Aircraft Production Board
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The Aircraft Production Board was created (in 1916?) to advise the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy on aircraft procurement.
Its leader was Howard Coffin, Advisory Commissioner of the Council of National Defense, who was empowered by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to select its members. The other board members were:[1]
- Brigadier General George O. Squier, Chief Signal Officer (U.S. Army Signal Corps)
- Rear Admiral D. W. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair (U.S. Navy)
- S. D. Waldon, former VP of Packard Motor Car Co.
- E. A. Deed, Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co.
- R. L. Montgomery, Montgomery, Clothier & Taylor financial and business advisor to the Board
It seems that the Aircraft Production Board was a subset of the Advisory Committee to the Council of National Defense, an organization whose authority was disputed due to the close relationship it created between industry and government, and the concomitant risk of war profiteering.[1]
In mid-1917 the Board had given a summary of its work so far, which included:[1]
- Assisting in organization of the Pan-American Aeronautical Exposition in New York [= "Pan-American Aeronautic Congress" held by Pan-American Aeronautic Federation?]
- Negotiating with the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation and the Curtis Aeroplane Company to reach a settlement of the patent dispute
- Created, in cooperation with the Chief Signal officer (Squier), a training plan for aviators.
- "Assembled the presidents of six military engineering universities and assisted in starting six schools for the preliminary training of aviator cadets"
- Sent professors to Toronto (?) for learning how to teach the aforementioned cadets
- Standardized procedures for constructing and running an aviation school, investigating sites for schools, etc.
- "Investigated the production facilities for aeroplanes in the United States and made recommendations to the chief signal officer covering orders that should be placed at once."
- Arranged leases for training fields authorized by U.S. War Department
- "Arranged for standardization of training type of machine between English, Canadian, and United States service."
- "Plans for battle types of machines are being developed, and orders for machines are actually being placed by the military authorities."
References
| Organization names | Aircraft Production Board |
|---|---|
| Entity type | |
| Country | US |
| City | |
| Affiliated with | Council for National Defense, Advisory Committee to the Council of National Defense, MAA |
| Scope | national |
| Started aero | 1916? |
| Ended aero | |
| Keywords | military, commercial |
| Key people | Howard Coffin, George O. Squier |
| Wikidata id |
