BGuthrie Photos: OH -- Dayton -- Natl Museum of the United States Air Force -- World War I gallery

OH -- Dayton -- Natl Museum of the United States Air Force -- World War I gallery:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. NMUSW1_120805_022.JPG: Lighter-Than_Air Flight: Lighter-than-air flight was the first method used to take to the skies. Air that is less dense (or "lighter") rises. Heating the air inside of an envelope (or balloon) makes the heated air less dense, thereby causing it to rise. Another method is to fill the envelope with low-density (or "light") gas such as hydrogen, which is very flammable, or helium. There are two basic types of lighter-than-air vehicles -- balloons and dirigibles. Balloons are either tethered or drift with the wind, and the pilot can only control altitude. Dirigibles, often called airships, are powered, light-than-air vehicles that can be steered.
2. NMUSW1_120805_024.JPG: BALLOONING: FIRST IN THE AIR Balloons became the first air vehicles. The golden age of ballooning that began in the 1780s captured the public's fancy and offered thrills and amusements -- as well as an incentive and a means for further scientific investigation of the principles of flight. In September 1783, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier demonstrated a hot air balloon before King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The passengers, a sheep, a duck and a chicken, landed safely a mile-and-a-half away after an 8-minute flight to 1,400 feet, proving life could exist in the "upper air." The next month, Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier went aloft in a tethered Montgolfier balloon, becoming the first person to fly in a hot air balloon. About the same time, J.A.C. Charles, a French physicist, experimented with using "inflammable air" -- hydrogen -- as a means of lift. In December 1783, Charles and a companion went aloft in a hydrogren-filled balloon that could fly longer and higher than the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon.
3. NMUSW1_120805_029.JPG: MILITARY BALLOONING: THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR The Union: Military ballooning in the United States began early in the Civil War. Balloons gave the Union the ability to view enemy troops from the "high ground" during a battle. Best known of the "aeronauts" was Thaddeus S.C. Lowe. He and others made numerous observations using hydrogen-filled balloons during the first two years of the war. At one time the Union Army had seven balloons in service. Due to the lack of cooperation by the Army, Lowe resigned in May 1863, and all ballooning ceased the following month, thus depriving the Union of a useful military tool. The Confederacy: The Confederates also realized the value of aerial reconnaissance. It is often stated that the sole Confederate balloon was fabricated of silk from dresses donated by Southern ladies. Actually, the South had at least three balloons in service, one of cotton and two made from new bolts of silk of various colors. The South's inability to produce hydrogen in the field, along with material shortages, forced the Confederates to abandon balloon operations in 1863.
4. NMUSW1_120805_034.JPG: Fragment of one of the Confederate air balloons
5. NMUSW1_120805_041.JPG: MILITARY BALLOONING: THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR After the Civil War, the U.S. did not conduct ballooning operations again until 1892, when the U.S. Army established a balloon section within the Signal Corps. When war with Spain broke out in 1898, the Army's "air arm" consisted of one hand-sewn balloon. Despite incredible difficulties, Lt. Col. Joseph Maxfield succeeded in getting the balloon to Cuba. The balloon made several ascents with different observers, including one in preparation for the famous charge up San Juan Hill. In 1899 the U.S. Army disbanded the balloon detachment and military aeronautics faded until 1907.
6. NMUSW1_120805_045.JPG: HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLIGHT Heavier-than-air vehicles generally achieve flight with aerodynamic lift created by airflow over a surface (usually a wing). There were three basic types of early heavier-than-air vehicles -- kites, gliders and airplanes. Kites are unpowered, tethered craft. Gliders fly freely. Both kites and gliders are limited because they rely on the airflow provided by wind to remain aloft. Airplanes are powered air vehicles that use their own propulsion to create airflow over the wings.
7. NMUSW1_120805_049.JPG: INVENTOR OF THE SCIENCE OF FLIGHT: SIR GEORGE CAYLEY Born in 1773, Sir George Cayley essentially created the science of flight. Using scientific methods and keeping careful and detailed notes, Cayley became the first to identify the basic problems of heavier-than-air flight, the first to carry out basic aerodynamic research, and the first to discover that curved surfaces produce more lift than flat ones. In addition, he discovered the importance of streamlining and developed methods to balance an aircraft in flight. Before his death in 1857, Cayley built and flew a successful model glider, followed by a full-size, man-carrying glider. GLIDING PIONEER: OTTO LILIENTHAL Otto Lilienthal remains the most famous of the glider experimenters. He built his first glider in 1891, and within the next five years, this brilliant German made more than 2,000 glides. His experiments were publicized throughout the world, providing inspiration to others, including the Wright brothers. Sadly, in 1896, a fatal gliding accident cut his work short.
8. NMUSW1_120805_053.JPG: PROGRESS IN FLYING MACHINES: OCTAVE CHANUTE Octave Chanute was already a well-known engineer when he began studying the problem of flight. His classic 1894 volume Progress in Flying Machines brought together in one book a history of humankind's attempts to fly. Chanute also applied his knowledge of bridge building to the design of gliders. Some of the gliders Chanute designed and tested had either moveable wings or tail control surfaces. All of his gliders, however, relied on the pilot's body movements for control, which limited their landing ability. No less important in the history of aviation was Chanute's role as friend and adviser to Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Wrights used Chanute's book as a starting point to understand human knowledge of flight to that point. Also, during the Wright brothers' early experiments with gliders, Chanute offered encouragement and advice based on his own observations.
9. NMUSW1_120805_055.JPG: ON THE DOORSTEP: THE AERODROME: SAMUEL PIERPONT LANGLEY In 1896 Samuel Pierpont Langley, astronomer and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, flew an unmanned steam-driven airplane model three-fourths of a mile. In 1898 he received a Congressional grant of $51,000 for further development of an airplane capable of carrying a person. Langley and his gifted assistant, Charles M. Manly, designed and built the Aerodrome, powered by a 125-pound, 53-hp gasoline engine. On Oct. 7, 1903, Manly attempted to fly from the deck of a houseboat on the Potomac River, but the airplane apparently fouled some portion of the catapult mechanism and tumbled into the river. Manly tried again on Dec. 8 and again the attempt failed. These failures, plus the cruel jeers of the newspapers and cynics, crushed Langley's spirit, and he retired. Nine days later, the Wrights successfully flew on a bleak beach in North Carolina.
