High & Fast

From Dayton to Buffalo to Indianapolis an Army pursuit plane streaked last week, bearing the most precious bit of freight now in custody of the U. S. Army Air Corps. Plucked from the Reserve for active duty, Colonel Charles Augustus Lindbergh dutifully inspected the Air Corps experimental centre at Wright Field, and two fighting-plane factories at Buffalo.* He flew on to analyze the Indianapolis plant of Allison Engineering Co., which thereupon announced that it was tripling its capacity and planning to produce a revolutionary, 2,400-h.p. in-line engine for the Army (see p. 56).

After Indianapolis, Charles Lindbergh flew out of public sight. He went back east to meet Anne Morrow Lindbergh and their two little Lindberghs, who arrived from perilous Europe to stay awhile with Grandmother Elizabeth Morrow at Englewood, N. J. But Father Lindbergh could not tarry long. He had 25 other visits to make before he could turn out a report for his admiring superior, Major General Henry H. Arnold. Expert Lindbergh in that document will have a chance to compare what he finds in the U. S. with what he found in Germany, Russia, England. His report may be a loudspeaker for Henry Arnold's little heeded pleas to Congress for more research money. It may also hot-spot War Department procurement policies.

Congress last week voted, and the War Department immediately spent, $46,400,000 for new airplanes, engines and other gear. The civilian in charge of Army buying, Assistant Secretary of War Louis Arthur Johnson, evinced no qualms when he reported to Franklin Roosevelt on the biggest peacetime order for aircraft. Some of the 571 planes ordered, the President heard, would do better than 400 m.p.h.; all are the best to be had. The contract awards (number of planes estimated unofficially):

-> $12,872,398 to Curtiss-Wright for 400 P-40 all-metal pursuits, to be powered with Allison engines. Reported speed: well above 400 m.p.h. >$2,880,000 to Consolidated (whose huge flying boats are U. S. Navy favorites) for four four-engined bombers, reportedly able to fly 280 m.p.h., carry 2,500 lbs. of bombs.

>-$2,180,728 to Lockheed for 13 two-engined interceptors--pursuit ships designed to fly high & fast enough to head off bombers.

^ $1,073,445 to up-&-coming Bell Aircraft for 13 single-engined interceptors.

> $528,749 to Beech Aircraft for commercial cabin planes for photography.

>Unannounced amounts for guns, engines (including Allisons), radios, navigation instruments, other gear.

All this was but a fraction of the orders to be placed within the year to get the Air Corps up to 6,000 planes. Baltimore's famed Glenn Martin is expanding his plant to fill an expected order for 300 attack bombers, absorbing most of the $19,000,000 which the Air Corps has left from earlier appropriations to spend for planes this fiscal year. The President this week asked Congress to vote $185,440,000 in cash, $70,497,500 in contract authorizations for the Air Corps, which otherwise must wait until July i for this quarter-billion. And $48,200,000 more Air Corps money is in the regular War Department Appropriation Bill ($508,789,824) which Congress passed and Franklin Roosevelt signed last week. House & Senate voted $110,000,000 for Army tanks, artillery, rifles, other "critical" requirements: $43,000,000 for naval vessels and seacoast defenses.

For the Navy, the President last week signed a bill authorizing $66,800,000 for 15 new and improved bases. He asked Congress to vote $31,600,000 of the authorized sum forthwith, so the Navy could go ahead with bases in the U. S., Puerto Rico, Alaska and the Pacific--but not at Guam.

* Charles Lindbergh could not have been "ordered" to duty without his consent. Reservists, to get off, have only to plead "personal inconvenience."

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