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The Half-Centenary of Henri Coanda's Death
A Recollection: Early Aircraft Construction,
the Prerogative of Wood Craftsmen
Author: Dr. Horia Salcă, private researcher, Torquay, United Kingdom,
horia.salca@gmail.com
Abstract
In this article, the author tried to consider the place and role of wood processors in the early
period of the aeronautical industry, approximately 1910-1940, when most aircraft were built
of wood. The professions in this field and the woodworking tools or machines used at that
time are brought back to attention. Starting from the accounts of a first-rate craftsman who
worked during the WWII at the Romanian Aeronautical Industry Plants in Brașov, Romania
(going through the hierarchy from carpenter to foreman) and from the way the Bristol and
Colonial Airplane Company in Filton, United Kingdom works (as reflected in the aerospace
museum from Filton), but also from a technical regulation imposed by the United States War
Department on factories that produced and repaired military aircraft, the author tries to
reconstruct the form of organization and work during the pioneering period of aviation and
during the first factories in the field. It can be considered that this article is a tribute to these
woodworkers, but also a reconsideration of how the aeronautical industry developed and a
remember of its beginnings for those of today. The author also tries to give pertinent answers
- in his opinion - related to the causes of wood replacement as the main material for the
construction of aircraft. Later days steel and aluminum, then fiberglass, modern composites,
and, nowadays, the nanomaterials have taken its place, but it can never be forgotten or
ignored. This year is the half-centenary of the death of Henri Coanda1, a Romanian scientist,
one of the pioneers of jet aviation, since 1910. This article is intended to be the first in a
series of homage articles, designed to bring the work and personality to this genius.
Keywords: wood, aviation, aeronautical industry, woodworkers, woodworking tools,
woodworking machines, Coanda.
Introduction
Few people know today that the first aircraft were made of wood; originally, the airframe/
cell2 (the plane itself) was made of wood and was covered with canvas, before being made of
metal components: the wood provided the structural function and the canvas provided the
load-bearing medium. From Hiram Maxim (1840-1916), Octave Chanute (1832-1910), Otto
Lilienthal (1848-1896), Clément Ader (1841-1925) to the Wright brothers: Orville (1871-
1 Coanda, Henri Marie Jean Gustave [kawanda] (1886-1972) scientist and aeronautical engineer,
born in Romania. He built the first jet-propelled aeroplane, using a ducting fan, not a turbojet, and,
because of a phenomenon not then understood, the hot exhaust gases set fire to the structure. He
later investigated this effect and the entrainment of a free jet alongside a curved surface now bear his
name. He subsequently became an aircraft designer (later Technical Director) with the British &
Colonial Aeroplane Co (later the Bristol Aircraft Co), in Filton, United Kingdom. He discovered the
effect of diverting one fluid into another fluid, which today bears his name: the Coanda effect. Over
250 inventions certified by 707 international patents. In 1971, he was awarded an Honorary
Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), apud The Cambridge Biographical
Encyclopedia, second edition, edited by David Crystal, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK,
1998, ISBN 0-521-63099-1, p. 214, with the author's additions.
2 For those unfamiliar with the aviation, I remind that an airplane consists of: airframe, engine(s) and
avionics (navigation, communication and flight control systems).
1948) and Wilbur (1867-1912), Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), Louis Blériot (1872-
1936) or the Romanians Traian Vuia (1872-1950), Aurel Vlaicu (1882-1913), and to the
stage of setting up the first aircraft factories, as is the case with BCAC3 from Bristol, United
Kingdom, but also IAR4 Brașov, Romania, could not have been conceived otherwise. Even
after overcoming the paradigm: lighter / heavier than air, aeronautical constructions
constantly tried to use relatively light materials, and wood was the most handy of them; the
same material was used for gliders. Until after the Second World War, wood occupied a
privileged position, although both steel and especially duralumin had begun to replace it (in
1915 took place the first flight of an all-metal aircraft, the German Junkers J1, nicknamed the
Blechesel, “Tin Donkey”5); in the case of gliders, the place of the wood was taken by
reinforced plastic using glass fiber or, in short, fiberglass. The titanium alloys (the most
widely used alloy today is Ti-6Al-4V6) and modern composites appeared much later, and,
nowadays, the nanomaterials. It is, therefore, natural that a leading place among aircraft
manufacturers should be occupied by woodworking specialists, and that factory jobs should
be predominantly occupied by such craftsmen. This article explicitly covers a period of time
between about 1910 and 1940 (because the airplanes remained of wooden manufacture until
the end of the 1930s).
