·u~ S. PLANES HOLD ALL WORLD AIR RECORDS American Combat AMERICAN AIR LEADERSHIP Planes Dominate Official Listings supersonic aircraft Aircraft produced by the U. S. air· FIRST craft industry hold the official world records for flying higher, faster and FIRST four-jet bomber farther than planes built by any other nation in the world. FIRST six-jet bomber Four of the world records- for speed and distance- are held by eight-jet bomber American-designed aircraft types FIRST currently operational in the Korean theater and at the free world's out­ FIRST carrier-based jet bomber posts against Communist aggression. The altitude mark is held by an FIRST jet bomber used in combat American balloon, Explorer II, al­ though an unofficial record was made recently by an advanced U. S. United States manufacturers have produced more research plane, which reached a srngle- and multi-engined jet planes-and more re­ height of over 79,000 feet. This same aircraft, harbinger of things search aircraft-than the rest of the world combined, to c•me, reached an unofficial top with the exception of Soviet Russia. speed of more than 1,238 m.p.h. 'PLANES' Also Hold 'Clau' Records There are only five officially-rec­ ognized world records - for alti­ tude, speed in a straight line, speed Sales Jump in '52-But Profit Margin in a closed circuit, distance in a Ike First President straight line, and distance in a On Airframes Is Below U. S. Average closed circuit. All these records are With Pilot License held by American-designed planes. In the accelerated program of approximately $11 billion as com­ In addition, planes produced by the building the nation's air defenses, pared to $8.5 billion at the close of United States aircraft industry cur­ the 12 leading U. S. airframe manu­ the previous fiscal year. President Dwight D. Eisenhower rently hold 80 per cent (36 out of facturers boosted 1952 sales 88.5 per The turnover rate of working is the first pilot ever to land in the 45) of the wodd "class" records cent over 1951, but their net earn­ capital increased from 7.2 times in White House. established over different courses ings of $81.7 million represented 1951 to 12.1 times in 1952. This in­ The story came to light when it and with varying payloads for mili­ only a 2.2 per cent margin on sales creased efficiency in the use of work­ was discovered that the man who tary-type reciprocating-engined air­ according to a survey recently com: ing capital funds was largely respon­ was Supreme Commander of Allied craft, jets and helicopters. pleted by the Aircraft Industries sible for the industry's ability to Expeditionary Forces in World War Score Combat Victories Association (AlA). finance the expansion of approxi­ II has the honor of being the first This earnings rate of 2.2 per cent mately $1.8 billion in sales with an president in history to hold a pilot's The jet fighter that has captured on sales in 1952 compares with a 5.4 increase in working capital of only license - certificate number 93258. the world speed crown (698.505 per cent margin for 1,783 manufac­ $33.9 million. Coincidentally, President Eisen­ m.p.h. on a straight course) today is turing concerns surveyed by the Na­ hower assumed the highest public the United Nation's leading con­ tional City Bank of New York. The Financial Risk! Rise office in the United States in the queror of the MiG-15 in Korea, and National City Bank's survey of 33 Company-owned inventories now same year that the Fiftieth Anniver­ has amassed an 11-l "kill" ratio aircraft and parts manufacturers stand at 118.6 per cent of net worth sary of Powered Flight is being over the Russian-made jet in air-to­ showed a 2.4 per cent margin on and 172.2 per cent of working capi­ celebrated throughout the country. air combat. Jet fighters built by the sales. tal, comparing respectively with 99.0 The President has been a pilot U. S. aircraft industry are currently per cent and a 139.6 per cent rela­ for 14 years. He learned to fl y in the only fighting planes, now opera­ Twelve Major Companies tionship during the years 1941-1946. 