GROWTH OF AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING IN UNITED STATES
THE 1912 EXPOSITION—THE FIRST PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION—THE
MANUFACTURERS AIRCRAFT EXPOSITION—DESCRIPTIONS OF EXHIBITORS—GROWTH
OF AIRCRAFT FACTORIES—NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY
As soon as the Wright brothers demonstrated the feasibility of aerial
flight in 1908 a great many companies were organized to manufacture
heavier-than-air machines. Naturally, most of the designers and
builders were young men who learned to fly, as there was no science of
aircraft construction taught in the universities or colleges in the
pioneer days. At first little capital was obtained, and as the use
of the aeroplane was confined to sporting purposes, the demands for
the same were small. Nevertheless, by May, 1912, the manufacturing of
aircraft had developed to such an extent that a show was held at the
Grand Central Palace, New York, from May 9 to 18. The exposition was
held under the auspices of the International Exposition Company. Nine
monoplanes and twelve biplanes and one quadriplane were exhibited.
The Wright brothers exhibited a two-seater biplane. It differed little
from the regular headless models, the only change being the two
long, narrow, vertical planes in front and a larger vertical rudder
in the rear and wing-warping. The gasoline-tank is placed behind the
passenger-seat, while the radiator was put in the rear of the engine.
On the Wright stand was also to be seen for the first time one of
their new 6-cylinder 6 horse-power aeroplane motors, as well as a new
three-step hydroplane, designed expressly for use on their machines.
CURTISS
The Curtiss Aeroplane Company showed three of their latest biplanes and
two motors.
The centre of attraction of the Curtiss exhibit was the new
small-spread headless machine. This machine had a spread of only 21
feet 3 inches, and a chord of 4½ feet, and an over-all length of 32
feet. It was equipped with a 75 horse-power 8-cylinder V water-cooled
Curtiss motor. A Curtiss hydroaeroplane was also shown.
In addition to the hydro and racer the Curtiss Company showed a
two-passenger military-type machine, fitted with a shift control.
BURGESS
The Burgess Company showed three biplanes, one a large two-seater
military tractor, a regular Burgess-Wright hydroaeroplane, and the
“Flying Fish,” the original Burgess.
The military type was a large tractor biplane having the engine and
propeller mounted in front of the fuselage. The seats for the aviator
and passenger were arranged tandem fashion behind the gasoline-tanks
and immediately between the two planes. Near the rear of the fuselage
was attached a stationary horizontal stabilizing tail, while at the
extreme rear was the horizontal rudder.
The power-plant consisted of an 8-cylinder V air-cooled 70 horse-power
Renault motor, which drove through under gearing a large Chauviere
tractor propeller.
In addition the machine was equipped with a very complete wireless set
for receiving and sending messages, the current being generated by a
small dynamo, which was placed underneath the fuselage and was driven
by the engine.
The Burgess-Wright shown was of the regular two-passenger type, capable
of being started from the seat, and fitted with a 6-cylinder 50
horse-power silenced Kirkham motor in place of the usual 35 horse-power
Wright.
SCHILL
Paul Schill, of the Max Ams Company, exhibited a large Farman-type
hydroaeroplane, equipped with a 100 horse-power 8-cylinder Max Ams
motor, which could be cranked from the seat. This biplane had a
covered-in cabin with seats for three persons. The hydroplanes were
fitted to the regular skid struts and were of the single-step type.
COFFYN
Frank T. Coffyn exhibited a hydroaeroplane. This machine was the
regular standard Wright pattern, but fitted with Coffyn’s own
hydroplanes. Coffyn was the first man to successfully fit double
hydroplanes to an aeroplane.
Another improvement made by Coffyn was the fitting of a starting-crank
to permit starting the motor from the front without having to turn the
propellers.
CHRISTMAS
The Christmas Aeroplane Company showed a biplane. The wings of this
biplane were set at a double dihedral angle, with an opening about two
feet wide in the centre of the top plane, to take up the blast of air
made by the propeller. The edges of the wings were flexible like a
bird’s. The controlling-gear consisted of a semicircular wheel, which
by rotating worked the ailerons, while a twisting movement of the whole
on its axis turned the vertical rudder, and a fore-and-aft movement,
operated by warping, the large horizontal rudder in the rear. The motor
used was a 7-cylinder 50 horse-power Gyro.
GRESSIER
The Gressier Aviation Company exhibited a “Canard” type machine which
was fitted with a 50 horse-power Gnome. This machine has an elevator
in front of the fuselage, while the main planes and motor were in the
rear. The seats for pilot and passenger were situated just in front of
the main biplane cellule.
The biplane shown was fitted with three skids and six Farman-type
shock-absorbing wheels.
REX
The Rex Monoplane Company exhibited an all-American monoplane. This
machine had a long, graceful fuselage, which carried at its front end
the motor and gasoline-tank, the wings and the pilot’s seat, and at
its rear the flat, non-lifting tail plane and elevator flaps with the
vertical rudder immediately behind them. The landing-gear was quite
novel, and consisted of a single skid and two shock-absorbing wheels.
These wheels were attached to the fuselage through telescopic tubes
having springs inside them to absorb shocks. The axle also strapped to
the landing-skid by rubber bands, the whole forming the first flexible
and efficient shock-absorbing landing-gear.
The main planes had a peculiar reverse curve in them, and were pivoted
to a centre upright in the fuselage, thus permitting of warping the
whole wing instead of only the tips.
ANTOINETTE
Harry S. Harkness exhibited the Antoinette monoplane with which he
carried the first war-despatch in the United States, on February 7,
1911. This machine was fitted with an 8-cylinder 50 horse-power
Antoinette motor and Normale propeller.
BALDWIN
Captain Thomas S. Baldwin showed the biplane with which he has toured
in many parts of the globe. This machine was a cross between an early
Farman and a Curtiss. The power-plant consisted of a 60 horse-power
8-cylinder Hall-Scott motor.
MULTIPLANE LTD.