3 BCAC is the acronym for Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company, then Bristol Aeroplane Company
and later Bristol-Siddeley. The Bristol Aeroplane Company was both one of the first and one of the
most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft
engines. The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd was founded in February 1910 by Sir
George White, chairman of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, along with his son Stanley
and his brother Samuel, to commercially exploit the fast-growing aviation sector. the company's first
premises were a pair of former tram sheds suitable for aircraft manufacture at Filton. Flying schools
were established at Brooklands, Surrey, which was then the centre of activity for British aviation,
where Bristol rented a hangar; and at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain where, in June 1910, a school was
established on 2,248 acres of land leased from the War Office. Notable aircraft produced by the
company include: Coandă Bristol, the 'Boxkite', the Bristol Fighter, the Bulldog, the Blenheim, the
Beaufighter, and the Britannia, and much of the preliminary work which led to Concorde was carried
out by the company (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Aeroplane_Company).
4 IAR or the Romanian Aeronautical Industry, was founded on November 1, 1925, with shareholders
in the Blériot-Spad and Lorraine-Dietrich plants, the Astra Arad factory, the Romanian state and a
Romanian banking group. In 1938, the factories became entirely state-owned. The IAR plants were
organized at the level of the most developed aeronautical industries at that time, with two distinct
units: an aircraft construction factory and an engine factory. The production began in 1927, and the
first aircraft were Morane-Saulnier MS.35 and Potez XXV, and the first original IAR aircraft (1930) was
the fighter IAR-11 CV. Of the 21 types of aircraft built at the IAR until the end of World War II, 15 were
designed at the plant. Of these, the fighter IAR-80 and fighter and bombing plane IAR-81 were
particularly notable for their performance. During WW2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was licensed,
Romania being allied with Germany. The American air raids on Romania in 1943/44 partially
destroyed the plant and led to its dispersal. Romania sided with the Allies on August 23, 1944, but the
Soviets, under the pretext of confiscating German equipment, practically looted the factories. The
Armistice Convention of 1944 banned the construction of airplanes and aircraft engines, and thus the
plant was reshaped to produce tractors (Horia Salcă, O istorie a Uzinei IAR Brașov, Editura
Universității Transilvania Brașov, 2006, ISBN 973-635-587-X).
5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_J_1.
6 UNS designation R56400 also called TC4, Ti64, or ASTM Grade 5, is a titanium alloy with a high
specific strength and excellent corrosion resistance. It is one of the most commonly used titanium
alloys and is applied in a wide range of applications where low density and excellent corrosion
resistance are necessary such as aerospace industry and biomechanical applications. I recall that the
unified numbering system (UNS) is an alloy designation system widely accepted in North America.
Each UNS number relates to a specific metal or alloy and defines its specific chemical composition, or
in some cases a specific mechanical or physical property (author's note).
I would also like to complete with the idea that the last mass-produced wooden aircraft was
the 'Mosquito', by De Havilland, a British bomber used in World War II. It is also known as
'The Wooden Wonder' or 'The Wooden Terror' due to its remarkable performance. This
bomber features a birch and balsa wood frame. Its wooden design also makes it possible to
minimize the use of strategic materials such as aluminum and steel, precious in times of war,
and proves to be an asset when the first German radars appear, its wooden structure the
making it difficult to detect, unlike metal structures7. There were 7,781 de Havilland planes
built, 30 survive today, three of which are airworthy8.