1939, when he was stationed in the tional in quantity with NATO or in The AlA survey was made on the "These figures, among other Philippines as a lieutenant colonel the Far East, considered superior to basis of data presented by twelve things," the AlA survey reports, on the staff of General Douglas Mac­ the Soviet jets. • major airframe companies respon­ "indicate the magnitude of industry's Arthur. In the distance categories, both Eible for over 90 per cent of the financial risks and the vu lnerability In 1941, during the Louisiana wo rld record-holders are operational a irframe weight produced during of its working capital and net worth maneuvers, he piloted an Army military aircraft. A U. S. Navy pa­ 1952. to even a small percentage of loss li ghtplane while inspectin g units. trol bomber holds the official world Federal taxes for the period on these inventories in the event of An aviation executive who was with non-stop distance record ( 11,235.6 climbed to $1 38.8 million from $68 termination. This highlights the vital him at the time later wrote: miles) and a USAF medium bomb­ million in 1951. This represents a importance to this industry · of con­ "After we took off from a narrow er, with atomic-bomb carryin g capa­ "tax-bite" of 62.9 per cent on total tract termination procedures that little machine gun range, I turned bility, possesses the closed-circuit income earned. will provide fo r a fair, fast and final th e controls over to him and he fl ew distance record of 8,854.308 miles. Backlogs reported by the com­ settlement of all claims. Further- for the rest of the day, flying 12 More advanced, higher perform­ p anies at the end of 1952 totaled (See AIRFRAME, page 2) (See PRESIDENT, page 4) (See WORLD RECORDS, page 3) PLANES · Planes ·is published by the Aircraft Industries Association of America, Inc., the national trade association of the manufacturers of military, transport, and personal aircraft, helicopters, flying missiles and their accessories, instruments and components. The purpose of Planes is to: Foster a better public understanding of Air Power and the requirements essential to preservation of American leader­ ONE: MQ'DfRN ship in the air; mustrate and explain the special problems of the aircraft TRAN S'PO'RT AlRC'RAFT industry and its vital role in our national security. CAN CARRY CARGO Publication Office: 610 Shoreham Building, Washington 5, D. C. EQUAL. 10 i-HE WEIGH! New York Office: 350 Fifth Avenue, New York I, New York. OF MORE THAN Los Angeles Offic.e: 7660 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles 36, California. 140 WRIGHT AI'R~t.ANES/ ALL MATERIAL MAY BE REPRODUCED-MATS OF ALL CHARTS ARE AVAILABLE FREE

The Pa'L'Lern lor Long•Bange Econo111y ' By DeWitt C. Ramsey (Admiral, U.S.N ., Ret.) President, Aircraft Industries Association WING OF A TY"PICAL J I:T 'BOM"9FR United States aircraft manufactgrers have never in their history CONTAINS ~~@®~ 'RIVEIS o'R been engaged in a more intensive drive to cut the unit cost of aircraft "BOLlS 0 than that which is now underway throughout the industry.

In the aircraft industry's view, there has never been a time when such an effort was more essential. The cost of new and complex air­ craft, with their tremendous advances in fire power required to main­ tain superiority over advances in other parts of the world, is necessarily high. Today, therefore, a long-standing cost-consciousness has become crystallized in an industry-wide campaign to make every air procure­ ment dollar produce the maximum possible dividends. Cost-reduction projects themselves are not new to the nation's plane builders. As an operating principle under the system of competitive by Aircraft Industries Association enterprise, aircraft manufacturers have consistently worked to build U.S. air power in the most economical manner consonant with the at­ tainment of highest quality. Airframe Backlogs PLANE FACTS ' It is a source of satisfaction to members of the industry that its Rise But Earnings cost reduction program has already paid substantial dividends in dollar • De-icing equipment in the tail assembly of a giant U. S. trans­ savings to the American taxpayer. In recent months, while concentrating Stay Below Average port plane produces enough heat on the multitude of problems involved in gearing a giant industry to an to warm a dozen six-room homes. increased production effort, the economy program undertaken by air­ (Continued from page 1) craft builders has cut millions of dollars from air power's