10. NMUSW1_120805_063.JPG: MEETING THE CHALLENGE: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS 1900 Although heavier-than-air powered flight posed more difficult problems than other methods of flight, it also held the greatest potential. To achieve heavier-than-air flight, the problems of control and aerodynamic lift had to be solved, along with the development of a lightweight engine for propulsion. Until Wilbur and Orville Wright dedicated themselves to solving the mystery of heavier-than-air powered flight, no one had been able to solve this puzzle. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is within seven miles of the places where Wilbur and Orville lived, studied and most importantly, solved the mysteries of flight. Bicycles to Flyers: After limited success in the printing business, Wilbur and Orville Wright decided to sell and repair bicycles. They opened up the first of several bicycle shops in 1893, and three years later, the Wrights began building bicycles of their own design. The successful bicycle business provided the funds for their flight experiments, and it expanded their knowledge of building machines. The Wright brothers became actively interested in flying in 1895. They read everything on flying they could obtain, even though most of the material available was based theory and not fact. In August 1899 the Wright brothers built a 5-foot span biplane kite to test their idea of warping wings for lateral control. Building on the success of this kite, they constructed a 17-foot span glider in September 1900. After a nationwide search for a location with high, steady winds, the Wrights chose a remote area known as Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In their test of this glider at Kill Devil Hills, the Wrights flew it both as a kite and a piloted glider. The aircraft was not completely satisfactory, however, because it flew poorly and proved difficult to control in a gusty wind.
11. NMUSW1_120805_068.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1901 Encouraged by their experience with their first glider, the Wrights built a 22-foot span glider in 1901. It followed the basic design of their first glider but incorporated a pilot's hip-cradle for operating the wing-warping control cables. The Wrights flew this glider at Kill Devil Hills in the summer of 1901, and on one flight they traveled 389 feet. Even so, the glider's wings did not provide as much lift as they had calculated. As a result, the Wrights began to question the validity of the Lilienthal aerodynamic tables they used. The Wrights decided to perfect their own mathematical tables for airfoil lift and drag -- this decision became a milestone on the way to success
12. NMUSW1_120805_070.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1902 Between the fall of 1901 and the summer of 1902, the Wrights developed and tested more than 50 airfoil sections on a modified bicycle and in a homemade wind tunnel. At last they had solved the problem of calculating lift. Using the tables they developed, the Wrights built a 32-foot span glider. In the fall of 1902, they made made nearly a thousand flights with it at Kill Devil Hills. From this glider, the Wrights learned that to obtain adequate control in the air, they would have to install a movable rudder in place of fixed rudders. This last modification solved the problem of control.
13. NMUSW1_120805_074.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1903 By 1903, the Wrights had solved two of the three basic problems associated with developing a successful flying machine -- lift and control. The problem of adding a lightweight power plant for propulsion remained. In the summer of 1903, they built a 40-feet, 4-inch span airplane that incorporated all their aerodynamic knowledge. While their mechanic, Charlie Taylor, built a small, lightweight gasoline engine, they designed and built highly-efficient propellers -- a significant feat in itself. This engine was the last piece of the puzzle, and the Wrights traveled back to Kill Devil Hills to test their creation. On Dec. 14, 1903, the Wrights flipped a coin to see who would be the first to try, and Wilbur won the toss. He attempted to fly the machine but over-corrected the elevator control and the airplane crashed. Three days later, after repairs, Orville flew it successfully for the first time.
14. NMUSW1_120805_079.JPG: CONQUERING THE SKY: CONQUERING THE SKY: DEC. 17, 1903 Take-off of the 1903 Wright Flyer on the world's first powered, sustained and controlled heavier-than-air flight on Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Piloted by Orville Wright, the airplane remained aloft for 12 seconds and flew a distance of 120 feet in a straight line. After Orville's first flight, Wilbur flew the aircraft 175 feet. Orville then took another turn, traveling 200 feet on his second flight. On the fourth flight of the day, Wilbur covered a distance of 852 feet, remaining aloft for 59 seconds. Although the landing from this last flight slightly damaged the aircraft, the Wrights intended to quickly fix the Flyer and attempt yet another flight. Unfortunately, a sudden gust of wind picked up the aircraft and tossed it along the beach, causing extensive damage -- the world's first successful airplane would never fly again.
15. NMUSW1_120805_083.JPG: RETURN TO OHIO: MASTERING FLIGHT AT HUFFMAN PRAIRIE During 1904-1905, the Wrights continued researching the mysteries of flight at Huffman Prairie near the Simms Station trolley stop (now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio). In September 1904 Wilbur Wright reached a significant milestone. After ascending over Huffman Prairie in the Flyer II, Wilbur turned around and landed near his takeoff spot, making history's first full-circle airplane flight. In October 1905, however, they decided to discontinue their flying experiments until they received a patent on their invention. Though this patent was not issued until May 22, 1906, the Wrights offered their invention to the U.S. government twice in 1905. Their offers were rejected, for few people actually believed they had invented a successful flying machine.
16. NMUSW1_120805_088.JPG: Original 1903 Wright Flyer Fabric: The world's first successful, controlled, powered, manned heavier-than-air craft, the Wright 1903 Flyer, made only four flights, all on December 17th of that year, before a gust of wind overturned it and damaged it extensively. Rather than repair it, the Wrights developed improved versions, but fortunately the frail 1903 aircraft was preserved at the Science Museum in London, England. After World War II, it was returned to the US for permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Following the restoration of the 1903 Wright Flyer, pieces of the original fabric from the damaged aircraft were preserved by members of the Wright family. This section of white cotton muslin, measuring 127-1/2 square feet, covered the left half of the lower wing. It was presented to the US Air Force Museum by descendants of the Wright Brothers on December 17, 1981, the 78th anniversary of the Wrights' historic flight.
