Show U. U S. S Aviation Industry Is Growing Up But Dont Don't Dare Call It a 1 War liar Boom Seven West Coast Plants Working T at nt Full dill Steam Employ Men By ny GREGORY LANDIS Helen ltd by Western Newspaper per Union Os ANGELES Late one oneL ES L afternoon the news sped out of Washington Washinton that con con- congress congress congress gress had lifted the arms em em- embargo bargo Next day President Roosevelt's proclamation pro clam a tion placed cash carry in effect Within a few minutes I huge bombers were moving on barges from New Yorks York's North Beach airport to wait wait- waiting waiting waitIng ing freighters which would carry them through war in waters to Great Britain Brit Brit- ain This his was the gunning sig sig- signal signal sig- sig signal nal for far American aviation but it was not unexpected Early this year France and Britain began buying war planes from firms like Lockheed Douglas Ryan and Consolidated In fact tact those were nine American made American made French planes which engaged 27 Nazi craft In the th first dogfight of World War II I a afew afew afew few days ago Airplane manufacturers arent aren't go go- going goIng I ing ofT off halfcocked cocked Just because the arms embargo has been lifted Nor NorIs NorIs Noris Is their expansion during 1939 being based on a n wild hope for war profits But Dut Uncle Sam has placed enough orders with them to bring his air force to 10 something like planes by 1941 and this coupled with com commercial mercial orders and those from abroad has changed d the Industry from a starving Infant into a B strap strapping ping youngster Many ny Foreign Orders Lockheed is a good example of the seven major plane piano factories scattered up and down our Pacific const coast Lockheed is located at Bur Bur- Burbank Burbank bank and as you approach from the theair theair air It looks like a giant factory whose walls have been bern knocked out by the pressure of expansion from within Which Is Just about the case Lockheed has completed most of the big bombers ordered by Brit Brit- t 4 1 a ter terA A peel peek inside nide the t North orth American Aviation At Inc plant at Ing Calif subsidiary of oj General Motors Motor and am one of oj the nations nation lending leading aeronautics concerns built here arc are basic combat and ami 17 0 observation ships lifs aln airs before the war started and Is starting starling on an order of 80 BO similar planes for the Australian govern govern- ment In addition the plant Is turn turn- turnIng turnIng Ing out about 10 commercial trans transports ports each month A year ago last month Lockheed had 2700 employ employ- employees ees Last March there were and this fall faU it was stepped up to with a monthly payroll ex ex- seeding a million dollars U. U U S. S S Orders Come Corno first Lockheed's military backlog of orders last month stood at about Including quite a few of the 38 38 Interceptor pursuit planes which the United States army has ordered American army and na naval na- na val vat aircraft manufacturers are i careful to point out Is not being given given en rn second position to foreign or or- ders Lockheed's physical problem Is typical Her square feet of floor loor space is double the capacity of last year ear but there still Isn't enough room But the plane manufacturers era ers are wise enough to look for ward a few years They'd rather rath r put on the finishing touches out out- outdoors outdoors doors than Invest In new factories which a few years hence might be ghosts Down south at San Diego you'll find the same bustling at Ryan and Consolidated factories Ryan which got its start in 1928 1926 when a slim young fellow named Lindbergh asked for a plane capable of flying miles specializes in teaching pilots and building training planes Ships Get Rigger er Too Consolidated right next door to Ryan and Boeing up in Seattle are building most of Uncle Sams Sam's mam mom mammoth mammoth moth planes In side side-by-side assem assem- assembly assembly bly lines at Consolidated ted you'll find army and navy bombers al almost most as big as the Yankee Clipper The army plane has wheels that stand 41 feet high the high the largest ever used on a ship Those flying lIying fortresses youve you've read about come from Boeing which also builds Pan American clippers and Up Seattle way they used to make great ado about I christening new ships and watching I them take the air for the first time But Dut nowadays its it's mere routine Boeing has 39 flying fortresses of the B 17 type to turn out for the army about third one one of which are ara already finished They'll soon start starton on an order for more fort fort- fortresses fortresses of the C 17 type Sand Sand- wicked in are nine at a copy minus the engines engine and six more clippers for Pan Pan- America at a total cost of at The manufacturers themselves taking the entire matter in stride are arc inclined to lean back In their chairs and talk about the effect it Il will have on aviation's future A Afew Afew Afew few years ago they point out the Industry was Just limping along without money for experimentation and new developments Then look what happened happened along along came Uncle Sam with a lot of new ideas and a fetish for making his air force the tho worlds world's best Today everybody's air air- minded from the kids in college to their grandmothers grandmothers- You cant can't stop stopa a boom like that |