. Vast surplus disposal has been
carried out without serious disrup-
ton of this market.
4. Vast technical advances have
been made in the military field. All
first line combat planes of a year
ago could now be replaced with rad
ically new and improved types and
contracts have been let with the
industry for research and develop
ment of still more radical types in
the field of supersonic speed, jet
and turbine propulsion, remote con-
troll of airplanes and guided missiles,
including the development of an
atomic engine for aircraft.
Thus, while alarmed at the re-
duction to a mere trickle of current
military production-the services
will get only 1000 new planes this
year as against the air co-ordinat-
ing committees recommendation of
5000 as the minimum for safety
industry leaders find two redeem
ing factors in addition to the healthy
civil demand.
Short on Personnel.
First, the armed services, partic-
ularly the army air forces, have not
the personnel to handle any large
number of new planes and, second,
new ones produced today will be
quickly outmoded by those now in
the laboratories and wind tunnels.
Indicating the rapid decline in
military production the figures show
that total monthly deliveries fell
from 108 to both services in Janu-
airy to only 81 planes in July. Of the
first number Is were bombers, 80
fighters, 3 transports and 10 rotary
wing aircraft. In July only 3 bomb
ers were delivered, only So fight
ers, 6 Photographic planes and 6
transports.
Despite the low level of deliv-
cries, world records were set by
many of the new planes, such as the
distance record from Guam to Wash
East-West and West-East
speed records for fighters, bomb
ers and transports.
The report points out that where
he air lines domestic and foreign
had only 440 planes on VI Day they
are now flying 708 and have placed
for 266 four-engined and 448
wo-engined transports on June 80.
the first quarter of the year there
we're 5000, 272 revenue passengers,
IN increase of 500 per cent over
he same quarter of 1915.
Most surprising growth, however,
in the record or personal
Iirplanes. In the first half of the
ear the industry produced 1880
'lanes and, barring strikes and ma
shortages, expects to make
S 5000 in the year IS against produc-
ion in 1941 of only 6,597 planes.