The Multiplane Limited, of Atchison, Kan., showed a large quadruplane
built under the patents of H. W. Jacobs and R. Emerson. The machine
was of the headless type, having four main planes in front, with four
lifting tail planes in the rear, and an elevator immediately behind
the two. The propellers were mounted on the same axis and placed
midway behind the main planes, and were driven by leather-covered
flat steel belts from two 8-cylinder 80 horse-power staggered V-type
air-cooled motors. The machine was designed for weight-carrying, and
was fitted with a large cabin having a double row of seats, capable
of holding five people comfortably. The landing-chassis consisted of
one long centre skid, having two large 48-inch wheels in front, and a
single swivelling wheel in the rear. These wheels were not fitted with
pneumatic tires, but instead had a broad, flat, strip steel rim. The
wing spread was 37 feet; length, 29 feet 8 inches; height, 17 feet.
GALLAUDET
The Gallaudet Engineering Company exhibited a speed monoplane named the
“Bullet.”
The fuselage was torpedo-shaped, having a section four feet square at
the point where the aviator sat, and tapering sharply to a point in
the front, and more gradually toward the rear. The nose of the machine
was made up of sheet aluminum, having a series of holes stamped in
it to permit of efficient cooling of the 14-cylinder Gnome. The main
planes were attached to the centre of the fuselage in a position just
behind the engine, while at the rear of the fuselage were the small
triangular-shaped elevator and the vertical rudder. A three-bladed
propeller was used. The dimensions were: length over all, 20 feet 6
inches; spread, 32 feet; width of wings, 8 feet wide at the body,
tapering slightly toward the tips.
TWOMBLY
Mr. Irving W. Twombly exhibited a Bleriot-type monoplane which was
fitted with one of his 45 horse-power 7-cylinder air-cooled revolving
motors. The planes were covered with transparent celluloid in the
vicinity of the body for the purpose of affording the pilot a good view
of the ground immediately below and in front of him.
Another exhibit of Mr. Twombly’s was a shock-absorbing safety harness
of his own invention for strapping aviators in their machines. This
harness was so constructed as to prevent the aviator from being
lurched out of his seat, and yet at the same time permitting him to
quickly detach himself from the harness in case of emergency.
NIEUPORT
The Aero Club of America exhibited a 50 horse-power Gnome Nieuport
aeroplane.
QUEEN
The Queen Aeroplane Company exhibited two machines, one an aero-boat
designed by Grover C. Loening, and the other a Bleriot-type monoplane
equipped with a 30 horse-power Anzani motor.
The aero-boat consisted of an aluminum-covered boat, to which were
attached in front on an upright structure the main wings, with the
motor and propeller just behind them. The power-plant consisted of a
50 horse-power Gnome, which was placed in the boat proper, and drove
through a chain the propeller, which was just behind and a little above
the main planes. The controlling arrangement was quite novel, and
consisted of two horizontal levers resembling the tillers of a boat,
which the operator grasped one in each hand.
NATIONAL
The National Aero Company exhibited a Bleriot-type monoplane which was
equipped with a 4-cylinder 40 horse-power Rubel “Gray Eagle” motor and
Rubel propeller. The motor was fitted with an acetylene self-starter,
which was controlled from the seat.
AMERICAN
The American Aeroplane Company exhibited a large monoplane with a very
low centre of gravity. It was fitted with two 50 horse-power 2-cycle
air-cooled revolving motors and self-starters, and was designed to fly
with either motor, and to carry six to ten persons.
THE FIRST PAN-AMERICAN AERO SHOW
It is notable that no engine exhibited at this exposition had more
than 80 horse-power, whereas the Liberty motor of 1917 developed 450
horse-power and the Fiat 700 horse-power.
The first Pan-American aero exhibit was held at the Grand Central
Palace, February 8 to 15, 1917. By that time the war had demonstrated
the value of aircraft for scouting, bombing, reconnaissance, and
contract patrol, and because of the exploits performed by famous aces,
had attracted the attention of huge numbers of people.
During the five years that had elapsed from the time of the former
exhibit the construction of aircraft had advanced fully a decade,
due to the intensive acrobatics aircraft had to be put through in
aerial fighting. America was, of course, far from the seat of the war,
but owing to the orders placed with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor
Company and other companies by the British and other governments,
constructors were kept more or less in touch with developments in
Europe. It is true that owing to the rapid changes in designs of motors
and aeroplanes, due to the competition between the Central Powers and
the Allies for control of the air, the speedier planes like the scouts
and battle-planes were built in England, France, and Italy, while the
United States manufacturers produced seaplanes for hunting submarines,
and training-machines, of which there was a tremendous demand.
The Curtiss Company immediately turned their energies to building J.
N. 4 training-machines, and large seaplanes, like the “America,” which
Captain Porte was to attempt to fly across the Atlantic for the British
Government.
A large number of accessories were also exhibited. President Wilson
opened the convention by wireless, and Governor Whitman delivered an
address.
The next aero show was held by the Manufacturers Aircraft Association
at Madison Square Garden, March 1-15, 1919. This organization had been
effected on February 15, 1917. The following were the incorporators of
the association: The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company, John D. Cooper
Aeroplane Company, L. W. F. Engineering Company, S. S. Pierce Aero
Corporation, Standard Aero Corporation, Sturtevant Aeroplane Company,
Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation, Witteman-Lewis Aircraft Company,
Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation.
In the meantime the United States had entered the war. At the beginning
a great many newspaper editors who did not know the difficulties of
constructing aircraft in quantity, and imagining that they could be
produced as easily as automobiles, wrote glowing editorials demanding
the immediate construction of 100,000 aeroplanes to invade Germany in
the air and destroy her manufacturing industries, as well as terrorize
the people into surrender. The Aircraft Production Board, however,
realizing in a measure the difficulty of constructing aeroplanes in
quantity, especially as there were very few aircraft factories in
the country at that time which could deliver quantity production,
planned to build only one-fourth that number. As a matter of fact,
the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was the only organization
that was constructing aircraft on a large scale at Buffalo, N. Y.,
and the Curtiss plant in Toronto, Canada. Nevertheless, the Aircraft
Production Board laid down plans for the production of 22,500 planes.
