HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



offset to a similar move on tlio yan of Germany a sluat tiim' v:iiln-r. 

 Since the attention of tlic War Department has become focused vipon 

 aeroplanes, aviation has ceased to lie merely a hair-brained pastime. 

 ■Commerce, even, now waits ii|t()ii it iis an additional factor in trans- 

 portation. 



In America alone during 1911 no less than 750 aeroplanes were 

 built, and of these L'OO were the product of twelve manufacturers. 

 As many as 434 purchases of propellers were made, it being estimated 

 ■that each machine utilizes at least five, owing to the liability of 

 breakage. In Europe five manufacturing concerns alone produced 813 

 machines, and seventeen firms turned out 1,300 of them. It is esti- 

 mated from accurate statistics that the year 1912 will see more than 

 1,600 aeroplanes turned out in France alone, and tli;it .\merica will 

 iiot be far behind. 



Up to the present time America has been rather laggard in its 

 patronage of aeronautics, aeroplaues being used merely for exhibitions 

 and advertising purposes. The advent of the hydro-aeroplane, and 

 its comparative safety in use, however, is gradually turning the ama- 

 ■teur sportsman toward aviation, and A. P. McArthur of the Standard 

 Aviation Company of Chicago is quoted in saying that in ten or 

 fifteen years we will see the manufacture of aeroplanes passing even 

 ■the automobile business. That this statement is not without a sound 

 basis is to be seen in the fact that The Burgess Company & Curtiss 

 in April, 1911, had already sold every machine they could possibly 

 turn out before the end of September, and that w-ith an output of 

 more than eigbt aeroplanes per week, costing between three and four 

 thousand dollars apiece, depending upon the type of engine used. 

 Other concerns everywhere have b^en equally busy, to sa.y nothing of 

 all the experimental work being done by private individual builders. 

 Letters from all the leading American manufacturers agree in assert- 

 ing that the supply is much below the demand for their products. 



It is a significant fact for the future commercialization of the 

 aeroplane that the industry has become highly specialized. All the 

 parts are now no longer manufactured by a single concern. The 

 motors come from one firm, the steel tubing and aero-wire from 

 another. The Goodyear Rubber Company now has a special machine 

 for the manufactui'e of rubberized cloth with which to cover the 

 planes; the Eaqua-Gibson Company is the manufacturer solely of 

 propellers. Still other companies deal only in the wooden parts. 



This brief resume of the pireseut status of the aeroplane industry 

 in this country should sutfice to show lumbermen the opening up of a 

 Tirgin field wherein to dispose of some of their most select stock at 

 gratifying prices. This statement is made advisably, for the wood 

 used in aeronautical works is of the most vital importance in deter- 

 mining the margin of safetj- to the aeronaut. The physical proper- 

 ties of the various kinds of lumber used is always the first considera- 

 tion of the manufacturer. 



Careful judgment in the selection of wood for aeropilane bodies must 

 he exercised by the constructor. He requires the most select lumber 

 obtainable. Air-dried, rather than kiln-dried, stock is always de- 

 manded. Here the attention is no longer mainly directed to beauty 

 ■of figure, but rather to straightness of grain, and total freedom 

 from knots. It is essential that the grain be continuous throughout 

 the length of the stick, and without "running out" at any point, 

 whereby it would be more liable to break under severe strain. The 

 aeroplane builder does not seek for lumber that is easy to work, or 

 that wOl withstand exposure. He prizes the wood that can the best 

 endure extreme stress, since it is upon this quality that the aeronaut 's 

 life must depend. The ratio of strength to weight is the determining 

 factor in deciding the kind of lumber to be specified. 



So far aeroplane manufacturers have almost universally utilized the 

 •same kinds of woods in the construction of their machines. The 

 main outriggers carrying the tail, as in the well-known Farman type 

 of machine, are usually of straight-grained ash, and the outrigger 

 carrying the elevator of some light, resilient wood such as spruce. 