17. NMUSW1_120805_100.JPG: Pieces of the Kitty Hawk plane, parts broken while standing on the ground
18. NMUSW1_120805_108.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS 1901 WIND TUNNEL This is a replica of the wind tunnel designed and built by the Wright Brothers in the fall of 1901 to test airfoil designs. The blower fan, driven by an overhead belt, produced a 25 to 35 mph wind for testing the lift of various planes and curved surfaces. Aerodynamic tables derived from these tests were vital to the successful design of the Wright 1903 Kitty Hawk airplane. Inside the tunnel is a model of a Wright lift balance used to measure the lift of a test surface. The wind tunnel replica was constructed under the personal supervision of Orville Wright prior to World War II.
19. NMUSW1_120805_111.JPG: WRIGHT BICYCLE This bicycle sprocket hub and sprockets from the Wright Bicycle Co. are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The Wrights later used a bicycle-type chain drive in their early airplanes. Also on display are a composting stick and metal type from the Wright printing business.
20. NMUSW1_120805_120.JPG: WRIGHT 1909 MILITARY FLYER The Wright 1909 Military Flyer became the first military heavier-than-air flying machine. Upon purchase by the Signal Corps for $30,000 on Aug. 2, 1909, the U.S. Army designated the Wright 1909 Military Flyer as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, and it remained the only Army airplane for nearly two years. In October 1909, Wilbur Wright used Signal Corps No. 1 to give flight instruction to Lts. Frank P. Lahm and Frederic E. Humphreys. In 1910 Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois taught himself how to fly in Signal Corps No. 1 while stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. By March 1911, after several crashes and repairs, the Army retired Signal Corps No. 1. It is now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. This airplane on display is an exacting reproduction constructed by museum personnel in 1955. It is equipped with an engine donated by Orville Wright and chains, sprockets and propellers donated by the heirs of the Wright estate. TECHNICAL NOTES: Engine: 4-cylinder Wright of 30.6 hp Maximum speed: 42 mph Maximum endurance: 1 hour Span: 36 ft. 6 in. Length: 28 ft. 11 in. Height: 7 ft. 10 1/2 in. Weight: 740 lbs.
21. NMUSW1_120805_127.JPG: U.S. ARMY BALLOONING RENEWED The rise of civilian sport ballooning and the personal interest of two Signal Corps balloon pilots, Lt. Frank P. Lahm and Capt. Charles DeForest Chandler, renewed the U.S. Army ballooning program. U.S. Army balloonists participated in the Gordon Bennett balloon competition, in which the team that traveled the greatest distance won the contest. Traveling a little over 400 miles, Lt. Lahm and copilot Maj. Henry P. Hersey won the first Gordon Bennett race in 1906.
22. NMUSW1_120805_142.JPG: U.S. ARMY BALLOONING RENEWED Ballooning activities increased significantly during the following months as Army personnel gained aeronautical experience. In 1907 the Signal Corps purchased two hydrogen balloons, the first since the Spanish American War. One of these two balloons made a long flight from Washington, D.C., to Harrisburg, Penn., on June 4, 1907, with Capt. Chandler as the observer. In 1908 the Signal Corps began experimenting with radio communication and photography from its balloons. By 1913, however, the Signal Corps' focus had turned to airplanes alone, and Aeronautical Division ballooning once again ceased.
23. NMUSW1_120805_146.JPG: CREATION OF THE AERONAUTICAL DIVISION On Aug. 1, 1907, at the recommendation of Maj. George O. Squier, Brig. Gen. James Allen, Chief Signal Officer (1906-1913) of the U.S. Army, established the Aeronautical Division under his office, placing Capt. Charles D. Chandler in command. He tasked this embryonic organization with "all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines and kindred subjects." The Aeronautical Division became the first organization to which today's U.S. Air Force can trace an unbroken lineage.
24. NMUSW1_120805_149.JPG: CPL. EDWARD WARD: FIRST ENLISTED AIRMAN Cpl. Edward "Eddie" Ward enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1901. In July 1907 the Army sent Ward and Pfc. Joseph Barrett to Leo Stevens' balloon factory, where they learned the basics of balloon maintenance from the pre-eminent American balloon manufacturer. A month later, Brig. Gen. James Allen ordered Ward and Barrett to the newly created Aeronautical Division under the command of Capt. Charles D. Chandler. In September Barrett, who had previously served eight years in the U.S. Navy, deserted the Army to go back to the Navy (Barrett continued to serve with the Navy to an honorable retirement). In the early years of Signal Corps aviation, Ward could be found at nearly every turn. He assisted at the Fort Myer, Va., airplane demonstrations, became a licensed balloon pilot, learned how to fly and maintain the Aeronautical Division's first and only dirigible, maintained aircraft at the flying school in the Philippines, and served in the Signal Corps' First Balloon School Squadron. Ward excelled throughout his long Army service. As a master electrician, he supervised the laying of cables across Tampa Bay, and as a master photographer, he oversaw the aerial mapping of the Smoky Mountains and the Shenandoah National Parks. Ward ended his Army career assisting in the installation of the NACA's (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) first wind tunnel at Langley Field, Va.
25. NMUSW1_120805_153.JPG: This blouse, on display in the Early Years Gallery, was worn by Edward Ward during his military career. Cpl. Ward was the first enlisted man to be assigned aviation duties in the Aeronautical Division of the Signal Corps. The items were donated by the Ward Family.
26. NMUSW1_120805_157.JPG: Blouse, dog tags, and Signal Corps insignia worn by Edward Ward during his military career.
27. NMUSW1_120805_166.JPG: CONTROLLABLE BALLOONS: DIRIGIBLES From the beginning, the usefulness of the balloon depended upon giving it "dirigibility" or directional control -- without it, balloons could only drift with the wind. Although the U.S. Army did not buy its first dirigible until 1908, the technology had existed for more than 50 years. In 1852 Henri Giffard, a French engineer, mounted a 3-hp steam engine beneath a 143-foot long hydrogen balloon. Although the craft was underpowered, Giffard flew a semi-controlled 17-mile course in just under three hours, thus making the first powered human flight. In 1884 two French army captains, Charles Renard and A.C. Krebs, built a 165-foot long dirigible, christened the La France, powered by a 9-hp electric motor. The La France became the first air vehicle to make a full circle and return to the place from which it was launched.