Even this was too optimistical an estimate, although the Aircraft
Production Board did not at that time realize it. This, however, has
been explained in the official reports of the Aircraft Production Board
by General Kenly, Howard E. Coffin, and John D. Ryan.
To get into _production_ the Aircraft Production Board had the
government take over a number of plants on a cost plus 10 per
cent basis, and those companies immediately began to expand their
manufacturing capacity to make the new orders the government
was placing with them. The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company,
Dayton-Wright, Standard Aircraft, Rubay Company, Springfield Aircraft
Corporation, Aero-marine Plane and Motor Company, the Fowler Aircraft
Company, and a number of others received large orders from the
government. Unfortunately, the Aircraft Production Board did not see
fit to give orders to the smaller manufacturers in proportion to the
size and capacity of their plants. Many of these smaller manufacturers
could have produced a few machines for the government, and this would
have tended to swell the whole to a greater figure. The inability of
some of the manufacturers to increase their plants in proportion to the
orders, naturally delayed the manufacture of aircraft.
In the matter of the Liberty motor the same mistake was made. Instead
of taking patterns and blue-prints of a good foreign motor, like the
Hispano-Suiza, which was already being built in this country, and
producing them in quantity, the government stopped to design a new
motor—the Liberty motor—which the Aircraft Production Board evidently
thought could be built in a day. This was not done—as a matter of
fact, it took almost six months to complete the first production
motor—whereas a good foreign motor could have been put in quantity
production almost immediately, and with the failure of manufacturers
of aircraft to turn out the desired number of planes, this caused a
tremendous outcry from the disappointed American public, who thought
100,000 aeroplanes could be built as easily as 100,000 automobiles.
This led to an aircraft investigation. Judge Hughes was appointed by
President Wilson to conduct the investigation. The report failed to
find any one libel to prosecution. Indeed, most of the errors were
those of judgment or lack of ability. Later President Wilson pardoned
those who might have been prosecuted.
Another error was caused by the delay in determining on the type of
aeroplane which should be built in quantity in this country. Several
types were adopted and then cancelled. Finally, however, the Curtiss J.
N. 4’s were adopted as the standard training-machine and the standard
J. was discarded. The D. H. 4’s were turned out in large quantities
by the Dayton-Wright; Curtiss produced some Bristol machines in
addition to their training-machine and seaplanes. The Standard Aircraft
Corporation built a few Capronis and Handley Pages, Curtiss-H-boats.
Owing to a failure to adapt the Liberty engine to the Bristol fighter
after three pilots lost their lives, the machine was abandoned. If the
war had lasted another year these companies would have been in quantity
production, and undoubtedly America would have delivered a portion of
the thousands of machines which were promised on the West Front.
As nearly every company which had built for the army or the navy
was represented at the March, 1919, aero show, a description of the
exhibits will give the best idea of the types of machines produced:
AEROMARINE PLANE AND MOTOR COMPANY
Model 50 flying-boat, similar to the Model 40 except that in the latter
machine the cabin is closed in by a transparent hood, and it is driven
by an Aeromarine 130 horse-power type-L engine. The Model 50 is a sport
machine designed for pleasure flying.
The upper plane has a span of 48 feet 4 inches, lower plane 37 feet 4
inches. Fully loaded the machine weighs about 2,500 pounds. Unloaded
the weight is about 2,000 pounds.
BOEING AEROPLANE COMPANY
The Type C-1 F. Navy Training Hydroaeroplane was flown from Hampton
Roads, Va., to Rockaway, N. Y., for exhibition at the aero show. This
machine is equipped with a Curtiss OXX-5 100 horse-power motor. It is
an experimental type built for the navy, and has single float instead
of the double floats usually employed on Boeing seaplanes.
Span, both planes 43′ 0″
Over-all length 24′ 0″
Speed range 36-65 M. P. H.
BURGESS COMPANY
The Burgess Company exhibited a car designed for one of the “C” class
twin-motored navy dirigibles. The car is of streamline form, 40 feet
long, 5 feet in maximum diameter, with steel tube outriggers carrying
an engine at either side. Over-all width of outriggers, 15 feet.
Complete weight of car, 4,000 pounds.
Seven passengers may be carried, but the usual crew consists of four.
The engines are made by the Union Gas Engine Company, and are 150
horse-power each. Fuel capacity, 240 gallons; oil, 16 gallons. Four
bombs, totalling 1,080 pounds, are carried at the side.
The dirigible for which the car was designed is 192 feet long, 43 feet
wide, and 46 feet high; it has a capacity of 180,000 cubic feet. Its
high speed is 59 miles per hour, at which speed it has an endurance of
10 hours. Cruising speed, 42 miles per hour; cruising radius, 12½
hours. Climb, 1,000 feet per minute.
THE CANTILEVER AERO COMPANY
The Christmas Bullet has caused a great deal of comment in aeronautical
circles because of its freedom from struts and wires. It is the first
heavier-than-air machine built on the Cantilever truss principle, and
is the result of years of painstaking investigations and experiments
made by the inventor, Doctor William Whitney Christmas.
The wings of the Christmas Bullet are flexible and resemble true
bird form. Because of this yielding principle the machine is
absolutely immune from all strain and resistance, as are “stiff-wing,”
parallel-strut machines.
The Christmas Bullet has a horse-power of 185.
Span 28′ 0″
Length over all 21′ 0″
Weight, machine empty 1,820 lbs.
Weight, fully loaded 2,100 lbs.
A Liberty “6” is used, giving 185 horse-power at 1,400 R. P. M.
CAPRONI COMPANY
The Caproni Company exhibited a giant triplane which has been famous
since 1915, when it made its first appearance. This triplane has a
spread of 130 feet. It is equipped with three 400 horse-power engines,
two of them in tractor position at the nose of the fuselage, and one a
pusher at the rear of the central nacelle. This machine has climbed to
an altitude of 14,000 feet with a ton of useful load, and with only two
of the engines running. The triplane was used as a bomber, and carries
a bomb compartment below the lower plane.