Stages in the construction of an aircraft
The construction of the planes was done in the era we are referring to (as now, by the way!)
in large factories, with large hangars. The engineer was responsible for the design of the
aircraft and also developed and improved its structural features. At the time, he also dealt
with the strength of the component parts, the choice of materials (i.e. type of wood or
plywood) and the coordination of the manufacturing process; today whole teams of engineers
specialized in different fields participate in the accomplishment of these stages, and all the
processes are assisted by computers.
Manufacturing began with the production of wooden parts, but included the production of
tools and devices and related activities. The fuselage subassemblies, doors and parts of the
wing and tail coverings (outer surfaces) were in plywood, cut and profiled, and the rest was
covered of canvas. All parts were cut and formed by hand or on several types of machines,
such as those shown below. Aircraft assembly began with the assembly of components into
subassemblies. The main subassemblies are the wings, the tail, the fuselage sections, the
landing gear, the door and some interior components. The assembly of the wing is
particularly delicate; a large number of holes must be drilled precisely for the rivets or bolts
7 http://potentiel-materiaux-composites.kazeo.com/accueil-a-les-origines-l-evolution-et-les-limites-de-l-
avion-en-bois-c28105692.
8 Apud Iconic Planes From The Past. A Few That Changed The History of Aviation,
http://www.woodenaviation.com/iconic%20planes.html.
that will be inserted later. During the final assembly, the fuselage sections were fastened
together, then the engine9, landing gear and avionics were installed. Various tie rods/wires
were provided for reinforcement, mostly made of steel cables. The aircraft was subjected to a
series of ground and flight tests, the latter of which were performed by the test pilots.
Those who are interested in the history of technology, especially with the history of industrial
production systems know that in the first two or three decades of the 20th century, until the
widespread use of electric motors, in many factories the power was still provided by a single
motor or motor group, which could be operated by water, by a steam engine or, less
frequently, by an electric motor and was transmitted by belts to machine tools (still little
diversified), in this case the woodworking machines.
The line shaft system had a lot of disadvantages: the arrangement/layout of the machines
depended on the location of the line shaft rather than efficiency; the systems were noisy,
dangerous and dirty; they required frequent lubrication, which meant that the oil was
constantly leaking everywhere. In addition, the air quality was deplorable, with the belts
throwing and dust constantly circulating - right next to the worker using the machine. When
the factories switched to electricity, the producers noticed an increase in productivity, but
also an improvement in the health of the employees10.
Aircraft factory employees in action
The tasks listed in the BCAC Time book of 1911 show the variety of skilled and unskilled
worker at the factory11, in alphabetical order:
Assembler
Caretaker
Carpenter
Clerk
Coppersmith
Deputy foreman
Draughtsman
Engineer Assistant
Engineer
Errand boy
Fitter
Foreman
French polisher
Gnôme mechanic
Inspector
Joiner
9 The engines were produced in separate factories of the same company or purchased from
specialized companies. Note in the paragraph below, in the list of tasks from BCAC the presence of a
job entitled: Gnôme mechanic, which shows that the engines came from the French factories of the
same name: Gnôme-Rhône.
10 Louis C. Hunter, Lynwood Bryant, A History of Industrial Power in the U.S., 1780-1930, Vol 3: The
Transmission of Power, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts,1991, ISBN 978-0262081986,
apud https://www.core77.com/posts/58982/How-Did-Factories-Get-Power-to-Their-Machines-Before-
Electricity.
11 After a diorama at the Bristol Aerospace Museum in Filton (right on the site of the former BCAC
plant), managed by the Bristol Aero Collection Trust (registered charity 1010632),
https://aerospacebristol.org/.
Labourer
Leading Coppersmith
Leading trimmer
Mechanic
Mess room
Office boy
Packer
Painter
Propeller hand
Propeller hand leading
Sewing biplane fabrics
Storekeeper
Stores Assistant
Trimmer
Turner
Watchman
Welder
Wireman
Woodworker
It is easy to see that some of these professions are specific to the woodworking industry:
Assembler
Carpenter
Fitter
French polisher
Joiner
Leading trimmer
Painter
Propeller hand
Propeller hand leading
Trimmer
Turner
Woodworker
For clarification for those unfamiliar with the field, here is a brief description of some of the
lesser-known professions: Trimmers are responsible for controlling the finish wood parts.