price-tag. • A typical World War II more, carrying these heavy invest­ bomber carried an 11-man crew Industry-wide standardization of a single nut-and-bolt, for example, ments in inventory will undoubtedly and contained 10 miles of elec­ cut the cost of U.S. air power by a million dollars. In a single year, cause some serious financial prob­ tric wiring. A new jet bomber lems if the current producti on pro­ employee suggestion programs in aircraft plants saved over four and a carries a three-man crew- and gram is unduly· extended." has 27 miles of wiring, exclusive half million dollars. One manufacturer's new method for making an Pointing up the heavy risks un­ of wiring in automatic equipment. aircraft part reduced the Government's costs by more than a million dertaken by the manufacturers in Space saved by reducing the num­ dollars. the current crisis, the AlA report ber of crew members is used for declared: These are typical of savings effected daily throughout the aircraft fu el; and the automatic equip- ' "In contrast with World War I ment with a tremendous amount industry in the unremitting search for more efficient, less costly and and World War II, the post-Korean of additional wiring does the , more rapid methods of building the planes America needs for its production expansion has been work previously done by eight defense. largely industry-financed, as repre­ men. sented by higher investment's in in­ It is, of course, impossible to reduce some of the elements of air­ ventory and brick and mortar and • The flight of the first Wright craft cost. So long as planes must fl y farther, faster and higher, with machine tool fa cilities. This ex­ plane, in 1903, covered a distance ever-i ncreasing bombloads and with far greater firepower, the price panded priva te inves tment has been only about on e-half tl1e wingspan must exceed that of the planes of earlier vintage. The complex instru­ accompanied by a drasti c redu cti on of a modern heavy bomber. ments required by supersonic aircraft also are costly, as are the thou­ in Government advances which, at • It takes more than tluee ti mes sands of engineering and skilled-labor hours, the stronger materials, the end of the 1952 fi scal year, stood as many tools to produce today's the giant machine tools, and the other components wh ich contribute at $91.5 million compared with an hi gh-powered jet engi nes as it to the superiority of our aircraft. average of $305 million for the 1941- did to build early model jets. 1945 period." • Through use of fuselage dive In other areas, substantial reductions in the cost of air p ower can The report continued : brakes, a modern high-speed be made only by national policy decisions. Such savings would accrue "Th ese heavy investments in in­ combat plane's vertical dive speed through the adoption of consistent, long-range procurement programs ventories and fa ciliti es represent can be cut from 500 to 300 m.p. h. risks that may become serious if in place of fluctuating production schedules with their accompanying • Jobs which formerly requ.ired high cost of alternately building-up and tearing-d own manufacturing there are any sudden and drastic changes in the present production 30 minutes are now .cl one in three orcranizati ons. Jt is pertinent in this connecti on to recall that jn 194.7 program. Continual low earnings minutes through use of a new th; President's Air Policy Commission estimated such long-range plan- have no t provided adequate reserves beam-bending machi ne - used to ·ng would reduce the cost of air power by some 20 per cent. A review to meet even mod est losses on these bend high-strength alu min um al­ ni d fresh appraisal of that Commission's findings and recommenda- in ventories or to carry these ex­ loys in aircraft producti on. a.n appear to be a most appropriate and timely undertaking. pand ed fac il.i ties." twns U. S.-Built Aircraft Fly Higher, Faster and Farther, _Ai•· Quotes And Dominate List of Official World 'Class' Records "God has been merciful to us in that we have always been (Continued from page 1) With Payload, 4,409.244 Pounds Class C, Group I granted ample time to prepare. ance aircraft are currently under Altitude: 46,522 feet, held by Jets Distance and the Allies have ab­ ?evelopment by the U. S. aircraft U. S.