28. NMUSW1_120805_170.JPG: BALDWIN DIRIGIBLE: U.S. ARMY'S FIRST AIRSHIP The first powered aircraft ordered by the Aeronautical Division was not an airplane, but rather a dirigible designed by Thomas Scott Baldwin. The Signal Corps had long urged the U.S. Army to buy a dirigible, and many European armies had them by the turn of the century. After seeing Baldwin demonstrate a dirigible at the St. Louis air meet in 1907, Brig. Gen. James Allen, Chief Signal Officer, discussed purchasing one for the Signal Corps. During the summer of 1908, the Army tested a Baldwin non-rigid dirigible -- and formally accepted it as Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1. On Aug. 28, Lts. Frank Lahm, Thomas Selfridge and Benjamin Foulois were taught to fly it. Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1 was sent to Omaha, Neb., and it remained there as the only Signal Corps dirigible. The Army scrapped Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1 in 1912 and did not purchase another dirigible until after World War I.
29. NMUSW1_120805_174.JPG: GLENN HAMMOND CURTISS: AVIATION PIONEER Like his main competitors the Wright brothers, Glenn Curtiss was involved in bicycling before he became interested in aviation, first racing bicycles and later motorcycles. Curtiss developed a successful motorcycle business in Hammondsport, N.Y., for which he designed and built relatively light and efficient engines. In 1904 famed balloonist Thomas Scott Baldwin asked Curtiss to build him a dirigible engine. The success of this engine brought more orders and greater awareness of his talent. In 1907 Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, organized the Aerial Experiment Association and asked Curtiss to join as the director of experiments. In May 1908 Curtiss took his first airplane flight in the White Wing, an aircraft designed by Casey Baldwin (Lt. Thomas Selfridge also flew it, thereby becoming the first military person to fly an airplane.)
30. NMUSW1_120805_179.JPG: A month later Curtiss flew an airplane of his own design, the June Bug. Curtiss built on the success of his first airplane by demonstrating it (and follow-on designs) before large crowds, earning large cash prizes and winning several awards -- including the Scientific American Trophy three years in a row, the Gold Medal of the Aero Club, the Gordon Bennett Trophy, the Langley Medal, and the Collier Trophy. Curtiss sold his first military airplane, the Model D Type IV, to the Signal Corps in April 1911, and continued to build more powerful engines and new airplanes for the military. Of particular note was Curtiss' development of the flying boat, the JN-4 trainer (the most widely used U.S. aircraft of World War I), and the OX-5 engine used in the JN-4 and other aircraft. During WWI, the Curtiss Aeroplane Motor Co. became the world's largest producer of aircraft. Shortly after the end of WWI, Curtiss left the aviation business, passing away in 1930 at the age of 52. Ironically, although he and the Wrights fought a bitter patent struggle between 1909-1917, the companies they founded merged in 1929 to become the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Co.
31. NMUSW1_120805_196.JPG: CURTISS 1911 MODEL D In 1911 the U.S. Army Signal Corps purchased its second airplane, a Curtiss Model D Type IV. The military version of the Curtiss Model D could be easily disassembled and transported on Army wagons. Like other Curtiss aircraft of the time, the Model D was a pusher, meaning the rear-mounted propeller "pushed" the aircraft. Designated Signal Corps Airplane No. 2, it was accepted at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, on April 27, 1911, one of five airplanes ordered by the Army that year. The control system for the Curtiss Model D operated differently than that used on Signal Corps No. 1, a Wright aircraft. A pilot flying the Curtiss operated the ailerons with his shoulders, and the front elevator and rear rudder with the wheel mounted on a column in front of him. Also, rather than sitting next to the pilot, the observer sat behind the pilot. The Signal Corps scrapped the original aircraft, so museum personnel constructed the reproduction on display, completing it in 1987. They relied heavily on measurements scaled from early photographs of the original Signal Corps No. 2 because the original drawings and adequate written descriptions were not available. Additional details were gathered from an existing factory-built Curtiss pusher and from recent drawings. Except for the engine, which is made of wood and plastic, all materials used in the reproduction are essentially the same as those used in the original.
32. NMUSW1_120805_206.JPG: WRIGHT 1909 MILITARY FLYER The Wright 1909 Military Flyer became the first military heavier-than-air flying machine. Upon purchase by the Signal Corps for $30,000 on Aug. 2, 1909, the U.S. Army designated the Wright 1909 Military Flyer as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, and it remained the only Army airplane for nearly two years. In October 1909, Wilbur Wright used Signal Corps No. 1 to give flight instruction to Lts. Frank P. Lahm and Frederic E. Humphreys. In 1910 Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois taught himself how to fly in Signal Corps No. 1 while stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. By March 1911, after several crashes and repairs, the Army retired Signal Corps No. 1. It is now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. This airplane on display is an exacting reproduction constructed by museum personnel in 1955. It is equipped with an engine donated by Orville Wright and chains, sprockets and propellers donated by the heirs of the Wright estate. TECHNICAL NOTES: Engine: 4-cylinder Wright of 30.6 hp Maximum speed: 42 mph Maximum endurance: 1 hour
33. NMUSW1_120805_217.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt heard of the Wrights and their flying machine and directed the U.S. Army to investigate their claims of having flown. This interest led to meetings with the Wrights, and on Dec. 23, 1907, Specification No. 486 was issued for a "Heavier-than-air Flying Machine." On Feb. 10, 1908, the Signal Corps and the Wrights signed their contract. WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1908 Orville Wright brought the 1908 Flyer to Fort Myer, Va., on Aug. 20, 1908. Beginning on Sept. 3, he made public flights almost daily, and as the word spread, people flocked to Fort Myer in droves. On Sept. 9, he stayed aloft more than an hour, establishing a record, and later the same day he took Lt. Frank P. Lahm aloft. Lahm thus became the first Army officer to fly as a passenger.