They may also shape, trim, and assemble wood pieces as well as alter and repair machines
with hand tools; French polisher was in charge of polishing pieces, so-called French
polishing which is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a
deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac
dissolved in denatured alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with one of a variety of oils;
Propeller hand leading and propeller hand were the people responsible for the production,
maintenance, and inventory of the propellers.
And some other professions, such as coordination, supervision and control, were related to
the woodworking industry (or, at least, required good knowledge of):
Engineer
Engineer Assistant
Foreman
Deputy foreman
Inspector
If we add the latter to the above, with obvious professions in wood processing, we reach a
proportion of over 50%. However, if we take into account not only the nomenclature but also
the number of people actually employed in similar positions, the balance is in favour of
woodworking professionals, without taking into account the fact that the official responsible
for ordering materials – Clerk and those who kept those who kept raw materials and usual
materials in the warehouse – Storekeeper and Stores Assistant, could not have managed
without solid knowledge in the field: types and qualities of lumber, plywood and veneer.
Woodworking tools and machines
The bibliography is quite poor in this regard, but an unexpected chance led me to find a
digital book, Aircraft woodwork12, which is nothing more than a norm imposed by the War
Department of the United States of America to those who produced and repaired airplanes
and aviation parts, made of wood. From here we have extracted valuable information, able to
provide the reader with an image as close as possible to the reality of woodworkers and tools:
hand- or mechanized-tools (woodworking machines) that they used. Moreover, the book
offers a series of suggestive images, which I used, being convinced that a picture is worth a
thousand words13.
Another chance, which made possible the publication of this article, is the indirect knowledge
of the life and activity of a modest and extremely hardworking man, a talented carpenter (but
not only!), Gheorghe Viașu14, who worked at the IAR Brașov Plants during the Second World
War, in the production of airplanes. His stories and memories helped me to understand this
activity from the standpoint of the craftsman. Gheorghe Viașu was born in Ilovăț Commune,
Mehedinți County, on April 1, 1911 and died on July 6, 1997, in Brașov. He did his
apprenticeship as a furniture carpenter in his native village and later, he worked since 1942 at
the aircraft factory IAR Brașov, as a gifted carpenter and woodworker, then with some
interruptions, probably for schooling, he returned as a metal modeller and toolman at the
Tractorul Plant in Brașov, successor of the former IAR. He retired in 1971 (by retirement
decision he received a pension of 1161 lei after 30 years of work). He is not limited to work;
in his free time he always worked: furniture, repairs of any kind, he could not sit idle. At the
age of 80, when his legs couldn't hold him so well, he started making his famous frames, then
manufacturing tapestry, gobelins type (in Romanian language 'gobelin' is synonymous for
'tapestry'), what else... he was a character! Most of the furniture in his own and in his
daughter's house was made by him...
12 United States. War Department. Aircraft woodwork, Book, December 22, 1942; Washington DC.
(https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28662/m1/113/: accessed January 30, 2022),
University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT
Libraries Government Documents Department.
13 Historically, Henrik Ibsen first said "A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does
a single deed." After his death, in 1906, this quote was plagiarized, broadcast and para-phrased into
what we know now.
14 Dearest Grandpa of my friends Daniela and Horia Șchiau, which kept alive the memory of his
stories, but also a series of artifacts, especially carpentry tools that they generously offered me. These
tools will form the basis of a hall on aeronautical constructions in the past, in the future Museum of
Science and Technology in Brașov. So is the fork with the IAR stamp, coming from the factory
canteen.
Woodworking tools:
1. Rules and tapes are graduated measuring devices and commonly included: straight rule,
zigzag rule, folding rule, steel tape rule, and steel tape.
2. Squares:
- The framing square used for level testing, testing squareness of large surfaces and
assembled pieces, and for marking stock preparatory to cutting or assembling. It is also
frequently used to lay out various angles other than right angles;
- The try square used for laying out and testing square cuts, testing squareness of small
assemblies, and for general truing operations;
- The sliding T-level used for laying out and checking angles.
