aircraftmanufacturing

This photo was published in the New Britain Herald. July 30, 1923, Page 9 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014519/1923-07-30/ed-... From the caption: "Official Photo, U. S. Army Air Service" "Photo gives splendid indication of the real size of the Barling Bomber, world's largest air plane, soon to take the air at Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, O. Note the height of the wheels compared with that of General Mitchell. Left to right: Walter H. Barling, designer of the plane, General William Mitchell, assistant chief, Air Service; Major Martin, Major A. W. Robins, Mr. Carisi. Lieutenant Dichman and Lieutenant Blackburn." The Evening Star. August 19, 1923, Page 4 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1923-08-19/ed-... has a description of the aircraft. See also www.earlyaviators.com/eschobe5.htm

This took a full day of research, but I have identified each and given them a Wikidata entry, if they lacked one already: Walter Henry Barling (1890-1965) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107577357 General William Mitchell (1879-1936) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q863201 Major Harold Smith Martin (1892-1961) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107580274 Major Augustine Warner Robins (1882-1940) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4821225 John Carisi (1884-1960) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107577822 Lieutenant Ernest Wyckham Dichman (1892-1955) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107579240 Lieutenant Thomas Welch Blackburn (1892-1964) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107580412

The aircraft in the left foreground, US Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, BuNo 0300 (c/n 1782), VT-2 (Torpedo Squadron 2), was lost on May 8, 1942, with the sinking of USS Lexington (CV-2) during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

This group of 14 photos is related to two Bain photos posted earlier of men testing the L.W.F. Model V Tractor training aircraft, as identified by Flickr user TVL1970 in comments to


and

"The Lowe Willard & Fowler (L.W.F.) Engineering Company, located at College Point, New York City, was organized in 1915 for the manufacture of all types of heavier-than-air machines. L.W.F. produced the first all-American aircraft to be used during World War I. In 1917, the first Liberty motor to fly was installed in the L.W.F. Model G, and several of the L.W.F. aircraft held performance records for speed and endurance. The company also completed Government contracts for producing Martin Bombers, Douglas DT-2s, and Naval Observation Planes, before the company dissolved in 1924."
siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!2...