34. NMUSW1_120805_221.JPG: TRAGEDY STRIKES Tragedy struck during a flight on Sept. 17, 1908, when the right propeller on the 1908 Flyer fouled a guy wire, causing the plane to crash to earth. Orville Wright was seriously injured, while Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, along on the flight as a passenger, was fatally injured, thus becoming the first person to die as the result of an airplane accident.
35. NMUSW1_120805_225.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS, 1909-1910 On June 20, 1909, the Wrights returned to Washington with a new and somewhat improved airplane, the 1909 Flyer. Official trials began on July 27 when Orville Wright flew 1 hour, 12 minutes, 40 seconds with Lt. Lahm on board as observer. The final trial flight was made on July 30 when Orville flew the airplane at an average speed of 42 mph with Lt. Foulois as observer. The 1909 Wright Flyer was formally accepted on Aug. 2 and was designated as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, thereby becoming the world's first military airplane.
36. NMUSW1_120805_234.JPG: Wright Control System
37. NMUSW1_120805_236.JPG: Following the acceptance of the 1909 Flyer, aviation activities were moved to College Park, Md., where a larger flying field was available, and on Oct. 8, Wilbur Wright began giving flying lessons to Lts. Lahm and Frederick E. Humphreys. Lt. Humphreys soloed on Oct. 26, becoming the Army's first "pilot." Lt. Lahm soloed several minutes later. Within weeks, both officers were ordered to return to duty with their respective Army units. The Aeronautical Division was left with one airplane and a handful of airplane mechanics, but no pilot.
38. NMUSW1_120805_239.JPG: FORT SAM HOUSTON TEXAS: Fortunately for the future of the U.S. military aviation, one other officer, Lt. Foulois, had ridden in the airplane several times. As a result of this "previous experience," he was ordered to take the airplane to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and teach himself to fly it, even though he had never made a solo flight or even a takeoff or landing. On March 2, 1910, he made his first flight and by September had flown the plane on 61 practice hops. During this period, the Wright brothers sent flying instructions through the mail to Lt. Foulois whenever he needed advice on some "unknown" aspect of becoming a pilot. By early 1911, the airplane was in poor condition, having been wrecked and rebuilt by Lt. Foulois on several occasions, and it was retired from further service.
39. NMUSW1_120805_243.JPG: Stetson hat worn by Benjamin D. Foulois
40. NMUSW1_120805_247.JPG: At this time, R.F. Collier, owner of Collier's magazine, offered to lend to the U.S. Army a new 1910 Wright B airplane, which he had just purchased. The Collier plane, together with a Wright factory pilot, Phillip O. Parmalee, arrived in San Antonio in February 1911, and Foulois began to learn to fly the newer type aircraft. During the next several weeks, these two men demonstrated the advantages to be derived from using the airplane for courier duties between military units.
41. NMUSW1_120805_254.JPG: ARMY BUYS NEW AIRPLANES On March 31, 1911, Congress made its first appropriation for military aviation, $125,000 for the year 1912. The Signal Corps immediately ordered five new airplanes. The first of these, a Curtiss Type IV Model D "Military", was accepted at Fort Sam Houston on April 27, 1911, and became Signal Corps Airplane No. 2. Signal Corps No. 3, a Wright Type B, was also accepted on April 27.
42. NMUSW1_120805_261.JPG: FIRST SHOT FIRED FROM AIRPLANE The first shot fired from an airplane occurred on Aug 20, 1910 at Sheepshead Bay race track near New York City. With Curtiss piloting, Lt. Jacob E. Fickel fired a rifle at a 3' x 5' target from an altitude of 100 feet. The next month, Fickel and Curtiss repeated the experiment at Boston, this time using an Army semi-automatic pistol.
43. NMUSW1_120805_266.JPG: Springfield M1903 .30 cal. rifle similar to one fired by Lt. Fickel
44. NMUSW1_120805_272.JPG: The fourth Military Aviator's badge to be issued. Awarded to Lt. Paul W. Beck, who qualified on July 12, 1912. Special recognition was first given officially to Army flyers on February 23, 1912 when the War Department created the rating of "Military Aviator." On May 27, 1913, authorization was issued for a special badge to be worn by Military Aviators, and during the latter part of that year, the first badges were made and awarded to 14 pilots qualified to receive them.
45. NMUSW1_120805_287.JPG: RODMAN WANAMAKER ENDURANCE TROPHY During the 1910-1911 period, the Signal Corps had so few airplanes that it adopted a policy of granting its pilots necessary leave from duty to fly manufacturers' airplanes at civilian flying meets. At one such meet sponsored by the Aero Club of America on Sept. 26, 1911, at the Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome on Long Island, Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling set a world altitude endurance record of 1 hour, 54 minutes, 42.6 seconds with two passengers, for which he was awarded the trophy on display. Milling, together with Lt. H.H. Arnold, was taught to fly in May 1911 at the Wright Company's flying school at Huffman Prairie, now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
46. NMUSW1_120805_307.JPG: Machine Gun Fired From Airplane: During the 1912 flying season at College Park, additional volunteers were accepted for flight instruction, more airplanes wre purchased, and new experiments were conducted. One of the most notable tests was the first firing of a machine gun from an airplane by Capt. Chandler on June 7, 1912. He scored fire hits on a 6' x 7' cheesecloth target from an altitude of 550' and obtained 14 hits from 44 bullets fired, for a remarkable 32 per cent score. The General Staff of the US Army was unimpressed, however, and one staff officer made it clear that "airplanes were suitable only for reconnaissance and that thoughts of air battles were purely the product of the young fliers' fertile imaginations."
47. NMUSW1_120805_313.JPG: Aero Club Medal: Aero Club of America medal presented to the Wright Brothers by President William Howard Taft at the White House on June 10, 1909. This event marked the awakening of the nation to the importance of the Wrights' achievements.
48. NMUSW1_120805_322.JPG: Homecoming medal: Official program and souvenir model from the triumphant June 17-18, 1909 homecoming celebration in Dayton.