3. Marking gage was used for marking lines parallel to a surface of wood stock.
4. Dividers and compasses used for laying out circles and parts of circles.
5. Trammel consisted of a wooden bar to which trammel points are attached; the assembly
was used in the manner of dividers or compasses.
6. Scratch awl is a pointed steel instrument used for marking lay-outs and locating points for
nails, screws, hole centers etc. For marking lines, the awl was used as a pencil, scratching the
wood lightly.
7. Brace was used to hold various wood bits, screw driver bits, and similar devices.
8. Wood bits used to bore and shape holes in wood to accommodate bolts, screws, nails,
dowels etc. The usual types:
- Auger bits;
- Forstner bits;
- Expansive bits;
- Twist bits;
- Countersink bits.
9. Drills: holes smaller than ¼ inch are usually drilled with an automatic drill or small hand
drill. These drills are faster and less cumbersome than the brace.
10. Wood chisels and gouges are used for various cutting and paring operations involved in
chamfering, mortising, grooving, recessing etc.
11. Drawknife used to remove surplus stock which cannot conveniently be removed by
planing, sawing, or other means.
12. Plane/hand plane is used for smoothing, truing, and for removing excess stock. The
common types:
- Smoothing plane;
- Jack plane;
- Block plane;
- Jointer.
13. Spokeshave is a form of plane. It has a short bottom, enabling it to follow curves readily.
14. Saws/hand saws are used for a variety of cutting operations. Those most commonly used
are:
- Crosscut;
- Ripsaw;
- Coping saw;
- Back saw;
- Dovetail;
- Miter saw.
15. Scraper very useful in smoothing surfaces having the grain running in various directions,
where a plane could not be used.
16. Clamps used extensively for temporarily holding stock when assembling, working etc.,
and especially for applying pressure to stock being glued. Types commonly used are as
follows:
- Screw clamp;
- Hand screw clamp;
- Bar clamp.
17. Screw drivers. Types:
- cabinet screw driver;
- close quarter screw driver;
- spiral ratchet screw driver (for rapid driving).
18. Wood rasp and file are occasionally used in place of edge tools for removing excess
stock or for finishing parts.
19. Hammer: the claw hammer was most commonly used for general purposes in the wood
shop, adaptable for both driving and drawing nails.
Although a wide variety of tools were available, only those most commonly used in the
woodshop were described in the precedent paragraph. Most tools were designed for specific
purposes and have been used as intended and properly maintained to provide good service.
Woodworking tools, especially the edge of cutting tools, required special care and careful
handling to keep them sharp and in good condition. To all the above standard tools were
added various other tools produced by self-tooling and self-equipping, adapted to the
immediate needs of the factory and produced on site, as a result of the practice, imagination
and ability of adapters and innovators of their own staff.
Woodworking machines:
1. Circular saw was one of the most used machines in the shop. While it is employed
principally for ripping, beveling, crosscutting, and mitering, many other operations, such as
grooving, dadoing, rabbeting, molding etc., can also be performed, by using special
attachments and set-ups. The most common types of circular saw: universal saw and variety
saw.
2. Band saw constructed in a wide variety of sizes and types depending on its use. The most
adaptable for the wood shop is referred to as a band scroll saw, designed particularly for
cutting curved outlines and lines not parallel to an edge.
3. Jig saw differs radically in construction from the band scroll saw although the type of
work for which it is intended is very similar. It is more adaptable for cutting small, sharp
curves because much smaller and finer blades may be used.
4. Jointer/hand planer consists essentially of a frame, cutter head, tables, fence, and guard.
5. Planer or surfacer used mainly for finishing surfaces of flat stock and reducing stock
to thickness. The more common type planes one surface at a time and is referred to as a
single surfacer.
6. Shaper used mainly in trimming, shaping, and molding stock irregular in outline. Various
types were produced, a single spindle type being shown in next figure. The shaper consists
essentially of a spindle, spindle top, cutters and cutter heads, table, yoke, and base.