CURTISS AEROPLANE AND MOTOR COMPANY
_Curtiss J N 4 D_
The J N 4 D Tractor shown by the Curtiss Company. General
specifications are as follows:
Span, upper plane 43′ 7″
Length over all 27′ 4″
Net weight, empty 1,430 lbs.
Gross weight, machine loaded 1,920 lbs.
Useful load 430 lbs.
The motor is Model OX 5, 90 horse-power. Speed range of 75-45 miles per
hour. Climb in 10 minutes, 2,000 feet.
_The Curtiss M F Flying-Boat_
The Curtiss M F Flying-Boat, a sportsman’s model, is the smallest of
the Curtiss boats, a development of the popular “F” boat, carrying two
persons side by side.
Span, upper plane 49′ 9″
Over-all length 28′ 10″
Weight, empty 1,796 lbs.
Useful load 636 lbs.
Maximum speed 69 M. P. H.
Minimum speed 45 M. P. H.
Maximum range 325 miles
Engine, Curtiss OXX 100 H. P.
_The Curtiss H-A Hydro_
The Curtiss H-A Hydro, a two-place single-float seaplane. The upper
wing has a dihedral of 3 degrees and the lower plane a dihedral of 1
degree. Both planes have an incidence of 2 degrees and a sweep-back of
4½ degrees. In official tests by the Navy Department this machine
has made a speed of 131.9 miles per hour with a full load. Its climbing
speed is 8,500 feet in 10 minutes.
The float is 20 feet long, 3 feet 6 inches wide, and 2 feet 6 inches
deep. It has three planing steps.
The engine is a Liberty 12, giving 330 horse-power. It is directly
connected to a two-bladed propeller 9 feet 2 inches in diameter, with a
7 foot 7 inches pitch, or a three-bladed propeller 8 feet 6 inches in
diameter and 7 feet 6 inches in pitch, depending upon whether speed or
quick climb is required.
Upper plane, span 30′ 0″
Over-all length 30′ 9″
Net weight, machine empty 1,012 lbs.
Weight, full load 2,638 lbs.
DAYTON-WRIGHT AEROPLANE COMPANY
_De Havilland 4_
The De Havilland 4 Aeroplane, exhibited by the Dayton-Wright Aeroplane
Company, was the first De Havilland 4 battle-plane to be built in
America, having been completed October 29, 1917, at Dayton, Ohio. This
machine has been in continuous service since that time, and has been
used in 2,500 flying tests of various kinds.
With this machine a distance of about 111,000 miles has been covered in
a time of about 1,078 hours. Twenty-eight cross-country trips have been
made in it, including Dayton to Washington, Dayton to New York, Dayton
to Chicago, Dayton to Cleveland, etc.
The battle-plane is exhibited with all its military equipment,
including two Marlin machine-guns fixed on the front cowling and fired
through the propeller at a rate of 750 rounds at 1,650 R. P. M. of the
engine, and two movable Lewis machine-guns at the rear cockpit which
fire 650 rounds per minute. The wireless carried has a range of eleven
miles to another aeroplane and a receiving radius of forty-seven miles
by a ground-station. A camera located to the rear of the observer is
worked by means of wind-vane. Photographs are taken at the rate of
twenty-four per minute, and magazine carries six dozen plates.
A full complement of twelve bombs are carried under the lower wings,
and flare-lights for night-landing are suspended from the wing-tips.
Red and green guide-lights are carried on the lower plane, and a white
light is located on the fuselage deck aft of the gunner. The engine is
one of the first Libertys to be built.
_The T-4 Messenger_
The “Messenger” was designed as a war-machine, but after being modified
in small details it makes an ideal machine for commercial and sporting
purposes. As a war-machine its use was to have been in carrying
messages from the front lines to headquarters and in general liaison
work.
The machine is exceptionally light and easy to fly, making it possible
to make landings in places that have been heretofore inaccessible.
The fuselage has absolutely no metal fittings nor tie-rods of any sort,
strips of veneer being used exclusively for the bracing.
The machine comes within the means of the average sportsman, for its
cost is said to be not much over $2,000.
Span, upper plane 19′ 3″
Length 17′ 6″
Weight, unloaded 476 lbs.
Weight, loaded 636 lbs.
Engine, air-cooled De Palma 37 H. P.
The engine is a 4-cylinder air-cooled V type, manufactured by the
De Palma Engine Company of Detroit. Its weight is 3.7 pounds per
horse-power. The engine consumes 4 gallons of gasoline per hour, and
tank has a capacity of 12 gallons. Oil is carried in the crank-case.
GALLAUDET AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
_Gallaudet E-L 2 Monoplane_
Striking originality in design was shown in the twin-pusher monoplane
exhibition by the Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation. Mr. Gallaudet’s 1919
Sport Model has a high factor of safety and is easily maintained.
Two stock “Indian” motorcycle engines are located in the nose of the
fuselage, connected to a common transverse shaft, and resting on the
top of the plane, and driving twin-pusher propellers on longitudinal
shafts driven by bevel-gears.
Engines are “oversize” models, giving 20 horse-power each at 2,400
R.P.M. Weight, 89 pounds each. Propellers are 3-bladed, 4 feet 8 inches
in diameter, and 7 feet in pitch. Propellers run at one-half engine
speed, 1,200 R. P. M.
The plane has a span of 33 feet.
The body is of monocoque construction, 3-ply spruce being used. Two
seats are provided, side by side, with single stick control.
Over-all length of machine, 18 feet 7 inches.
Eight gallons of fuel are carried, sufficient for two hours.
_Gallaudet D-4 Bomber_
The machine is powered with a Liberty motor, driving a pusher propeller
attached to a ring surrounding the fuselage.
THE L. W. F. COMPANY
The L. W. F. Model V Tractor was equipped with 125 horse-power Thomas
engine, is convertible from a land machine to a hydro. The machine
exhibited at the show had twin floats.
