B. F. Goodrich Company
The principal exhibit by the Goodrich Company consisted of one of the first dirigibles put into the United States Naval Service. This is a “Blimp” that was completed in August, 1917, and used for seventeen months in coast-patrol work in the vicinity of New York City. The dirigible is 167 feet long, 33 feet in maximum diameter, and contains 80,000 cubic feet of gas. This dirigible held the record for continuous flight.
A Curtiss OX motor is used. The car is arranged to carry a crew of three men. In cruising a speed of from 40 to 50 M.P.H. is maintained.
Other exhibits by the Goodrich Company are a model spherical balloon, relief throttle-valves perfected by the Goodrich Company, and principally the Grammeter valve, shock-absorber cords, special parachute attachments, fabrics and cloths for aeronautical use, etc. Another feature of the exhibit will be a short motion-picture, showing how the balloons are manufactured.
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, was the most extensive aerostatic exhibit of the show. The outstanding feature of the booth was the dirigible pusher-car, completely equipped, of a type which has many sisters in service. A 35,000-cubic-foot type “R” military kite-balloon is suspended and equipped complete. Attractive models of the twin-engine navy dirigible and a transcontinental passenger dirigible car are on display. These models are complete in every detail, including full set of instruments and controls, lockers, and upholstery.
A full-sized dirigible car equipped with dual control, indicating devices, including manometers, tachometers, air-speed indicators, incidence and bank indicator, clock, driven by an 8-cylinder OX-2 Curtiss motor, of the type used on the FC training dirigible, having a cubic capacity of 85,000 feet, form an interesting part of the Goodyear exhibit. Models of “R” type kite-balloon, military free balloons, and of the U dirigible are also on display.
Growth of Aeroplane Plants
The growth of the aeroplane factories during the war was enormous. The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Corporation, which was located in a small plant at Nutley, N. J., moved to Keyport, N. J., and on a property of 66 acres erected sixteen fireproof buildings, with a total space of 125,000 feet. Most of the work of this plant was done for the navy. Three types of training-machines were produced, 39-A type, a turn-float hydroplane, 39-B, a single-float machine, and Model 40, a flying-boat.
The Dayton-Wright Aeroplane plant was incorporated on April 9, 1912, to build aircraft for war purposes. In August, 1917, a contract for 400 training-planes was awarded to the company, and later an order for 5,000 De Havilland 4 battle-planes was received from the government.