7. Boring machine was designed to hold and operate various wood bits. The single spindle
manually operated borer is most adaptable for the general wood shop. It consists essentially
of a frame or column, boring head, table, and various machine wood bits.
8. Combination disk and spindle sander, adaptable to the majority of sanding operations
and is the type generally used in the wood shop.
9. Wood lathe used for turning wood stock to shape. The motor headstock speed lathe was
most adaptable for general wood turning and consisted mainly of the bed, headstock,
tailstock, live and dead centers, tool rest, and tool rest holder.
10. Bending and steam bending accessories: curved wooden parts of an airplane were either
steamed and bent to shape, or laminated and bent without steaming or other preparation. The
types commonly used are as follows:
- Steam frames;
- Forms for bending;
- Steel straps.
As in the previous paragraph, I also used images from the War Department regulations cited
above15 to illustrate this paragraph. It is noted that all woodworking machines bear the mark
of the manufacturer, Oliver16.
And yet, why was the wood replaced?
Over time, despite its light weight, the wooden plane ended up being used less and less in
aviation. The culmination is that those properties that were initially attractive end up being
15 See the note 10 above.
16 The American company was originally founded by Joseph Oliver around 1890, under the name
American Machinery Company, with factories in New Haven, Connecticut. He was a machinist by
trade who developed his own version of a wood (miter) trimmer machine after selling another
company’s wood trimmer for a number of years, probably W.R. Fox’s Fox Machinery Co. Oliver tried
and eventually did make a better tool and he succeeded. Oliver’s wood trimmer won him a gold medal
for merit at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. But it was just the first of many innovative woodworking
products that would come from the Oliver Machinery Company. In 1907, the company built a new
factory on Clancy Street in Grand Rapids, and then, in 1908, Oliver introduced a cylindrical cutterhead
that would eventually replace the square - and more dangerous - cutterheads commonly used in
certain machines of the time. There was also his Straitoplane, introduced in 1923 as a combination
jointer / planer, which could surface a warped board straight and flat in one pass. It’s a design other
companies would emulate in the years to come. From its factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Oliver
also produced a variety of woodworking machines as well as other tools as the market presented new
opportunities, cf. Jeff McVey, Early History of The Oliver Machinery Company, reproduced with the
permission of the author at http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/OliverEarlyHistory.ashx.
abandoned because of its drawbacks. This chapter of the history of technology related to
aviation and the wood used, wants to provide the reader with a conclusion about the
abandonment of wood, so I have tried to summarize in the following lines some of the
reasons that led to the replacement of wood as a basic material in aeronautical constructions.
An excellent indicator of the suitability of an aeronautical material is the mechanical
resistance/density ratio (or the specific resistance), the values of which must be high. It must
be taken into account that these properties must be maintained, whatever the operating
conditions of the aircraft: on the runway of an airport, where temperatures can reach 40°C
(approx. 100°F) in summer, in high humidity conditions, or during the flight, at an altitude
close to 11,000 meters (approx. 36,000 feet), where temperature drops to -50°C (approx. -
60°F). The wood used in aeronautics is a material sensitive to climatic variations. When there
were very high temperatures in flight, the wood suffered cracks. It should also be taken into
account that during their operation, structural elements are subject to radical changes in the
distribution of loads. At the level of the embedding of the wings, for example, the areas of
traction and compression are reversed: on the ground, it "supports" the wings; in flight, it
"supports" the fuselage due to the lift generated by the wings. It is also necessary to take into
account the vibrations to which the aircraft is subjected. The problem appeared from the first
regular flights, because the materials used had not been chosen according to their resistance
to fatigue and some planes presented many problems after years of good operation. With the
evolution of materials within this sector, research has focused on two areas: increasing their
specific strength and improving the feasibility of manufacturing aircraft and their
components17.
The most important piece of evidence that definitely influenced the decision was the "test of
fire": when it was used by the military in combat, both during World War I and the beginning
of World War II, there were many situations in which the planes break in flight, especially
during violent combat maneuvers. In air battles, planes carried heavy payloads, such as
weapons and ammunition, as well as missiles or bombs. The problem with the wood was that
it was not strong enough and when the loads were too heavy the plane would break.
