WWI Plane Set Question

[Karnak]

I recall seeing a video of a guy who built a replica Foker Eindecker.  Flew it and said afterwards that it was the scariest thing he'd ever flown.  That it was horribly tail heavy and he had had to fight to keep the tail up the whole flight.

[Sunka]

Reading this whole thing is getting me way to exited!

[twitchy]

Here's the Ammo Bunker for the WWI early war...

 

[Megalodon]

The Eindecker pretty much dominated the air war for about 7-8 months 1915/16 and Fokkers machine gun.

 "An early summer 1915 photo of Kurt Wintgens' Fokker M.5K/MG "E.5/15" Fokker Eindecker, that was the aircraft used by him on July 1, 1915 in the very first successful aerial engagement which involved a synchronized machine-gun-armed aircraft.

and a famous name

flew it as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozkQKRDSNgc  and parts 7,8 & 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB-gAQ0Kj10&feature=related

[Mano]

....................

..................Rat tat tat tat tat tat !

 

[Boxboy]

well the guns were about as primitive as the planes  and the planes vibrated pretty good so you had to be REAL close to get hits and vs fabric the rifle rounds just passed right through.  You had to hit "meat or metal" to do any good 

[PFactorDave]

I have spent many hours looking at that particular aircraft in amazement at how brave those airmen were.

That's the God's honest truth.  It's hard to imagine climbing into something so new and unknown as an early airplane.  Think about it...  When WW1 started, aviation was only about a decade old.

An amazing period of history, to say the least.

[B4Buster]

These are in Owls Head Transportation Museum, Maine. This museum, drives and fly's everything in the museum.  www.ohtm.org  


1916 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8
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1917 Fokker DR.1
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1917 Nieuport 28C.1
(Image removed from quote.)

cool to see someone mention Owl's Head. I live about an hour away. It's a great place

(They also have a good display of old cars aswell)

[Oldman731]

That's the God's honest truth.  It's hard to imagine climbing into something so new and unknown as an early airplane.  Think about it...  When WW1 started, aviation was only about a decade old.

An amazing period of history, to say the least.

It truly was.  I remember a letter to Flying magazine many years ago, in which the author said something like this:

"I keep reading these accounts of World War I pilots flying at 15,000 feet, sometimes 20,000 feet, trying to take photos or shoot down the planes taking the photos.  We have to go on oxygen at 10,000 feet [hey, I told you it was an old issue of the magazine].  Were these guys lying or did they have leather lungs?"

The answer posted by the magazine was, "They must have had leather lungs."

- oldman

[Chalenge]

I am one of those lucky individuals that is on oxygen as of 8000 feet. 

[Furball]

I would recommend these two books if you want to stoke your interest further, both were famous 56 Squadron pilots: -

Saggitarius Rising by Cecil Lewis

http://www.amazon.com/SAGITTARIUS-RISING-Cecil-Lewis/dp/1848325193/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258190028&sr=8-1


Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps by James McCudden (the most highly decorated pilot in the RFC/RAF during WWI)

http://www.amazon.com/FLYING-FURY-Years-Royal-Flying/dp/1935149105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258190075&sr=1-1

[B4Buster]

Eddie Rickenbacker's "Fighting The Flying Circus" is one of the best books I have ever read. (It's an autobiography)


It was/remains the inspiration of many pilots.

[Anaxogoras]

I've been above 14k ft twice without O₂ ascending Mt. Shasta.  I would imagine that once you start doing it more frequently your body would produce more red blood cells to compensate, but boy does it make you dizzy the first time!

FYI, some WW1 pilots did bring O₂ at high altitude.  The contraption I saw was for the D.VII where the poor guy had to wear a clip on his nose while holding a tube in his mouth.

[zarkov]

That's the God's honest truth.  It's hard to imagine climbing into something so new and unknown as an early airplane.  Think about it...  When WW1 started, aviation was only about a decade old.

An amazing period of history, to say the least.

I read a story about a Canadian veteran of WWI who had died a few years back.  He flew Camels.  He NEVER flew again, either as a pilot or a passenger on any plane after his war years.  I guess flying those canvas and dope kites with ropey engines kind of made him fearful of flying.  He may have been biased because people were shooting at him as well.  But there was a good reason why a lot of pilots were painted good luck symbols (swastikas were fairly common) on their places during this era.  McCudden (one of the British empires best pilots in WWI) was killed when the engine of his SE5a conked out upon take-off and he died in the crash.

[Furball]

McCudden (one of the British empires best pilots in WWI) was killed when the engine of his SE5a conked out upon take-off and he died in the crash.

He made the mistake of trying to turn back and land at the aerodrome he took off from after the engine siezed.  All training told pilots to land straight ahead wherever they could in that situation.  A real shame, he was probably the best and most influential leader the RAF had at the time.  He was only 22, and had won pretty much every medal going.