The L. W. F. Company also exhibited one of the H S 1 L Coast Patrol
Flying-Boats, with a 350 horse-power Liberty engine. The machine has
a span of 62 feet. Over-all length is 38 feet 6 inches, and overall
height is 14 feet 7 inches. The hull weighs 1,265 pounds. Gross weight,
5,900 pounds, and weight, empty, 4,810 pounds. Fuel and oil, 750
pounds, and crew, 360 pounds.
_The L. W. F. Model G-2 Fighter_
Model G-2 is a two-place armored fighter, carrying seven machine-guns
and four bombs. Guns are arranged to be fired downward through an
opening in the bottom of the fuselage.
Span over all 41′ 7½″
Length over all 29′ 1¼″
Total, full load (fighter) 4,023 lbs.
Weight, light (bomber) 2,675.5 lbs.
Total, full load (bomber) 4,879.5 lbs.
THE GLENN L. MARTIN COMPANY
_The Martin Bomber_
The Martin Twin-Engine Bomber has a speed of 118.5 M. P. H., made on
the first trial with full bombing load. The climbing time with full
bombing load was 10,000 feet in 15 minutes, and a service ceiling of
16,500 feet was attained. As a military machine the Martin Twin is
built to fill requirements of a night-bomber, day-bomber, long-distance
photographer, or a gun-machine. As a night-bomber it is equipped with
3 Lewis guns, 1,500 pounds of bombs, and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
A radiotelephone set is carried on all four types. Fuel capacity
sufficient for six hours. Full power at 1,500 feet.
As a day-bomber two additional guns are carried, and the bomb capacity
cut to 1,000 pounds. The Martin Twin is easily adaptable to commercial
uses which are now practical: they are mail and express carrying,
transportation of passengers, and aerial map and survey work. As an
example of its capacity, twelve passengers or a load of merchandise
weighing a ton may be carried.
General dimensions are as follows:
Span, both planes 71′ 5″
Over-all length 46′ 0″
With a ton of useful load, speed of 100 to 150 M. P. H. is made. Two
400 horse-power Liberty engines are used.
PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY
The Packard two-place tractor was designed around, and made a complete
unit with, the Model 1-A-744 Packard Aviation Engine. This machine
will make about 100 M.P.H. with full load, on account of its light
weight and clean-cut design, and yet its landing speed is as low as the
average training aeroplane.
Packard 8-cylinder 160 horse-power at 1,525 R.P.M. Weight, complete
with hub starter, battery, and engine water, 585 pounds.
STANDARD AERO CORPORATION
_Handley Page Bomber_
The American-built Handley Page shown at the Garden was similar to
the British, except that Liberty “12” 400 horse-power engines are
employed in the former, and the Rolls-Royce, or Sunbeam, in the latter.
Accommodations are made for one pilot and two or three gunners, and an
observer, who operates the bomb-dropping device. Two guns are located
at the top of the fuselage, and a third is arranged to fire through an
opening in the under side of the fuselage, and a pair of flexible Lewis
machine-guns is operated at the forward end of the fuselage. One gunner
may have charge of all rear guns, although usually two gunners man them.
Span, upper plane 100′ 0″
Length over all 62′ 10″
Height over all at overhang cabane 22′ 0″
Height over all at centre panel 17′ 6″
Width, wings folded 31′ 0″
Machine, empty 1,566 lbs.
Machine, loaded 14,300 lbs.
Each of the two engines gives 400 horse-power at 1,625 R. P. M.
Speed at ground, 92 M. P. H.
_The “E-4” Mail Aeroplane_
The “E-4” Mail Plane, built by the Standard Aero Corporation, is
particularly adaptable to the work of carrying mail because of the
special features of its design. The machine exhibited has seen
considerable service, having been brought directly to the show after
completing one of its regular mail-carrying trips.
The engine is a Wright-Martin Model L Hispano-Suiza, giving 150
horse-power at 1,500 R.P.M. and 170 horse-power at 1,700 R.P.M. The
Model 1 is an 8-cylinder V type, with a bore of 120 mm. (4.724 inches)
and a stroke of 130 mm. (5.118 inches).
Span, upper plane 31′ 4¾″
Length over all 26′ 2″
Height over all 10′ 10-3/16″
Machine, empty 1,566 lbs.
Machine, loaded 2,400 lbs.
Machine, loaded with overhang 2,450 lbs.
THE THOMAS-MORSE AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
Four aeroplanes shown by the Thomas-Morse Company: the Type S-6, S-7,
S4-C Scout, and the M-B-3 Fighter.
The M-B-3 Fighter is equipped with a 300 horse-power Hispano-Suiza
engine. It is a single-seater, and is said to be the fastest climbing
aeroplane in the world.
The S4-C is an 80 horse-power Le Rhone Scout, used for advanced
training. It has been used at most of the army training-schools
throughout the United States.
The S-6 is a Tandem two-seater, very similar to the S4-C in general
appearance. With an 80 horse-power Le Rhone, this machine has a speed
range of 33-105 M.P.H. In ten minutes its climb is 7,800 feet.
The S-7 is a side-by-side Tractor, with an 80 horse-power Le Rhone
engine. The side-by-side seating makes it especially desirable
for pleasure flying. The cockpit contains numerous comforts and
conveniences.
The principal dimensions and specifications of the S-7 are:
Span, both planes 32′ 0″
Over-all length 21′ 6″
THE UNITED AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING CORPORATION
This company is showing a Canadian-Curtiss training-plane, such as used
by the Royal Flying Corps for instruction in Canada and England.
A number of Curtiss OX-5 100 horse-power engines are also on display,
together with other equipment, which the company has purchased from the
Imperial Munitions Board of Canada.
UNITED STATES ARMY
_Langley Experimental Flying-Machine_
The model of the Langley aeroplane is a copy of the original Langley
Flying-Machine which is now in the United States National Museum at
Washington, D. C. This machine made the first successful flight by
heavier-than-air machine driven by its own power. The machine was
launched May 6, 1896, at Quantico, Va. It rose to a height of 70 to 100
feet, and travelled half a mile at 20 to 25 M. P. H., with propellers
revolving at 1,500 R. P. M.