 The framework rudders, and uprights bearing the engine or forming 

 the engine bed, are also generally of selected ash. Spruce is the 

 ■wood of which the struts (upright wing-bars) are usually made, while 

 the skids on the upcurving ends of which the alighting wheels are 

 ■fixed, are ash sticks about ten feet in length and of specially selected 



stock. In many cases the under-chassis and the plane cloth supports 

 are of steel tubing, but this does not seem to answer the purpose very 

 well, as it bends almost imperceptibly, and thus weakens the flying 

 gear, tending to imperil the life of the aeronaut, before he is even 

 aware of his danger. 



The motor, or engine is, of course, the heaviest portion of an aero- 

 plane and precipitates a pressure of about 1,000 pounds. It is essen 

 tial that the weight of the air craft be kept at the minimum, and 

 yet the structure of the engine box and frame-ribs must be such as 

 will without ciue.stion stand the strain they are made to bear. Manu- 

 facturers have solved this problem b}' laminating two-inch sticks of 

 clear straight-grained ash and spruce alternately. This combina- 

 tion divides the stress, preventing it from falling in full force upon 

 the grain of either wood, and the glue holding the pieces together 

 gives the laminated ribs an added stability. The engine bed runs 

 about four and a half feet from strut to strut, lengthwise of the 

 aeroplane ; is about four inches high and two inches thick. The 

 heavy motor is bolted securely to it. 



The propellers (one of the most important parts of an aeroplane) 

 are likewise of laminated construction, both mahogany and ash being 

 used alternately with spruce. These propellers vary from four and a 

 half to nine feet in length, weigh about twelve pounds, and cost 

 between fifty and sixty dollars each. There is necessarily a great 

 waste of lumber in their manufacture, owing to the shaping require- 

 ments. The American Aeroplane Manufacturing Company estimates 

 that out of a 2"xl0" plank, 16 feet long, it can actually cut only 

 three pieces four and a half feet long and 2"x6" in dimension. The 

 lumber going into an aeroplane costs about $100. 



There are a large number of reputable aeroplane manufacturers 

 in this country, and they are at all times anxious to get in touch 

 with lumbermen able to provide the high-grade stock which they con- 

 stantly require. It may not be amiss in closing this article to list 

 some of the most prominent concerns in the industry for the mutual 

 benefit of themselves and those lumbermen who may wish to try out 

 this new field of exploiting their product. The list of American 

 manufacturers follows: 



The Wright Company, Dayton, O. 



The Curtiss Company, Hammondsport, N. Y. 



The Burgess Company & Curtiss, Marblehead, Mass. 



The American Aeroplane Manufacturing Company, Chicago. 



Benoist Aerocraft Company, St. Louis, Mo. 



Clayton & Craig Company, Boston, Mass. 



Hamilton Aeroplane Manufacturing Company, Seattle, Wash. 



Western Aeroplane Manufacturing Company, Chicago, HI. 



Standard Aviation Company, Chicago, 111. 



Sloan Aeroplane Company, 1735 Broadway, New York City. 

 (Propellers and supplies only.) 



Moisant Company, Times building, New York City. 



New York Aeronautical Supply Co., 50 Broadway, New York City. 



Raqua-Gibson Company. °06 Eleventh avenue. New York City. 



American Aeroplane Suf ''y House, Hempstead, L. I. 



American Propeller Coi»^pany, Washington, D. C. 



C. & A. Witteman, Sften Island, N. Y. 



In High Appreciation 



If there is any one thing that appeals to the heart of an editor, 

 it is an evidence of appreciation of the contents of the publications 

 for which he stands editorially responsible. 



It is the custom of Hardwood Record to print enough extra 

 copies of each issue to practically exhaust its quota under the 

 second-class mail privilege of ten per cent that may be sent out 

 under the pound rate. These papers are usually distributed in 

 soliciting new subscribers. In publishing the edition of Januarj' 25 

 this rule ■was not varied, and there were printed seven hundred 

 and fifty-two copies beyond the regular requirements of the sub- 

 scription list. The distribution of this number in a miscellaneous 

 ■way ■was not attained, for the reason that orders were received for 

 copies by various institutions interested in the article entitled 

 "The Wood Substitute Game" considerably in excess of the extra 

 number. 