49. NMUSW1_120805_331.JPG: Fragments of the propeller blade that broke during the fateful flight
50. NMUSW1_120805_339.JPG: Battery Selfridge marker
51. NMUSW1_120805_347.JPG: Lt. Selfridge moments before takeoff
52. NMUSW1_120805_351.JPG: TRAGEDY STRIKES Tragedy struck during a flight on Sept. 17, 1908, when the right propeller on the 1908 Flyer fouled a guy wire, causing the plane to crash to earth. Orville Wright was seriously injured, while Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, along on the flight as a passenger, was fatally injured, thus becoming the first person to die as the result of an airplane accident.
53. NMUSW1_120805_366.JPG: WRIGHT BROTHERS 1916 WIND TUNNEL This wind tunnel was designed by Orville Wright in 1916 and installed in his laboratory at 15 N. Broadway in Dayton, Ohio. He used this tunnel to conduct various aerodynamic experiments during the World War I period. In July 1918, Orville wrote to a friend, "I have lately put up a small tunnel in my laboratory in which we have a wind velocity of over 160 miles an hour." The wind tunnel is on loan from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
54. NMUSW1_120805_382.JPG: CURTISS JN-4D JENNY The Curtiss Jenny became America's most famous World War I training airplane. Generally used for primary flight training, some Jennies were equipped with machine guns and bomb racks for advanced training. The JN series began by combining the best features of the Curtiss "J" and "N" models. A 1915 version, the JN-3, supported Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico in 1916, but the aircraft proved unsuitable for field operations. Curtiss improved the JN-3 and redesignated in the JN-4. With America's entry into WWI on April 6, 1917, the Signal Corps ordered large quantities of JN-4s, and by the time production was terminated after the Armistice, more than 6,000 had been delivered, the majority of them JN-4Ds. After WWI, the Army sold hundreds of surplus JN-4s to civilians. The airplane soon became the mainstay of the "barnstormers" of the 1920s, and many Jennies continued flying into the 1930s. The JN-4D on display was obtained from Robert Pfeil of Taylor, Texas, in 1956. TECHNICAL NOTES: Engine: Curtiss OX-5 of 90 hp Maximum speed: 75 mph Ceiling: 11,000 ft.
55. NMUSW1_120805_397.JPG: EUGENE JACQUES BULLARD: THE FIRST BLACK MILITARY AVIATOR: In August of 1917 Eugene Jacques Bullard, an American volunteer in the French army, became the first black military pilot in history and the only black pilot in World War I. Born in Columbus, Ga., on Oct. 9, 1894, Bullard left home at the age of 11 to travel the world, and by 1913 he had settled in France as a prizefighter. When WWI started in 1914, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and rose to the rank of corporal. For his bravery as an infantryman in combat, Bullard received the Croix de Guerre and other decorations. During the Battle of Verdun in 1916, France suffered 460,000 casualties and Bullard was seriously wounded. While recuperating, he accepted an offer to join the French air force as a gunner/observer, but when he reported to gunnery school, he obtained permission to become a pilot. After completing flight training, Bullard joined the 200 other Americans in the Lafayette Flying Corps, and he flew combat missions from Aug. 27 to Nov. 11, 1917. He distinguished himself in aerial combat, as he had on the ground, and was officially credited with shooting down one German aircraft. Unfortunately, Bullard -- an enlisted pilot -- got into a disagreement with a French officer, which led to his removal from the French air force. He returned to his infantry regiment, and he performed non-combatant duties for the remainder of the war. After the war, Bullard remained in France as an expatriate. When the Germans invaded France in May 1940, the 46-year-old Bullard rejoined the French army. Again seriously wounded by an exploding shell, he escaped the Germans and made his way to the United States. For the rest of World War II, despite his lingering injuries, he worked as a longshoreman in New York and supported the war effort by participating in war bond drives. Bullard stayed in New York after the war and lived in relative obscurity, but in France he remained a hero. In 1954 he was one of the veterans chosen to light the "Everlasting Flame" at the French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, and in 1959 the French honored him with the Knight of the Legion of Honor. On Oct. 13, 1961, Eugene Bullard died and was buried with full military honors in his legionnaire's uniform in the cemetery of the Federation of French War Veterans in Flushing, New York. On Sept. 14, 1994, the secretary of the Air Force posthumously appointed him a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
56. NMUSW1_120805_407.JPG: Pennant of the Lafayette Escadrille 1982: The French Air Force still includes the Lafayette Escadrille among its active squadrons, although no longer manned by Americans. This modern pennant was presented to the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
57. NMUSW1_120805_408.JPG: Lafayette Escadrille insigne cut from fabric covering of fuselage of SPAD airplane flown in combat by donor.
58. NMUSW1_120805_412.JPG: BARON MANFRED VON RICHTHOFEN The leading ace of all nations during World War I was Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the famous "Red Knight of Germany." Although he scored most of his 80 victories while flying the Albatross fighter, he is most closely associated with the Fokker Dr. I triplane, the type of plane he flew during the latter part of his combat career. The Baron was shot down and killed on April 21, 1918, several miles east of Amiens, France. His death started one of the greatest controversies in aviation history. Although his downing was officially credited to Capt. Roy Brown, a Canadian flying Sopwith Camels with the RAF, some historians claim he was shot down by Australian ground troops.
59. NMUSW1_120805_417.JPG: Tachometer cable from the Fokker Triplane in which Von Richthofen was shot down and killed.
60. NMUSW1_120805_421.JPG: Piece of fabric from the Fokker triplane being flown by Von Richthofen at the time of his death. Historically, it is important to the researcher in that it proves the Baron's airplane was not painted in a brilliant shade of red as was so often reported during the war.
61. NMUSW1_120805_441.JPG: The basswood cross placed on Quentin Roosevelt's grave by German troops at the time of burial.