The total weight of the machine is 26 pounds. It is driven by a
single-cylinder engine, using gasoline as fuel.
_Foreign Aeroplanes_
Among the foreign aeroplanes sent to the aero show by the War
Department are the French Spad, French Nieuport, British SEV, and a
German Albatross D11.
The Spad is a single-seater scout, with a Hispano-Suiza engine.
The Nieuport Single-Seater is equipped with a rotary Gnome engine.
The SEV, which was put into limited production in the United States,
has a Hispano-Suiza engine.
The Albatross Scout was one of Germany’s best fighters. It has a
Mercedes engine.
UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT
The F-5-L constructed by the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia has
a span of 107 feet wing, chord of 8 feet, and an over-all length of 50
feet.
Two 400 horse-power Liberty engines are used, connected to tractor
propellers 10 feet 6 inches in diameter. Five hundred gallons of
gasoline are carried, sufficient for a duration of 10 hours at full
speed, near sea-level, and a speed of 102 M. P. H. is maintained.
Fully loaded the machine weighs 14,000 pounds. This weight included a
crew of 5 men, 1 Davis and 4 Lewis machine-guns, 4,230 pounds bombs,
radio apparatus, telephone system with 6 stations, carrier-pigeons, and
500 gallons of gasoline.
The machine is exhibited with one half covered and the other half
exposed to show the interior construction.
In the making of this machine there are 6,000 distinct pieces of wood,
50,000 wood screws, 46,000 nails, braces, and tacks, and 4,500 square
feet of cotton fabric. The hull requires 600 square feet of veneer.
The 250 pieces of steel tubing total 1,000 feet in length; 5,000 feet
of wire and cable, 500 turnbuckles, 1,500 each of bolts, nuts, and
washers, and 1,000 metal fittings are necessary in the construction of
this flying-boat.
_Navy M-2 Baby Seaplane_
The M-2 Seaplane designed by the Navy Department, and built by Grover
Cleveland Loening, was to have been used for submarine-patrol work. It
is easily set up, and occupying so little space, can be stored aboard a
submarine.
The machine is a tractor monoplane with twin floats. The plane has a
span of 19 feet and a total wing area of only 72 square feet. The wing
section is a modified R. A. F. 15. Over-all length of machine, 13 feet.
The floats are 10 feet long and weigh 16 pounds each. They are
constructed of sheet aluminum with welded seams. The interior of the
floats is coated with glue, and outside is not painted but coated with
oil.
The engine is a 3-cylinder Lawrence 60 horse-power air-cooled engine,
driving a 6-foot 6-inch propeller with a 5-foot pitch. Twelve gallons
of gasoline and 1 gallon of oil are carried, sufficient for two hours’
flight. Fully loaded with pilot and fuel, the complete machine weighs
but 500 pounds. The maximum speed is about 100 M. P. H., and the low
speed is 50 M. P. H.
_Helium-Filled Model Airship_
The model dirigible exhibited by the Navy Department is inflated with
helium. Another item that is of interest is the fact that this model
dirigible, 32 feet long and 7 feet in diameter, contains more helium
than has ever been placed in an envelope of any kind.
_Astra-Torres Dirigible_
The dirigible car shown by the Navy Department is from a ship of the
“Astra-Torres” type. The airship was built by the French in 1916, and
turned over to the Americans in March, 1918, at Paimbœuf, France, the
American naval station commanded by Commander L. H. Marfield, U. S. N.
It was used until November, 1918, for coast patrol on the west coast of
France.
The car is 45 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 7 feet high. The envelope
(which is not exhibited) is 221 feet long and 47 feet in diameter,
having a capacity of 252,000 cubic feet. Speed, 45.5 miles per hour.
With a crew of Americans, this ship has stayed aloft for 25 hours, 40
minutes. At its cruising speed of 45.5 miles the endurance is 10 hours.
The car accommodates a crew of 12. Two 150 horse-power Renault engines
with two-bladed tractor propellers are used. They are placed on
outriggers. Two Lewis machine-guns are carried.
The ship is one of several large dirigibles purchased by the United
States navy and brought to this country for the purpose of development.
B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY
The principal exhibit by the Goodrich Company consisted of one of the
first dirigibles put into the United States Naval Service. This is a
“Blimp” that was completed in August, 1917, and used for seventeen
months in coast-patrol work in the vicinity of New York City. The
dirigible is 167 feet long, 33 feet in maximum diameter, and contains
80,000 cubic feet of gas. This dirigible held the record for continuous
flight.
A Curtiss OX motor is used. The car is arranged to carry a crew of
three men. In cruising a speed of from 40 to 50 M. P. H. is maintained.
Other exhibits by the Goodrich Company are a model spherical
balloon, relief throttle-valves perfected by the Goodrich Company,
and principally the Grammeter valve, shock-absorber cords, special
parachute attachments, fabrics and cloths for aeronautical use, etc.
Another feature of the exhibit will be a short motion-picture, showing
how the balloons are manufactured.
THE GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, was the most
extensive aerostatic exhibit of the show. The outstanding feature of
the booth was the dirigible pusher-car, completely equipped, of a
type which has many sisters in service. A 35,000-cubic-foot type “R”
military kite-balloon is suspended and equipped complete. Attractive
models of the twin-engine navy dirigible and a transcontinental
passenger dirigible car are on display. These models are complete in
every detail, including full set of instruments and controls, lockers,
and upholstery.
A full-sized dirigible car equipped with dual control, indicating
devices, including manometers, tachometers, air-speed indicators,
incidence and bank indicator, clock, driven by an 8-cylinder OX-2
Curtiss motor, of the type used on the FC training dirigible, having a
cubic capacity of 85,000 feet, form an interesting part of the Goodyear
exhibit. Models of “R” type kite-balloon, military free balloons, and
of the U dirigible are also on display.
