Planes for Peace

As the No. 1 competitors of Army, Navy and British for U.S. aircraft production, U.S. airlines have presented a perplexing defense problem: should they be given new planes, or should their expansion be checked? The battle has seesawed, but last week the airlines had the edge. They got new planes, and will get more.

Eight new Douglas DC-3 transports were delivered to American Airlines and United Air Lines, with the blessing of OPM. Nine went to T.W.A., five to Eastern Air Lines earlier this year. Before Christmas, around 30 more transports will be prorated among the 17 U.S. airlines.

This is far better than the airlines dared hope in mid-February when 73-year-old War Secretary Stimson was lobbying for a total ban on new commercial planes. But airline operators did not crow about their victory, did not even announce they had received new planes. Reason: their national defense status.

The airlines fit into the defense jigsaw far tighter than most U.S. citizens realize. In the first three months of this year 595,580 revenue passengers traveled by air, up 35% to a record high. This gain is largely because of, and largely useful to, defense. With 156 planes landing and taking off at Washington's airport every 24 hours it has become one of the busiest plane hives in the U.S.

Air express has risen faster than passenger traffic. March shipments totaled 750,220 pounds, 46% above last year and 8% below the record high last fall. One item: blueprints. Airline men boast that vital defense plans go from West Coast drafting boards to Washington for OK and return in 30 hours.

But main reason for the big poundage rise is heavy machinery and instruments. To fix a broken Navy power shovel, Illinois' Buda Company recently air-expressed a 750-lb. Diesel engine crankshaft 7,826 miles to Wake Island in the Pacific; Aluminum Co. of America rushed 1,207 lb. of aluminum from Pittsburgh to California to avoid an aircraft production tie-up.

Early this month, when President Roosevelt requested planes for Lend-Lease use, OPM scooped 30 big transport planes from the fields, left the lines with about 360 planes--hardly enough to cope with the soaring traffic curve.* For the duration, the lines are resigned to being "frozen"--moderate schedule increases; passenger priorities if planes get too crowded; few new craft; few--if any--improved models.

But already they are planning for the day when airlines will web the post-war world. Pan American Airways announced it had ordered 40 four-engined Clippers for delivery in 1942-43. The trade describes them as high-speed, 80-passenger, 40-ton Lockheed landplanes. Costing at least $866,000 each, these planes will make the New York-London or Lisbon run in ten to twelve hours, give the U.S. daily 24-hour round-trip air service.

Overland operators are angling for 25-ton, four-engined Douglas planes (present DC-35 weigh 12 1/2 tons loaded), four-engined, 22 1/2-ton Boeing Stratoliners and Curtiss-Wright's new twin-engined, 36-passenger job.

Even if the war lasts a long time, the airlines expect to stay in business, if the example of other countries means anything. German airlines are operating at 110% of pre-war schedules; England is maintaining 90% of its services; Canada's airways set new records monthly; even Italy still flies to South America.

A defense contract is a headache contract, and big corporations take them only "in recognition of a responsibility." Author of this remark: Paul Garrett, vice president of General Motors, now busy with over $750,000,000 in armament orders.

* Even private owners of twin-engined Lock-heeds (including Tom Girdler) were asked by OPM to give up their "air yachts."

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