PLANES HOLD ALL WORLD AIR RECORDS American Combat AMERICAN AIR LEADERSHIP Planes Dominate Official Listings Supersonic Aircraft Aircraft Produced by the U
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·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.