GROWTH OF AEROPLANE PLANTS
The growth of the aeroplane factories during the war was enormous. The
Aeromarine Plane and Motor Corporation, which was located in a small
plant at Nutley, N. J., moved to Keyport, N. J., and on a property of
66 acres erected sixteen fireproof buildings, with a total space of
125,000 feet. Most of the work of this plant was done for the navy.
Three types of training-machines were produced, 39-A type, a turn-float
hydroplane, 39-B, a single-float machine, and Model 40, a flying-boat.
The Dayton-Wright Aeroplane plant was incorporated on April 9, 1912,
to build aircraft for war purposes. In August, 1917, a contract for
400 training-planes was awarded to the company, and later an order for
5,000 De Havilland 4 battle-planes was received from the government.
By November 11, 1918, the 400 training-machines were delivered and
2,700 D.H.4’s, and the 5,000 order was cut to 3,100, which were to
be completed. One thousand eight hundred D.H. S-4’s were shipped to
France. The three plants were located near Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Orville
Wright was the consulting engineer of the company. In addition to
the three large plants which the company operated at the South Field
Experimental Station, which had a total of 65,000 square feet, 8,000
people were employed by the company.
The Curtiss Aeroplane Company were making land-machines, seaplanes, and
engines for the British Government when the United States entered the
struggle. Mr. Curtiss, the inventor of the flying-boat, and the winner
of many aeronautical prizes and trophies, was the chairman of the board
of directors and Mr. John North Willys president.
In January, 1916, the company was incorporated, and in February of
the same year the stock of the Burgess Company of Marblehead, Mass.,
was acquired by the Curtiss Company. It also controlled the Curtiss
Aeroplane Motors, Ltd., of Canada and the flying-fields at Miami, San
Diego, Hammondsport, Newport News, and the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical
Station. The company had nine plants and four flying-fields in 1918.
The main plant was at Buffalo, N. Y. The chief plant is now at Garden
City, Long Island. The plants consisted of 2,000,000 square feet, and
employed 18,000 persons.
The company reached a quantity production of 112 complete machines a
week, and 50 a day was to be expected had not the armistice been signed
on November 11, 1918. Before and during the war the Curtiss plants
manufactured 10,000 aeroplanes and flying-boats and 15,000 motors. The
Curtiss plants produced a great variety of machines, including Spads,
Bristols, and Nieuports. The famous NC-1-2-3-4, which participated in
the transatlantic flight, were constructed for the navy by Curtiss
Company at Garden City, Long Island.
The Burgess Company was also doing business when the war broke out. The
firm was organized in 1909. The company supplied machines to the United
States Government for work on the Mexican border in 1914, and many
types of seaplanes were also constructed. In 1913 the company secured
the rights to manufacture under the Dunne patents, covering inherent
stability.
The Burgess plant at Marblehead, Mass., was one chosen by the navy to
build training-seaplanes producing N-9 and N-9-H seaplanes. The company
started producing one plane a day, but finally got up to four a day,
and employed 1,100 men and women. The company also built turn-engine
dirigible cars for the navy.
The Glenn L. Martin Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was organized in the
fall of 1917 with the idea of building a gigantic American bomber
for work with the Allies in Europe. The first machine was flown in
August, 1918. Mr. Martin had been the organizer of the Glenn L. Martin
Company of Los Angeles in 1910, and had also been interested in the
Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation of New York and New Brunswick, N. J.
The Martin bomber constructed by this company had a wing spread of 71
feet and length of 45 feet. It carried 11 passengers and pilot, and
made several records.
The factory consisted of a single structure of 300 by 200 feet. The
war ended before the company got into quantity production of the huge
bomber.
The L-W-F Engineering Company, Inc., was organized in December, 1915,
and the plant was located at College Point, Long Island, N. Y. The
factory has a floor space of 250,000 square feet. The company built
training-machines and flying-boats for the government. The L-W-F
fuselage is of the monocoque type, which means “one shell” as regards
the body. It is of streamline laminated wood.
The Standard Aero Corporation began life in May, 1912. Later it
occupied several buildings at Plainfield, N. J. The company was
reorganized under the name of the Standard Aircraft Corporation in
1917, and acquired the thirty-four buildings of a manufacturing company
in Elizabeth, N. J. The total floor space was 614,190 square feet. The
company built several thousand Standard J training-machines, which
were bought by the government, but later discarded. The company also
constructed the first Handley Page machines in this country, and also
the first American constructed Caproni triplanes. Mr. Harry B. Mingle
was the president and Mr. Charles H. Day the engineer.
The Standard model J. H. was a hydroaeroplane, and a number of H.
S.-1-1 and H. S.-2-1, and D. H. 4’s. Flying-boats were made by this
company. Model J. R.-1-B. was used by the Post-Office Department for
aero mail service between New York-Philadelphia-Washington, making a
most excellent record.
The St. Louis Aircraft Corporation was organized in the fall of 1917.
The Huttig Sash and Door Company of St. Louis and the St. Louis Car
Company facilities were used for making J. N. 4-D training-planes,
which were being turned out in quantity in May, 1918. Nine hundred
people were employed, and machines at the rate of 30 per week were
being produced.
The Springfield Aircraft Corporation came into being on September 27,
1917, and began to manufacture J. N. 4-D and VE-7 type machines. The
company leased the Mason Company’s plants, with 200,000 square feet
capacity, at Springfield, Mass.
The plant reached a capacity of from 5 to 8 machines per day when the
war ended. Over 1,000 were employed.
The Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation was organized in September,
1916, to take over the General Aeronautic Company of America, the
Simples Automobile Company, and the Wright Company. The General
Aeronautic Company had received an order for 450 Hispano-Suiza engines
in 1916, but less than 100 motors had been delivered by July, 1917.
In May, 1918, the General Vehicle Company’s plant at Long Island City
was bought by the United States Government and given over to the use
of the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. Fifteen thousand men were
employed by the company, and the first production engine was tested in
November, 1918. The company also set up a gauge plant at Newark, N. J.
The company had orders for delivery of 2,000 motors a month in 1919,
totalling $50,000,000. The company reached a production of 30 engines a
day in October, 1918. This engine holds the altitude record of 29,500
feet, made by Captain Schroeder in December, 1918. The company produced
no aeroplanes during the United States’ participation in the war.