Although their density is low, some woods are quite resistant; however, this material is
affected by biological action and reacts negatively to moisture.
Conclusions
Early aeroplanes were simple machines by the high tech standards of today, being mainly
constructed from wood and cloth / canvas. This simple construction, though dangerous for
the aviator, was a joy for the woodworker18. The behaviour of the wood material through the
prism of factors such as: specific resistance, climatic variations, resistance to fatigue,
sensitivity to biological action, but also the permanent concerns of researchers focused on
two areas: increasing the specific strength and improving the feasibility, led to the
replacement of wood the aviation industry: new, better materials have taken its place.
However, an important chapter remains that of the period of pioneering and enthusiasm,
when the specialists in wood processing were the aircraft builders. This article is dedicated to
their memory, which wants to highlight their contribution and bring them back to the readers'
attention. Today, this technique and the wood material are used in the repair and restoration
of old surviving airplanes, in aero-modeling and for the realization of some experimental
17 https://aertecsolutions.com/fr/2019/04/22/levolution-des-materiaux-destines-a-laeronautique/.
18 A Guide to the Carpentry Skills Needed in Historic Aircraft Construction - A Step by Step Guide for
the Amateur Carpenter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56549276-a-guide-to-the-carpentry-
skills-needed-in-historic-aircraft-construction#_=_.
airplanes, i. e. at a fairly high level of amateurism. However, the question remains: will wood
return to aviation on a large scale?
References:
1. The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia, second edition, edited by David Crystal,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1998, ISBN 0-521-63099-1, p. 214.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Aeroplane_Company.
3. Horia Salcă, O istorie a Uzinei IAR Brașov, Editura Universității Transilvania Brașov,
2006, ISBN 973-635-587-X.
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_J_1.
5. http://potentiel-materiaux-composites.kazeo.com/accueil-a-les-origines-l-evolution-et-les-
limites-de-l-avion-en-bois-c28105692.
6. Louis C. Hunter, Lynwood Bryant, A History of Industrial Power in the U.S., 1780-1930,
Vol 3: The Transmission of Power, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts,1991, ISBN
978-0262081986, apud https://www.core77.com/posts/58982/How-Did-Factories-Get-Power-
to-Their-Machines-Before-Electricity.
7. Diorama at the Bristol Aerospace Museum in Filton (right on the site of the former BCAC
plant), managed by the Bristol Aero Collection Trust (registered charity 1010632),
https://aerospacebristol.org/.
8. Iconic Planes From The Past. A Few That Changed The History of Aviation,
http://www.woodenaviation.com/iconic%20planes.html.
9. United States War Department, Technical Manual of Aircraft Woodwork, Book, December
22, 1942; Washington DC. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28662/m1/113/:
accessed January 30, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library,
https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
10. Numerous oral reports by Daniela and Horia Șchiau, which kept alive the memory of
Gheorghe Viașu stories and activity as a woodworker: carpenter and foreman in the IAR
aircraft plant, in Brașov, Romania.
11. Jeff McVey, Early History of The Oliver Machinery Company, reproduced with the
permission of the author at http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/OliverEarlyHistory.ashx.
12. https://aertecsolutions.com/fr/2019/04/22/levolution-des-materiaux-destines-a-
laeronautique/.
13. A Guide to the Carpentry Skills Needed in Historic Aircraft Construction – A Step by
Step Guide for the Amateur Carpenter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56549276-a-
guide-to-the-carpentry-skills-needed-in-historic-aircraft-construction#_=_.
Credit photo:
1. Charles H. Hayward, The Woodworker's Pocket Book. Receipes, Materials, Fittings, Tools,
Geometry, Woodworking Data, Evans Brothers Ltd., London, 1971 (reprinted 1963).
2. United States War Department, Technical Manual of Aircraft Woodwork, Book, December
22, 1942; Washington DC. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28662/m1/113/:
accessed January 30, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library,
https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.