62. NMUSW1_120805_445.JPG: Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, youngest son of former President Theodore Roosevelt, was a pilot in the 95th Aero Sq. On July 14, 1918, he was shot down behind German lines by Sgt. Thom, a German ace with 24 victories. Roosevelt's Nieuport 28 crashed to earth at Chamery near Coulnges-en-Tardenois and his body was buried by the Germans at the crash site. Since the plane had crashed so near the front lines, the Germans had to use two pieces of basswood saplings, bound together with wire from he Nieuport, to fashion a cross for the grave. When the Germans retreated from the area, US troops found the grave and made a wood cross for it. Still later, Frenchmen constructed an elaborate marker and fence. On Jul 12, 1944, Quentin's brother, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., died of a heart attack in Normandy following the WWII D-Day invasion of France. When the American Memorial was established at St. Laurent-sur-Mer after the war at Omaha Beach, Theodore's remains were buried in the cemetery. Quentin's remains were then exhumed and buried at St. Laurent beside those of Theodore.
63. NMUSW1_120805_456.JPG: Arthur Rahn, German Ace and American Citizen
64. NMUSW1_120805_466.JPG: HALBERSTADT CL IV Introduced into combat during the last great German offensive of World War I, the CL IV supported German troops by attacking Allied ground positions. Equipped with both fixed and flexible machine guns, hand-dropped grenades and small bombs, the CL IV proved very effective in this role, but it lacked the armor necessary for protection against ground fire. The CL IV became a hunted target of Allied pursuit squadrons, but it gave a very good account of itself in dogfights. A versatile machine, the CL IV also performed as an interceptor against Allied night bombing raids and served as a night bomber against troop concentrations and airfields near the front lines. The museum acquired the Halberstadt CL IV on display in 1984. Badly deteriorated at the time, its restoration was a joint international cooperative venture by the Museum fur Verkehr und Technik in Berlin, Germany, the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the United States Air Force. It is marked as the CL IV of the squadron leader of the Schlachtstaffel 21, which is known to have engaged elements of the U.S. Army's 94th and 95th Aero Squadrons in mid-July 1918 during the Chateau Thierry battle. TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: Armament: One or two fixed 7.92mm Spandau machine guns and one flexible Parabellum 7.92mm machine gun; anti-personnel grenades; and four or five 22-lb. bombs Engine: Mercedes D III 6-cylinder in-line, water-cooled engine of 160 hp Maximum speed: 112 mph Range: 300 miles Ceiling: 21,000 ft.
65. NMUSW1_120805_473.JPG: CAQUOT TYPE R OBSERVATION BALLOON Tethered balloons allowed World War I observers to see as far as 40 miles behind enemy lines to spot troop movements, chart trench systems and direct artillery fire. The observation balloon most used by Americans was named for its designer, French engineer Lt. Albert Caquot. The hydrogen-filled balloon could lift two passengers in its basket, along with charting and communications equipment, plus the weight of its mooring cable, to a height of about 4,000 feet in good weather. Normal operations were between 1,000 and 4,000 feet. During WWI, American balloon observers directed artillery fire at targets such as troop concentrations and supply dumps. They noted more than 1,000 enemy airplane sightings, 1,000 instances of military traffic on railroads and roads and 400 artillery batteries. Caquot balloons were manufactured in great numbers in WWI; nearly 1,000 were made in the United States in 1918-1919. During World War II, the British produced Caquots once again, but in limited numbers. Manufactured in 1944, the balloon displayed at the museum is believed to be the only survivor. The British used it for parachute testing and noncombat aerial observation and photography until 1960. The British Ministry of Defense, Royal Aircraft Establishment, presented the Caquot to the museum after it was located with the aid of American and British WWI balloon veterans in 1975. Assisted by the Goodyear Aerospace Corp. of Akron, Ohio, which had produced these balloons during WWI, museum personnel mended and sealed the balloon fabric and prepared it for inflation. It was placed on display in May 1979.
66. NMUSW1_120805_475.JPG: SOPWITH F-1 CAMEL The British Sopwith Camel F-1 shot down more enemy aircraft than any other World War I fighter. It was highly maneuverable and very difficult to defeat in a dogfight. Because of its tricky handling characteristics, however, more men lost their lives while learning to fly it than died while using it in combat. The Camel first went into action in June 1917 with 70 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, and 4 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service. Two U.S. Army Air Service squadrons, the 17th and 148th, flew the Camel in combat while assigned to British forces during the summer and fall of 1918. Such famous U.S. pilots as George Vaughn (America's second-ranking Air Service ace to survive the war), Elliot White Springs, Errol Zistel and Larry Callahan were members of the 17th and 148th. A third U.S. unit, the 185th Aero Squadron, used the Camel as a night fighter on the American Front during the last month of the war. Although 5,490 Camels were produced, very few remain in existence today. USAF personnel built the Camel on display from the original WWI factory drawings, completing it in 1974. The aircraft is painted and marked as the Camel flown by Lt. George A. Vaughn Jr., 17th Aero Squadron. TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: Two Vickers .303-cal. machine guns Engine: Clerget rotary of 130 hp Maximum speed: 112 mph Range: 300 miles Ceiling: 19,000 ft.
