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Aviation in World War I. Mr. P. Hambly. The First Flight. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur made the first powered heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903
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Aviation in World War I • Mr. P. Hambly
The First Flight • The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur made the first powered heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903 • The first flight by Orville Wright, of 121 feet (37 m) in 12 seconds, was recorded in a famous photograph. • In the fourth flight of the same day, Wilbur Wright flew 852 feet (260 m) in 59 seconds.
First Flight in Canada • Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone was one of the engineers who built the Silver Dart which was the first plane to fly in Canada. • The first flight occurred when the Silver Dart was flown off the ice of a frozen Lake near Baddeck, Nova Scotia by J.A.D. McCurdy on February 23, 1908.
World War I breaks out in 1914 Aerial warfare was introduced alongside many other innovations in World War I. Previously wars had been fought on land and at sea, but the advent of aircraft technology allowed a third dimension: a war in the air.
First use of planes • Aircraft with canvas-and-wood body and wings were initially used as mobile observation vehicles, with the responsibility of mapping enemy positions below. • Before the use of aircraft,Zeppelins and observation balloons were employed for this purpose.
Improved Reconnaissance • Zeppelins with their slow speeds, made them a prime target for ground gunners. The biggest problem with the observation balloon was that it was stationary (as it was connected by rope to the ground), only allowing observation of a limited area. • Observation aircraft solved both difficulties - because of their small size and relative agility, they were more difficult to shoot at from the ground, unlike the Zeppelins. They were also mobile, allowing observation of large sections of the front.
Air Combat begins • Both the Entente and Central powers initially used aircraft only for observation purposes. When rival observation planes crossed paths, the aviators at first exchanged smiles and waves. • This soon progressed to throwing bricks, grenades, and other objects, even rope, which they hoped would tangle the enemy plane's propeller. Eventually pilots began firing handheld firearms at enemy planes. • Once the guns were mounted to the aircraft, the era of air combat began.
Problems with Mounting Guns • Another major limitation was the early mounting of machine guns, which was awkward due to the position of the propeller. It would seem most natural to place the gun between the pilot and the propeller, so they would be able to aim down its sight as well as service it during a gun jam. • However, this gun position had an obvious problem - the bullets would fly directly into the propeller, and shooting the pilot’s own propeller off!
Deflecting bullets! • Frenchman Roland Garros attempted to solve this problem by attaching metal deflector wedges to the blades of his propeller, which he hoped would guide bullets away. Garros managed to score several kills with his deflector modification. • yet it was still an inadequate and dangerous solution, as when Germany tried this, their steel-jacketed bullets shattered the wedges.
Pusher Planes • Another solution was the invention of the "pusher" plane, (also known as the Crack head plane) (lol) This design was briefly popular from 1914 to 1915. The pusher design had a propeller positioned in the rear of the plane, behind the pilot. This provided the opportunity to optimally mount the gun, which could now be reloaded and repaired in-flight. • The drawback was that pusher planes were not very maneuverable.
Anthony Fokker’s break through • Later, in 1915, Germany found a breakthrough solution to this problem in the synchronizer gear which allowed the gun to fire through the arc of a spinning propeller without the bullets striking the blades -- essentially by literally allowing the engine to fire the gun. This led in part to their air dominance during this period, which was known as the Fokker Scourge by the allies because of devastating losses inflicted by Fokker aircraft. • Soon Allied planes were forced to flee for home at the mere sight of German mono-planes. A solution was needed.
German Advantage lost • The Fokker’s foil came in the form of the Nieuport 11 (1915-France), a biplane with a tractor prop and, as needed, a cowl gun. • The key event which allowed the Allies to reverse-engineer the German technology occurred when a German pilot became lost in heavy fog over France. The pilot and plane were captured when it landed, giving the Allies access to its technology.
New Planes • Both sides re-equipped their squadrons with new planes. The Allies developed the Sopwith Pup, and SE5a which helped tip the balance back in their favor. The Germans responded with new fighters as well, such the Fokker Dr.I but these were countered by the British Sopwith Camel and French SPAD S.XIII. • As a result, neither side managed to take a clear technological advantage for the remainder of the war, but eventually the Allies would gain the advantage in numbers and material toward the end of 1918.
The Red Baron: • Was the most successful pilot for Germany in the War • Shot down 80 planes. • Painted his Fokker Dr. I plane Red.
Billy Bishop Was Canada’s top pilot with 72 kills.
World War I notable Aces 1. Manfred von Richthofen, Germany 80 victories "The Red Baron", 2. René Fonck France 75 victories Top Allied ace, and all-time Allied Ace. 3. Edward Mannock 73 disputed, UK 4. Billy Bishop 72 Canada Top-scoring British Empire ace. 5. Raymond Collishaw 62 Canada 6. Ernst Udet 62 Second highest scoring German ace.