-built medium bomber. Altitude: 59,445 feet, held by sorbed the first shock of the on­ mdustry, which has built more jet Speed for 621 .369 miles: 369.692 British fi ghter. slaught, providing time for us to planes tha~ any other country with m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium Maximum speed: 698.505 m.p.h., arm. But in the future· we might A t?e exceptiOn of Russia, and which bomber. held by a U. S. fighter. · be the initial • smce Korea has delivered more than Speed for 1,242.739 miles: 365.649 Speed for 62.137 miles without target. A II 20,000 modern military planes to m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium payload: 652 m.p.h., held by U.S.­ the w or I d the U. S. armed forces and U S bomber. designed fighter. (Subject to F.A.I. will now ac­ allies. At least five of these ~or~ confirmati on.) knowledge adva~ced jet fighter types are now Speed for 3,106.849 miles: 338.392 Speed for 621 .369 miles without m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium that any ag­ entermg production in the United payload: 510.925, held by British bomber. gressor na­ States. fighter. tion seeking The official F.A.I. world air rec­ Speed for 1,242.739 miles without domination With Payload, 11,023 Pounds ords are as follows : payload: 440.298 m.p.h., held by of the earth Maximum speed over a 1.864-mile Altitude: 45,253 feet, held by U. S. fighter. must defeat course: 698.505 m.p.h·, held by a U. S.-built medium bomber. the United With Payload, 2,204.622 Pounds U. S.-built jet fighter. Speed for 621.369 miles: 369.692 States and l}taximum speed in a closed cir­ m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium Speed for 621.369 miles: 410.431 must defeat cuu_: 652 m.p.h., held by a U. S.­ bomber. m.p.h., held by U. S. light bomber. us before we ·can achieve our desJgned jet fighter. (Subject to Speed for 1,242.739 miles: 365.649 Climb to 9,842.5 feet : 1 min., 15.5 maximum strength. Therefore, if F.A.I. confirmation.) m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium sec., held by British fighter. global war comes to us again, the Distance in a straight line: 11 _ bomber. Climb to 19,685 feet: 1 min., 50 first blow will be struck not . at 235.600 miles, held by a U. S.-buiit Speed for 3,106.849 miles: 266.023 sec., held by British fighter. Warsaw but at Washington; ·not patrol bomber. m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medium Climb to 29,527.5 feet: 2 min., 27 at London but at Los Angeles; Distance in a closed circuit· 8 . bomber. sec., held by British fighter. not even at Pearl Harbor but at 854.?08 miles, held by a U. S.-hudt Climb to 39,370 feet: 3 min., 9.5 Pittsburgh. I have no means to medmm bomher. With Payload, 22,046 Pounds sec., held by British fighter. see into the future, no more than you-but you and I can logically Altitude: 72,394.795 feet, held by Class E a U. S. balloon. Altitude: 41,562 feet, held by deduce that we must have an U. S.-built medium bomber. Rotorplanes adequate defensive force in be­ Distance in a straight line without Official F.A.I. world "class" rec­ Speed /or 621.369 miles: 357.731 ing on the day war begins- or ords for Class C, Group II air­ m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built medium payload: 1,217.137 miles, held by we will have no need for any planes, Class C, Group I airplanes, bomber. U. S. helicopter. other."-Dwight D. Eisenhower, and rotorplanes are as follows: Speed for 1,242.739 miles: 357.035 Distance, closed circuit, without February 19, 1947. m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built medium payload: 621.369 miles, held by U.S. Class C, Group II bomber. helicopter. Reciprocating Engines Speed for 3,106.849 miles: 266.023 Altitude without payload: 21,220 m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built medium feet, held by U. S. helicopter. Jobs Multiply e _Distance, closed circuit: 8,854.308 bomber. Maximum speed without payload: .m1les, held by a U. S.-built medium 129.552 m.p.h., held by U. S. heli­ In 1946, a typical aircraft engine . bomber. With Payload, 33,069 Pounds copter. manufacturer required workers in l}istanc.e in a straight line: ll,- Speed for 62.137 miles in closed 2,432 different jobs to build piston 23:> .600 miles, held by a U. S.