Aircraft Board

Aircraft Board
Name	Aircraft Board
Formed	1917
Jurisdiction	United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Preceding	Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Superseding	Aeronautics Branch
Chief1 name	Howard E. Coffin
Chief1 position	Chairman
Parent agency	Council of National Defense

Aircraft Board The Aircraft Board was a wartime advisory and procurement body established to coordinate United States aeronautical production, development, and procurement during World War I. It worked alongside organizations such as the Council of National Defense, liaised with industrial leaders like William Boeing and Glenn L. Martin, and influenced policies adopted by the War Department and the Navy Department. The Board's activities intersected with programs involving Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, Sikorsky, and early efforts that would shape the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

History

The Board was created amid debates among figures including Franklin D. Roosevelt (then Assistant Secretary of the Navy), John D. Ryan-era industrialists, and advisors to President Woodrow Wilson after the entry of the United States into World War I. It followed precedents set by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and paralleled the formation of the Ordnance Department procurement reforms. Early sessions convened representatives from aircraft manufacturers such as Martin Aircraft Company, Curtiss, Vickers (aviation), and engineers from Pratt & Whitney and Wright Aeronautical. The Board negotiated production with shipbuilders like Bethlehem Steel and subcontractors including Lockheed Corporation in its nascent form. Postwar transitions influenced the creation of the Aeronautics Branch and policy debates that involved Hughes and later stakeholders like Transcontinental Air Transport.

Organization and Membership

Membership combined government officials, military officers, and private industry leaders: Chairmen such as Howard E. Coffin and advisors from the War Industries Board intersected with representatives from Packard Motor Car Company, General Electric, and Western Electric. Military representation included officers from the United States Army Air Service and the United States Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, while civilian technical experts came from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Curtiss Engineering Division. Labor perspectives were occasionally represented by delegates linked to AFL-affiliated unions and shipyard managers with ties to Newport News Shipbuilding. Legal counsel drew on experience with the Interstate Commerce Commission and procurement law specialists formerly attached to the Federal Trade Commission.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Board coordinated procurement strategies with Ordnance Department officials, advised the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy on aircraft policy, and set priorities for production lines involving companies such as Boeing, Curtiss, Douglas Aircraft Company, and Spad (aircraft). It facilitated allocation of scarce materials from suppliers like DuPont and Bethlehem Steel, mediated disputes between manufacturers and the War Department, and recommended standardization in designs influenced by consultations with NACA and contractors including Glenn L. Martin Company.

Regulatory Authority and Jurisdiction

Although advisory in nature, the Board exercised de facto regulatory authority through procurement leverage, working closely with executive agencies including the War Department and the Department of the Navy. Its jurisdiction overlapped with the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps for Army matters and with the Bureau of Aeronautics for naval aviation, creating tensions resolved by memoranda exchanged with offices of figures like Newton D. Baker and Josephus Daniels. The Board's influence extended to industrial mobilization programs coordinated with the War Industries Board and finance arrangements involving the Federal Reserve Board and Treasury officials tied to Secretary of the Treasury William G. McAdoo.

Aircraft Certification and Safety Oversight

While not a permanent regulator like later agencies such as the Civil Aeronautics Board or the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Board established early technical standards and inspection regimes in collaboration with laboratories at MIT, testing facilities used by McCook Field, and manufacturers including Wright and Sikorsky. It commissioned performance evaluations referencing prototypes from Verville and De Havilland (aircraft), and coordinated flight testing protocols with military units such as the 1st Pursuit Group and training centers at Kelly Field and Ellington Field. Recommendations influenced subsequent certification systems adopted by later bodies including the Federal Aviation Administration predecessors.

Accident Investigation and Reporting

The Board directed preliminary inquiries into major incidents involving wartime aircraft, liaising with military accident boards from the United States Army Air Service and naval courts of inquiry tied to the Navy Yard commands. It relied on technical reports from test pilots associated with Eddie Rickenbacker-linked squadrons, metallurgical analyses from laboratories such as those at Carnegie Mellon University affiliates, and operational data from training bases like Mather Field. Findings were shared with industrial partners, the War Industries Board, and congressional committees including those led by members of the House Committee on Military Affairs.

Notable Decisions and Controversies

The Board's decisions on procurement contracts with Packard for engines, Curtiss for fighters, and Boeing for bombers generated controversy over cost, quality, and favoritism, prompting scrutiny by figures such as Senator George Norris and hearings linked to the Senate Committee on Military Affairs. Debates over consolidation of production and the role of private firms echoed in disputes involving William Boeing and Glenn L. Martin, and controversies over standardization affected postwar commercial ventures including Pan American Airways and pioneers like Charles Lindbergh indirectly. Accusations of preferential treatment towards certain contractors led to policy reforms that influenced the structure of subsequent agencies like the Civil Aeronautics Board and informed legislative actions by lawmakers allied with President Woodrow Wilson's administration.

Category:Aviation history of the United States Category:United States military boards