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ReseaRch a n d developmenT In T h e na v y 55
Naval Aircraft Factory, established at Philadelphia in 1917. Initially set up for
the sole purpose of producing aircraft, such as seaplanes (flying boats) for patrol
and reconnaissance operations, the factory also manufactured engines, catapult
and arresting gear, parachutes, and other aviation equipment. 57 R&D functions
were subsequently added to carry out studies of engines, electronic equipment,
flight instruments, fuels, lubricants, and structural materials for airframes.
Diversification of R&D along these lines continued after the Navy established
the Bureau of Aeronautics in 1921. Perhaps most important, the Naval Aircraft
Factory set the limits of technological innovation within the Navy’s in-house
aviation program during the post–World War II period.
When the factory first opened, research—at least to the extent that it
supported the manufacturing operations—focused primarily on inspection and
quality control of completed aircraft and modification of existing designs that
originated in industry. Related studies of the physical properties of constituent
materials—primarily wood, fabrics, and metals—were carried out as well.
In 1920, all materials work was consolidated into the new Physical Testing
Laboratory. Eight years later, as aircraft manufacturers shifted from wood to
metal construction, the laboratory diversified and split into two divisions: one
concentrating on materials, the other on airframe structures. Researchers in the
structural division conducted static and dynamic studies of wings, tail surfaces,
and fuselages, as well as investigations of vibration effects. Their counterparts
in the materials division worked on corrosion resistance and protection and
developed improved paints, finishes, and other coatings. Division personnel
drafted and published reports based on this work, which they then distributed
to civilian airframe manufacturers. In the aeronautical engineering laboratory,
which moved to Philadelphia from the Washington Navy Yard in 1924, similar
studies took place on liquid- and air-cooled aircraft engines, fuels, lubricants,
carburetion and electrical systems, and other power plant components. This
type of R&D, ranging from materials research on plastics and metal alloys to
reliability testing of aircraft engines in simulated flight conditions, continued at
the Naval Aircraft Factory during the 1920s and 1930s and throughout World
War II. 58
In 1943, the factory, laboratories, and all other support functions at
Philadelphia the bureau into four separate commands under an umbrella
organization called the Naval Air Material Center (NAMC). Although it
was still an important production facility, the Naval Aircraft Factory began to
concentrate more of its resources on prototype development and small-scale
manufacturing of improved airframe models. The Naval Aircraft Modification
Unit adapted standard Navy aircraft currently in service for special functions,
while the Naval Air Experiment Station coordinated all in-house R&D on
materials, radio and electronic equipment, engines and accessories, and flight
57 J. W. Meader, “The Naval Air Material Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” Journal of Applied Physics
15 (March 1944): 273.
58 William F. Trimble, Wings for the Navy: A History of the Naval Aircraft Factory, 1917–1956
(Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1990), 105–06.