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: