The Airplane Goes To War

Two inventions in relative infancy, the airplane and the machine gun combined to add new meaning to the wishes of the aviators to conquer the sky during World War I.


Intended merely as crowd pleasers, the aerial feats of Adolphe Pegoud would soon be put to use in the air battles fought over Europe in World War I. Pegoud was the first to fly upside down.












Eugene Ely demonstrates the airplane's naval utility, as he completes the first successful take-off from the deck of a ship.
























With the introduction of the Wright Military Flyer, militarization of the airplane soon found it in the skies as well as at sea.

However, in order for the Flyer to land on a naval vessel, it was necessary to construct a special platform.



Extending his influence beyond civil aviation, Glenn Curtiss delivered his Flying Boats to the United States Navy in 1911.



With help from the adventurous Samuel Cody, an English army aviator, the British aviation effort quickly evolved from sluggish dirigibles.











World War I brought the fears of many earlier thinkers to reality, as the airplane became the newest member of an Army's arsenal (the speedy and versatile Sopwith Pup, built by Thomas Sopwith).

















Proving themselves equal to the challenge of the British Sopwiths, the German air forces were bolstered by the designs of Anthony Fokker and the piloting skills of Manfred von Richtofen.

No nation had a monopoly on designing and building military aircraft. Still a beautiful machine, airplanes such as the Fokker monoplane became war planes with the simple addition of a mounted machine gun.


Obtaining greater speed and maneuverability was the goal of military aircraft designers during World War I. Two of the more successful efforts were the Scouting Experimental-5 of the Royal Aircraft Company....



and the French-built Nieuport 17.

While the SE-5 gained speed from the power of its Hispano-Suizo engine, the Nieuport 17 employed a smaller, almost nonexistent lower wind to give it an advantage during aerial maneuvers.









Equal in importance to the airplane's design, of course, was the skill of the pilot.

Few possessed great natural talent for flying than the American Ace Eddie Rickenbacker.

Eddie Rickenbacker entered World War I at a distinct disadvantage as a fighter pilot. World War I began in 1914, and even though war fighting in the air was a new phenomenon, the enemy had the advantage of three years critical learning experience. German pilots had already flown many air-to-air engagements and well understood the tactics needed to fight, win, and survive. Many young, inexperienced American pilots learned this lesson the hard way, going down in flames under the machine guns of their German enemy’s planes. This did not deter Rickenbacker. Instead, he studied the tactics, as well as the capabilities of his airplane and quickly mastered the skills he needed to succeed. He likewise applied and mastered these same skills to become a successful squadron commander. He was well respected by both his superiors and the enemy. Eddie Rickenbacker also realized full well that he needed to keep a clear head and sharp focus, both in the air and on the ground.