ECONOMICAL PRODUCTION OF ALLMETAL AIRPLANES AND SEAPLANES 260065

Reduction of cost and of the time required to construct airplanes and seaplanes by applying so-called shipbuilding practice to their fabrication, embodying late types of production methods, are discussed by the author, who says that the company he represents adheres to a number of technical principles to reduce to the minimum the risk of designing and constructing new types. The technical principles refer to general arrangement and to layout, as well as to the detail design of many parts of the planes. They include also very careful and minute preparation for the actual workshop construction by the supplying of perfect workshop-drawings and by proper organization of the technical departments. The paper outlines the technical principles, including reasons for their adoption, and then describes the organization of the work of construction.

Wing-loading and power-loading are discussed, and the statement is made that the company builds monoplanes only. The reasons therefor are explained and the considerations that influence the determination of the right type of flying-boat system are presented. The advantages and disadvantages of side-by-side propellers and of central-tandem propellers are stated and wing construction is described, together with the design of the hull for flying-boats. The differences in airplane compared with seaplane construction are outlined, and details relating to the drawings, jigs and fixtures are included. In regard to the time required for the production of a new type, a flying-boat for which the design was begun about Feb. 15, 1926, was ready to fly in the last days of June, 1926.