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axles and practically the entire under-carraige [[carriage]]; fuselage vertical struts and practically the entire frame-work of the fuselage except the longerons which are of wood. The wing construction, spars and ribs, are entirely of wood. It is believed that the next stage of new construction in Italy will be the use of metal wing spars and the second stage will be the use of metal longerons in the fuselage construction. Some of the best engineers in Italy believe that a combination of wood and metal is the best for airplane construction. This is not the opinion, however, of the Experimental Institute. There, it is believed that in the near future the best airplanes will be all metal. Due to the lack of minerals in Italy, the adoption of metal construction will naturally advance slowly. Very little practical use has ever been made of duralumin in Italy and steel is therefore being used at present for the metal parts. The Italians are naturally much better wood workers than metal workers and this is another consideration which retards the adoption of metal construction.

The Italians have always been noted for their wonderful wood workers and wood working facilities. The characteristic type

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