The Aircraft Board was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

federal government organization created from the Aircraft Production Board on October 1, 1917, by Act of Congress to provide statutory authority to the APB, which had been created by a resolution of the

Council of National Defense The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial ...

on May 16, 1917. Chaired by

Howard E. Coffin Howard Earle Coffin (September 6, 1873 – November 21, 1937) was an American automobile engineer and industrialist. He was one of the founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company with Roy D. Chapin. He was a charter member of The Society of Automo ...

, the Aircraft Board was also removed from the control of the Council of National Defense and placed under the Secretaries of War and the Navy. The boards, ruled advisory in nature by the Judge Advocate General, gave their recommendations to the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps regarding the development and procurement of aircraft during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

., pp. 27-29. 40 ''Stat.'' 296. The board consisted initially of Coffin, Brig. Gen. George O. Squier (Chief Signal Officer), Rear Adm.

David W. Taylor David Watson Taylor (March 4, 1864 – July 28, 1940) was a U.S. naval architect and an engineer of the United States Navy. He served during World War I as Chief Constructor of the Navy, and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair. Ta ...

(Chief of the Bureau of Construction of the Navy), S.D. Waldron, Edward A. Deeds, and Col. Robert L. Montgomery. On June 16, 1917, it added Col. Raynal C. Bolling, and on September 14, 1917, Col.

Benjamin D. Foulois Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (December 9, 1879 – April 25, 1967) was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achi ...

and Capt. N. E. Irwin, all of the Aviation Section. After Howard Coffin had resigned under corruption allegations in March, President

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender *Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Rod ...

appointed

John D. Ryan John or Johnny Ryan may refer to: Business *John Ryan (businessman) (born 1950), pioneer of cosmetic surgery and chairman of Doncaster Rovers *John D. Ryan (industrialist) (1864–1933), American copper mining magnate *John Ryan (printer) (1761� ...

in April 1918 to replace Coffin as head of the board.Anne Cipriano Venzon, Jerold Brown in ''The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia'', Routledge, 1999, , pages 153 and 520

References

* ''The Great War Society Journal'', Volume Five, Number Three. {{US-gov-stub 1917 establishments in the United States 20th-century military history of the United States Military units and formations of the United States in World War I 20th-century history of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1917