Preliminary Report of the Committee on Aircraft Investigation

Your Committee appointed to make an investigation of the manufacturing program, distribution of contracts, and progress of work in the matter of aircraft and aircraft motors and accessories, and to submit any recommendations that may be suggested to the Committee in the course of its investigation, submits the following preliminary report:There are two phases of the problem which has been submitted to us; first, the condition of work upon contracts already placed for aircraft, aircraft motors, and accessories, deliveries upon which have, as is widely known, been delayed, and the causes which lead to such delay; second, the inherent faults in the organization which need immediate correction to prevent a continuance of the present conditions.

In a later report we propose to embody our criticisms and comment in regard to the delays which have occurred in deliveries under existing contracts. Data bearing on this subject are still being collected. The Committee has called to its assistance engineers of prominence. Causes which have led to delay in deliveries are being run down. Such criticisms as we have to make and detailed information as to the status of work now on order will be contained in such later report. We think that some plain and inherent faults in organization call for prompt and decisive action. We are so convinced of this that we hope these faults will be corrected, as far as possible, by executive action without incurring the necessary delay of awaiting legislation. We are accordingly submitting this preliminary report, which has to do only with present and future conditions.

Aircraft are used by the two arms of the service,the Army and the Navy. It is the belief of your Committee that eventually it will be desirable to make of the aircraft service a separate department entirely distinct from the Army and the Navy; but it is not believed that the time is yet ripe for this very radical change.

Proportionately, the demands of the Navy for aircraft are quite small compared with the demands of the Army. The Navy had an organization for production and construction at the time of our entrance into the war more nearly approximating a war footing than had the Army. It has therefore been able to handle its aviation program with an immediate success which the Army has found it impossible to achieve. For these reasons it is the opinion of the Committee that the situation as relates to the Navy had best be left alone.In the Army, matters of aviation have been handled by the Signal Corps, with the result that there suddenly fell upon this quite minor division of the service a tremendous burden for which it was illy equipped. There was to be developed a new art for our country, and there were available very few men who had had any experience whatever in aviation and very little advanced scientific knowledge of the subject. There were many problems to be undertaken; such as the procurement of airplanes in large quantity; and the organizing of a division of the service to use these airplanes and to provide the facilities required, such as training schools, aerodromes, etc.; and all of this had to be carried on at a time when to accomplish it the Signal Corps had to be built up and augmented more than one-hundredfold.

There are two distinct problems in the air service, the first of which is the procurement and production of aircraft; the second of which is the handling of these machines for military purposes. It is our belief that the first of these can best be handled at this time by a civilian head. We are of the opinion that in the course of time, when courses in aviation will be a part of the military training at West Point, there will be available in the Army abundant material for the organization of a department capable of attending to all of the details of aircraft designing and production; but we believe that in this present emergency it is far better to put this department of engineering, procurement, and production into the hands of a civilian of industrial training and experience and in close touch and sympathy with the industrial field.

Such a civilian should be of broad industrial experience, a business man accustomed to doing big things in a big way, and he should be clothed with absolutely dictatorial powers. The appropriations made for the extension of the aviation service should be spent under his direction, as far as relates to the question of the purchase of aircraft, and the general appropriation for aviation purposes should be divided in such a way that a distinct portion of it is allotted for this purpose and a distinct portion of it allotted to the Signal Corps for training camps, aerodromes, and other more strictly military purposes. It is suggested that a proper title for this executive would be Administrator of Aviation.

Under his charge should be the entire engineering and experimental work, as well as the procurement and production of apparatus. He should have control of the present Equipment Division of the Signal Corps. The Administrator should have power to employ experts wherever they can be found, to request from the proper military authorities the assignment from the active military service of such men as may be needed in the engineering and experimental division from time to time, to employ foreigners, and to pay such men, except military officers, such compensation as in his judgment is proper, and without statutory limitation. The very best engineering and technical talent in the world should be at his command, and should not be asked to serve at personal sacrifice. Ordinarily speaking, men in these callings are not men of great means.

It is expected that this Administrator would provide himself with a greatly strengthened engineering and experimental organization. One of the great troubles heretofore has been the lack of direct and immediate contact with France and England on the part of the engineering and experimental organization, and it is of fundamental importance that this should be remedied. He should have power to arrange to have a revolving engineering and experiment board, part of which should always be in France and England, keeping abreast of all advances in the changing art of producing aircraft and keeping their colleagues in the United States in full touch with the progress of events and with the faults and advantages of such aircraft and motors as are sent by us abroad.

He should have further power to arrange that under direction of the Inter-Allied War Council, transmitted through the General Staff, the production program of this country shall consist of completed aircraft or of motors and parts to be supplied to our allies for assembling in machines to be contructed abroad, or of both.

The Administrator should have no connection or interest in any concern in any way connected with aviation or the production of airplanes; but he should not be limited in securing assistants from concerns so engaged. The reason for this latter provision is that the number of men available for this service in this country is extremely limited, and practically all of them have connections with manufacturing concerns engaged in airplane work.

To accomplish all of this it is perhaps necessary to procure legislation; but we believe that this change is so vitally needed that the President would be justified in the use of any power which he may possess to put it into effect immediately, as far as possible, and continue during the period necessary to get the proper legislation if such be required.

The present Aircraft Board exists under a law which gives it no executive power, and the sole function which it can exercise at present is to submit suggestions and recommendations. It has been believed by many people who have been interested in this subject, but who have been insufficiently informed, that this Aircraft Board possessed powers which were never given to it, and it has been therefore subject to a good deal of criticism for occurrences over which it had not control. It may be retained, if desired, in an advisory capacity to the Administrator. In such case the Administrator should be its Chairman.

To summarize our plan briefly, it is as follows:I.The General Staff of the Army shall originate the whole aircraft program; that is, shall determine what general type and quantity of airplanes are needed in the future for the service. To this end there should be created in the General Staff a section on aviation, and there should be a similar section in the General Staff abroad.II.There shall be created an organization under the title of Aviation Administration, either in the War Department or directly accountable to the President as may be determined, in charge of an Administrator who shall have very full authority. To the Administrator shall come the requisitions from the General Staff. He shall have power to employ the necessary subordinates, who shall not, for the present, be subject to Civil Service rules and who may be obtained by him in this country or from any foreign country. He shall have under his control the engineering and experimental work involved in the design and production of aircraft. He shall be empowered to direct the making of all purchases and have charge of production.

It may of course be necessary to more elaborately define the powers of the Administrator than in this brief memorandum, but he should be given as complete power as is possible.III.If the Aircraft Board is continued, the Administrator should become its Chairman.IV.The present Equipment Division of the Signal Corps shall be placed under the control of the Administrator. The other divisions of the Signal Corps shall not be disturbed by this plan.V.If the plan requires legislation, it is recommended that, pending the action of the Congress, it be put into effect, as far as can be done, by the President. The need is very urgent.Committee on Aircraft Investigation.I concur in the conclusions herewith presented except that my personal opinion is that the Aircraft Board should be abolished; this without reflection on its personnel, which is the very highest. The law is unworkable. It provides a deliberative, advisory body without authority or executive power. Under the plan suggested by us it would be useless; but that would not insure its being harmless. One cause of the present difficulties is that deliberation has been out of proportion to execution,to production. There has been too much authority without ability and too much ability without authority. It is difficult to translate thought into action and action into machinery, but this is impossible with executive authority paralyzed by large advisory councils.

However, I recognize that this is a matter which should be determined on the advice of the Administrator of Aviation, if such shall be appointed.

Respectfully,