Aviation Takes Off

Louis Bleriot (1872-1936)

A postcard cartoon pictures Louis Bleriot, a Frenchman who was the first to fly across the English Channel in 1909. He became world famous for this feat, a milestone in aviation history. Bleriot was among the first to try monoplanes, or single-wing planes. From Calais, France, he flew 22 miles to England, and crash-landed near the white cliffs of Dover.

> Racing for Prizes

A poster for a French air meet features a racing Antoinette plane. As cash prizes for races grew, pilots sharpened their skills and flew longer distances. Soon, тару more races were organized, spanning whole countries and even all of Europe.

v Bleriot XI

This museum model shows Louis Bleriot in the XI monoplane he flew across the English Channel. Bleriot, who had no compass, wrote:"lt is a strange position to be alone, unguided…over the middle of the Channel…I let the aeroplane take its own course."

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* Harriet Quimby (1881,-1912) Harriet Quimby was the first licensed woman pilot in the United States. In 1912, she became the first woman to fly across the Encjlish Channel. She was later killed when a gust of wind overturned her plane. With no seatbelt, she fell to her death. Amazingly, the plane landed by itself!

► Flying Cross-Country This map shows the route of Cal Rodgers, who flew from New York to California in 1911. His Wright plane, named the VinFiz for a grape drink, crashed 19 times. In a crash near the end of the 84-day trip, the pilot broke both legs and { his collarbone.

Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930) Motorcycle racer Glenn Curtiss also built and flew airplanes. He became a competitor of the Wright brothers. They sued him for using ideas similar to theirs. Curtiss won the 1909 Reims speed race. His best known plane, the "Jenny," became a World War I trainer.

v Curtiss Hydro Plane Glenn Curtiss taxies his invention, the Hydro plane, on water in 1911.The craft was one of the earliest seaplanes. It used ailerons, moveable wing devices, in place of the Wright brothers’ wing-warping method to bank and turn the plane.

HEN World War I broke out In 1914, nobody thought airplanes would play an important role. Aircraft had only been Invented about a decade earlier. The Germans and the Allies each had just a few hun­dred planes. Most could fly only about 60 to 70 miles an hour. At first, the planes were used for reconnaissance, or gathering information behind enemy lines. These planes were unarmed. Enemy pilots even waved to each other.

Yet soon, reconnaissance pilots began taking – aerial photographs. These allowed military leaders to see enemy positions and plan attack strategies. Now, to chase away enemy aircrait, pilots carried guns. These early planes were called “scouts." Today, we call them "fighters.”

Fighters quickly developed into weapons of war. They were built for speed and equipped with machine guns. T he planes whirled alter each other in duels called "dogfights.” Pilots who shot down five or more planes became legendary "aces.”

Eddie Rickenbacker(1890-1973)

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was America’s highest-scoring ace in World War I. He flew only between March and April of 1918. Yet he scored 26 victories.

Before the war, Rickenbacker was a world-famous race car driver. When the United States entered the war in 1917, he trained as a pilot though he was considered old at 27. He joined and later commanded the first American squadron to fight the Germans. Rickenbacker became a famous war hero and later served as president of Eastern Airlines.

History Fact: New Guns

A major help to pilots was the invention of forward-firing machine guns. They allowed pilots to aim and shoot directly through the propellers. A device called an interrupter timed the guns to fire through the spinning blades without harming them.

lo tike з pli. tr graph, a re о na evince pilot ha і to lean out of the side rif his plane *n a /0 mile per hoi/ wind and snap the picture. He hdd to’1 en change the plate before taking another shot.

‘The Englishman attempted to gel behind me

while I attempted to get behind him. So it went, both of us flying like madmen in a circle… ”

Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron"describing a 1916 dogfight in his book, The Red Baron

4 Baron Manfred von Richthofen (1882-1918)

German Manfred von Richthofen was the highest-scoring ace of the war and one of the most famous pilots of all time. He commanded his own squadron, called the "Flying Circus" because the planes had bright colors. Richthofen’s planes were brilliant red, earning him the nickname "Red Baron."

The Red Baron relished the hunt of dogfights. He had silver cups made with descriptions of each of his victims. He shot down 80 Allied planes before he himself was shot down in 1918.

1 Aerial Spy

A French reconnaissance plane flies over enemy territory. From his vantage point, a pilot could photograph trench lines, troop locations, and arms supplies. Accurate maps were then drawn. By 1915, planes had replaced observers on horseback.

Fun Fact: Cartoon Hero

Snoopy, the world-famous "flying ace"of cartoonist Charles Schulz, continues his ongoing battle with the Red Baron. The cartoon illustrates the enduring popularity of the World War I ace legend e ven today.

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* Flight Dress Pilots in open cockpits needeo warm clothing at high altitudes. American pilot Edmund Genet stands beside his plane in France. He wears a fur-lined suit, warm boots, and leather helmet. Goggles protect his eyes from icy winds and sprayed out by the engine. > Sopwith Camel The British Sopwith Camel was one most successful fighters of World W; Quick and highly maneuverable, it w supreme performer in dogfights. Car shot down over 1,290 German aircrt more than any other A 1 ed Diane.

▼ Controlling the Plane Unlike driving a car, flying a plane requires control in three dimensions, or axes: they are called pitch, yaw, and roll. To control the plane’s roll, or rotating motion, the pilot moves wing devices called ailerons in opposite directions. The pilot moves an elevator stick to control pitch, the up-and-down movement of the airplane’s nose. Moving the rudder in the plane’s tail controls the right and left turning motion, called yaw.

Fun Fact: Flying Scarf

The silk scarf many pilots wore became a famous symbol of brave flying aces. However, it was not originally worn for style, but to keep warm in the freezing air aloft. It was also a handy "windshield wiper"for the pilot’s goggles.

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► A Flying Brick The French SPAD XIII was one of the best Allied fighters. More rugged than most, the plane flew, said American pilot Ray Brooks,"like a brick."The shooting star insignia is that of the 22nd Aero Squadron.

Double Wings, Single Wings, and Triple Wings

Most early airplanes up through World War I were biplanes (aircraft with two sets of wings, one on top of the other). Some pilots favored triplanes (three sets of wings). More wings gave a craft extra lift and stability, but created air resistance, or drag. This slowed the planes down. lriplanes had short wings and were highly maneuverable. They could zigzag after an opponent, but were slow. Monoplanes (one-wingers) had the least drag and were the fastest racers.

Yet they were more unstable.

u This flying job is rotten far one’s nerves and although one is о apposed to last six months… quite a lot of peoples nerves nk out after four and a half. ” British World War I Pilot

A Sopwith Camel

1. Upper wing

2. Roundel

3. Lower wing

4. Aileron

5. tracing wires

6. Wooden frame

7. Canvas "skin"

8. Wooden propeller

9. Two machine guns fired between propeller blades

10. Rotary engine

11. Control panel

12. Open cockpit

13. Pilot’s seat of wicker to absorb shock

14. Fuel tank

15. Undercarriage

16. Wing strut

17. Elevator

18. Rudder

19. Tail skid