-built Altitude: • 39,521 feet, held by circuit,_ without payload: 122.749 engines. Today, this same company patrol bomber. U. S. medium bomber. m.p.h., held by U. S. helicopter. produces turbojet, ramjet, turbo­ A_ltitude: 56,046 feet, held by an Greatest payload carried to alti­ Speed for 621 .369 miles in closed prop and piston engines, and the ltahan-built biplane. tude of 6,562 feet: 33,435 pounds, circuit, without payload: 66.642 number of different jobs has risen Maximum speed over a 1.86-mile held by U. S.-built medium bomber. m.p.h., held by U. S. helicopter. to 3,051. m easured course: 469.22 m.p.h., held by a German-built fighter. · Maximum speed at high altitude· 464<. 374. m.p.h., held by a U. S. -buil~ fi ghter. 8 FIFTY YEARS OF FLIGHT Speed /or 62.137 miles without payload: 469.549 m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built fighter. ~~~ ­ Speed /or . 310.685 miles without · ~ payload: 436.995 m.p.h., held by U. S.-built fighter. Speed /or 621.369 miles without payload: 431.094 m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built fi ghter. w . Speed /or 1,242.739 miles without payload: 447.470 m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built fighter. Speed /or 3,106.849 miles without payload: 338.392 m.p.h., held by a U. S.-built medium bomber. ONE PASSENGER Speed /or 6,213.698 miles without payload : 273.1 95 m.p.h. held by a U. S.-built medium bomber. e W ith Payload, 2,204 .622 Pounds A ltitude: 4•7,910 feet, held by U. S.-built medium bomber. Speed for 621.369 mile-s : 325.713 The first passenger flight in history last year, the world's airlines carried m.p.h., held by Italian-built aircraft. took place in the Wright plane at an estimated 45 million passengers. Speed for 1,242.739 miles: 365.649 m.p.h ., l1 eld by U. S.-built medium Kitty Hawk, N. C., on May 74, 7908. bomber . Speed / or 3,106.849 miles: 338.­ Eighty per cent of the aircraft used by the airlines of the world are built by U.S. manufacturers . .3 92 m.p.h., held by U. S.-built medi­ um bo mber. 'PlANES' Eight U. S. Research Planes Probe Mysteries of 'Sonic' Air Speeds A stable of eight high-powered, the Smithsonian Institution in Wash­ ultra-streamlined research planes­ ington, D. C. Another has hurtled built by the U. S. aircraft industry through the air at 1,238 m.p.h. at -have come up with many of the an altitude of 79,494 fe et- faster answers to high-speed flight prob­ and higher than man has ever flown lems posed by the supersonic era. before. And the third is a one-time These eight planes- plus a num­ holder of the official world's speed ber of duplicates- are flying lab­ record. oratories- built to explore the The remaining five vary from a transonic and supersonic speed tailless midget with a wingspan un­ zones. Data obtained from repeated der 27 feet, to a sweptwing craft flight tests will be incorporated in with stainless steel wings and tail, the newer jet fighters and bombers and a Monel metal body, reportedly built for the nation's Air Force and built to fly as fast as 2,250 m.p.h. Naval air arm. Unhampered by the weight of Three of these eight research armament, these sleek, high-speed planes already have made history. planes are helping to solve many of One was the first to break through the problems now blocking man's the "sonic barrier" and is now in further conquest of the air. Eisenhow.er One of Three Presidents

Who .Have Flown As Chief Executive All Electrical Chemicals AI RC RAFT Motor (Continued from page 1) is one of only three presidents who Manufacturing Machinery Vehicles have ever flown while in office. miles here to inspect a bivouac area Franklin D. Roosevelt became the For ev.ery dollar of sales, the aircraft industry spends frem the air, then 22 miles in an­ first chief executive to fly when he six times as much money in research as does the average other direction to check on some­ took his initial presidential flight in thing else. U.S. manufacturing industry. To create aircraft that fly 1943, but it was ex-President Harry higher, farther, faster and with greater armament than "It was difficult navigation, but he S. Truman who really took advan­ was remarkably accurate. I was tage of this time-saving means of those of a potential enemy, the oircraft industry is con­ quite impressed because he