In 1915 the Sturtevant Aeroplane Company was organized by Mr. Noble
Foss and Mr. Benjamin Foss. The original plant at Jamaica, Mass.,
had 24,000 square feet. The company built 25 machines before the
United States entered the war. Experiments were made with an all-steel
fuselage. The B. F. Sturtevant Company had built many aeroplane
engines, and it had been organized by the same two brothers. At the end
of the war the company had erected a new three-story building of 35,000
square feet. They had over 1,000 employees at the two plants. The
Aeroplane Company was engaged primarily in manufacturing spare parts
for the J. N. 4-D and D. H. 4, etc.
The Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Company was organized in 1912 at Bath, N.
Y., and built many types of machines, both seaplanes and land-machines,
before the war. The Thomas Aeromotor firm came to life in August,
1915. In January, 1917, the two companies were combined into the
Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation at Ithaca, N. Y., and a factory of
three large buildings was constructed. The plant has a floor space
of 190,000 square feet. The S-4-E, the S-5 scouts, the M-B-1 and the
M-B-2 fighters, B-3 flying-boat, and D-2 hydro are well known as the
Thomas-Morse machines.
OTHER MACHINES MADE
A number of other manufacturers were given orders to construct
aircraft. The Packard Motor Company established a department and
Captain Le Pere, the French military aircraft engineer, designed a
number of machines which were built for the government. Among them was
the G. H.-11, an armored plane, the U.S. Le Pere Triplane, and the Le
Pere combat machine, which flew from Detroit to New York to attend
the aero show at Madison Square Garden, March 1, 1919. None of these
machines were put into quantity production.
The Fowler Aircraft Factory at San Francisco had fifteen planes in
construction when their plant was destroyed by fire in May, 1918, with
a loss of a million dollars.
Other factories which were building aircraft to submit to the
government were the Lawson Aircraft Factory at Green Bay, Wis., The
Whitteman-Lewis Company at Newark, N. J., The Alexandria Company at
Alexandria, Va., to mention only a few.
The S. S. Pierce Company at Southampton, Long Island, had an order for
300 “penguins,” as the training-machines were called, but they were not
delivered.
The Goodyear and Goodrich Tire and Rubber Companies built a great many
kite, observation, and propaganda balloons for the army, and blimps for
the navy. Their exhibit at the Manufacturers Aircraft Show, described
elsewhere, gives an excellent idea of their product.
THE NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY
Owing to the fact that the United States Government gave little support
to the aircraft industry, despite the fact that we had been on the
verge of war with Mexico, and that the Great War was on in Europe,
when the United States was finally forced into the struggle the
aircraft manufacturers were not tooled up to manufacture seaplanes
and flying-boats in quantity, so the navy immediately made plants to
establish a naval aircraft factory at Philadelphia.
When war was declared on April 6, 1917, only 93 heavier-than-air
seaplanes had previously been delivered to the navy, and 135 were
on order. Of the number that had previously been delivered, only
21 were in use, the remainder having been worn out or lost. The
seaplanes were of the N-9 and R-6 types, which are now considered as
training-seaplanes.
After eliminating types which had been tried and found unsuitable,
the Navy Department fixed upon two sizes for war purposes, which had
been perfected in the United States in anticipation of the development
of a high-powered engine. The engine developed was the Liberty. The
flying-boat is an American conception, and it has not been found
necessary to copy foreign patterns to insure our flyers being supplied
with the best.
With the development of suitable planes and engines the navy was able
to select the type of aircraft which was best suited for its service,
and to frame a large and complete building programme. As a result over
500 seaplanes were put in use at naval air-stations in the United
States, and up to December, 1918, over 400 seaplanes had been sent
abroad. Other aircraft at stations, both in this country and abroad,
included airships and kite-balloons.
The demand for aircraft necessitated an enormous increase of production
facilities, and, as a part of this extension, the Navy Department
undertook to build and equip a naval aircraft factory at the
Philadelphia Navy-Yard. Within 90 days from the date the land had been
assigned the factory was erected and the keel of the first flying-boat
was laid down. In August, 1918, the factory was producing 50 per cent
more seaplanes than it had been two months previous. In addition, at
least five plants were devoted to navy work, and a large proportion of
the output of several other factories had been assigned to the navy.
The delivery of seaplanes for training purposes has been sufficient
to more than meet the requirements. The training of personnel and
providing of stations and equipment to carry out this training had
expanded sufficiently so that the output of pilots, observers,
mechanicians, and men trained in special branches was keeping abreast
or ahead of requirements.
The navy aircraft factory produced aircraft valued at $5,435,000
up to the time the armistice was signed. It had completed, ready
for shipment, 183 twin-engine flying-boats, at an average cost of
$25,000. It had also produced 4 experimental Liberty-engine seaplanes,
carrying the Davis non-recoil gun, at a cost of $40,000 each, and 50
sets of twin-engine flying-boats’ spare parts worth $10,000 per set.
In addition considerable minor experimental work and overhauling of
machines from other stations was done.
The main factory at Philadelphia had a capacity of 50 boats, and could
turn out an average of 5 machines a day when the armistice was signed.
On October 1, 1917, the first mechanic was hired at the navy aircraft
factory. On November 1, 1918, there were 3,642 men and women employed
in building flying-boats for the navy.
About 1,500 Liberty engines were delivered to the navy and assigned
to naval air-stations in this country and abroad. Since the number
of Liberty engines produced were too small for the needs of the army
alone, it had been necessary for the navy to purchase others, to the
number of about 700, which were utilized while awaiting a full supply
of Liberty engines.
In addition to these a large number of engines of less power were
bought for use in training-planes, all of which were distributed to the
flying-schools.
One of the very important duties devolving on the Bureau of Steam
Engineering was the equipment and maintenance of stations for the
generation of hydrogen for use in airships. A number of stations were
established, and a full equipment of hydrogen cylinders provided, so
that any calls might be promptly met.