hadn't transportation. He covered almost fronted with a staggering increase in the number of man­ flown for several years, had never 135,000 miles by air while he was years required for research, design and development. been in a lightplane, and the field president. His wide use of the air­ on which he made his final landing plane introduced a new mode of 'PLANES' Source: labor Department & Defense Department was anything but desirable." transportation for presidential cam­ The plane President Eisenhower paigning. checked out in, in the Philippines, During the recent presidential was an Army Air Corps PT-13, a far campaign, the vice-presidential and Big Plane Crosses Aircraft Industry • cry from the sweptwing jets of to­ presidential candidates of both par­ day's Air Force. This was an open ties used the airplane to get their Pacific-And Lands cockpit biplane used almost exclu­ story across in all sections of the Training 27,000 sively by the Army for primary country. Before It Takes Off training at that time. The plane's President Theodore Roosevelt, who 220-horsepower engine had a top was in office when the Wright broth­ A big transport of one of Amer· Skilled Workers speed of 125 m.p.h., and the gross ers first flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903, ica's larger airlines recently outdid weight was about 2,600 pounds. A created quite a sensation when he itself on a flight from Tokyo to Thousands of Americans have typical primary trainer today has an took his first flight. Just shortly out Seattle, Wash. It left the Japanese found the road to better jobs and BOO-horsepower engine, a top speed of the White House, Roosevelt went capital at 9:10 one Sunday morning better pay in the aircraft industry­ of over 300 mp.h., and grosses 7,000 aloft with Pilot Arch Hoxsey on and after flying 4,961 miles across and they're being paid while they pounds. October 11, 1910, during a flying the Pacific arrived at Seattle-Tacoma learn. Not only is Mr. Eisenhower the meet sponsored by the St. Louis airport at 9:07 a.m.- still Sunday A recent Government survey shows first president to be a pilot, but he Aero Club. (local Seattle time) and several that 27,000 Americans currently are minutes before it had taken off in enrolled in in-plant training pro­ Japan. grams in 86 aircraft plants through­ Landing only at Shemya, in the out the nation. Aleutians, where it put down to re­ Designed to alleviate the shortage fuel, the American-built airliner of skilled aircraft workers which averaged over 310 m.p.h. on its long has hampered the plane-manufac­ overseas flight. Flying the Great turing industry since the post-Ko­ Circle route, its flight time was only rean buildup got underway, the 15 hours and 56 minutes. plant training programs have pro· These American-built planes fre­ duced workmen capable of handling quently shave time off their sched­ the highly-skilled jobs required on uled 17 hour and 54 minute fli ght by modern plane production lines. taking advantage of strong tail The Government survey indicated winds. These winds, plus the Inter­ current shortages of tool and die national Date Line and several time makers, aircraft and engine me­ zones, made this unusual fli ght pos­ chanics, jig and fixture builders, sible. machinists, and machine operators,., Another "record" fli ght was made among others. by one of these air transports fl yin g The survey notes th at the co m­ a more so utherly route, last fall plexity of modern high-performance when it picked up one of these "jet planes has made it necessary for streams" off the coast of Japan. The wo rkers to become profi cient in a help from these winds enabl ed it to relati vely wide va riety of skills. Ad­ completely pass the gas stop at vent of the jet engin e and other late One of few photos of President Eisenhower at the controls of an aircraft Wake Island and it clipped seven aircraft developments have resulted was taken during World War II. He learned to fl.y in a military train er in hours off the schedule as it made in produ ction-method chanaes which the Philippines in 1939, but also piloted a light liaison craft during the the 18-hour r un from Tokyo to in crease the need for work"'er adapt­ pre-World War II Army maneuvers in Louisiana in 194·1. Honolulu non-stop. ability.