67. NMUSW1_120805_481.JPG: SPAD XIII C.1 In 1916 a new generation of German fighters threatened to win air superiority over the Western Front. The French aircraft company, Soci�t� pour l'Aviation et ses D�rives (SPAD), responded by developing a replacement for its highly successful SPAD VII. Essentially a larger version of the SPAD VII with a more powerful V-8 Hispano-Suiza engine, the prototype SPAD XIII C.1 ["C" designating Chasseur (fighter) and "1" indicating one aircrew] first flew in March 1917. With its 220-hp engine, the SPAD XIII reached a top speed of 135 mph -- about 10 mph faster than the new German fighters. It carried two .303-cal. Vickers machine guns mounted above the engine. Each gun had 400 rounds of ammunition, and the pilot could fire the guns separately or together. Technical problems hampered production until late 1917, but nine different companies built a total of 8,472 SPAD XIIIs by the time production ceased in 1919. Since the United States entered World War I without a combat-ready fighter of its own, the U.S. Army Air Service obtained fighters built by the Allies. After the Nieuport 28 proved unsuitable, the Air Service adopted the SPAD XIII as its primary fighter. By the war's end, the Air Service had accepted 893 SPAD XIIIs from the French, and these aircraft equipped 15 of the 16 American fighter squadrons. Today, Americans are most familiar with the SPAD XIII because many of our aces -- like Rickenbacker and Luke -- flew them during WWI. Built in October 1918 by the Kellner et ses Fils piano works outside of Paris, the museum's SPAD XIII (S/N 16594) did not see combat. Shipped to the United States with 434 other SPAD XIIIs after the Armistice, this aircraft went to San Diego, Calif., and a smaller, 150-hp Wright-Hispano engine replaced its Hispano-Suiza engine. The museum staff restored this SPAD XIII to its original configuration, including a 220-hp Hispano-Suiza engine. It is painted in the markings of America's highest scoring ace of WWI with 26 victories, Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker of the 94th Pursuit Squadron. TECHNICAL NOTES: Wingspan: 26 ft. 11 in. Length: 20 ft. 8 in. Height: 7 ft. 11 in. Weight: 1,815 lbs. (gross)
68. NMUSW1_120805_505.JPG: "STUMPY" JOHN SILVER: HEROIC WINGED MESSENGER Homing pigeons were used in World War I to deliver messages when other means such as telephones, telegraph, radio or dispatch riders were unavailable. They proved their value carrying messages from front line outposts to pigeon lofts at command centers, which they returned to by instinct and training. This homing pigeon was hatched in January 1918 in a dugout just behind the lines in France. During the Meuse-Argonne offensive, he was one of the most active pigeons in the Army, and his barrage-dodging skill was apparent in many exciting flights from the front line trenches to divisional pigeon lofts. On Oct. 21, 1918, at 2:35 p.m., this pigeon was released at Grandpre from a front line dugout in the Meuse-Argonne drive with an important message for headquarters at Rampont, 25 miles away. The enemy had laid down a furious bombardment prior to an attack. Through this fire, the pigeon circled, gained his bearings and flew toward Rampont. Men in the trenches saw a shell explode near the pigeon. The concussion tossed him upward and then plunged him downward. Struggling, he regained his altitude and continued on his course. Arriving at Rampont 25 minutes later, the bird was a terrible sight. A bullet had ripped his breast, bits of shrapnel ripped his tiny body, and his right leg was missing. The message tube, intact, was hanging by the ligaments of the torn leg. Weeks of nursing restored his health but could not give back the leg he lost on the battlefield. The pigeon became a war hero and earned the name "John Silver," after the one-legged pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. He was retired from active service and in 1921 was assigned as a mascot to the 11th Signal Company, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Hawaii. John Silver died Dec. 6, 1935, at the age of 17 years and 11 months. Thereafter, on each Organization Day of the 11th Signal Company, the name John Silver was added to the roll-call. When his name was called, the senior non-commissioned officer present responded, "Died of wounds received in battle in the service of his country." The Army Signal Corps presented John Silver to the museum on Dec. 19, 1935. Since at least the mid-1930s, many people have called this one-legged pigeon "Stumpy" John Silver. The nickname, however, has been a matter of contention. The Signal Company commander of the Hawaiian Division at Schofield Barracks (John Silver's commanding officer at the time the bird died) felt it was disrespectful and is reported to have said in 1961 that anyone who called the bird "Stumpy" would have been summarily thrown out of the area. Nonetheless, a 1937 Signal Corps Headquarters document states that "'Stumpy' John Silver was on display at the Army Aeronautical Museum, Wright Field, Ohio, which later became the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
69. NMUSW1_120805_552.JPG: FOKKER D. VII First appearing entering combat in May 1918, the Fokker D. VII quickly showed its superior performance over Allied fighters. With its high rate of climb, higher ceiling and excellent handling characteristics, German pilots scored a remarkable 565 victories over Allied aircraft during the month of August alone. Designed by Reinhold Platz, the prototype of the D. VII flew in a competition against other new fighter aircraft in early 1918. After Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Red Baron, flew the prototype and enthusiastically recommended it, the D. VII was chosen for production. To achieve higher production rates, Fokker, the Albatross company and the Allgemeine Elektrizitats Gesellschaft (AEG) all built the D. VII. By war's end in November 1918, these three companies had built more than 1,700 aircraft. The reproduction aircraft on display is painted to represent the Fokker D. VII of Lt. Rudolph Stark, a squadron leader of Jasta (Fighter Squadron) 35b in October 1918. It was placed on exhibit in May 1996.
70. NMUSW1_120805_574.JPG: KETTERING AERIAL TORPEDO "BUG" In 1917 Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio, invented the unmanned Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Bug." Launched from a four-wheeled dolly that ran down a portable track, the Bug's system of internal pre-set pneumatic and electrical controls stabilized and guided it toward a target. After a predetermined length of time, a control closed an electrical circuit, which shut off the engine. Then, the wings were released, causing the Bug to plunge to earth -- where its 180 pounds of explosive detonated on impact. The Dayton-Wright Airplane Co. built fewer than 50 Bugs before the Armistice, and the Bug never saw combat. After the war, the U.S. Army Air Service conducted additional tests, but the scarcity of funds in the 1920s halted further development. Museum personnel built this full-size reproduction of the Bug, and it went on display in 1964. TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: 180 lbs. of high explosive Engine: One De Palma 4-cylinder of 40 hp Maximum speed: 120 mph Range: 75 miles
71. NMUSW1_120805_591.JPG: STANDARD J-1 (FABRIC REMOVED) The U.S. Army Air Service used the Standard J-1 during World War I for primary flight instruction. Although 1,601 J-1s were produced by four manufacturers (Standard, Dayton-Wright, Fisher Body and Wright Martin), the J-1 never achieved the popularity of the more numerous JN-4 Jenny. The fabric covering on the fuselage has been removed to illustrate the wire-braced wooden construction typical for aircraft of that time. It also reveals the dual controls and relatively simple cockpit instrumentation. The black tank in front of the forward cockpit is the fuel tank. This airplane was donated to the Air Force Museum Foundation in December 1962 by Robert Greiger, Oak Harbor, Ohio.
72. NMUSW1_120805_606.JPG: CAPRONI CA. 36 During World War I, Italian aeronautical engineer Gianni Caproni developed a series of multi-engine heavy bombers that played a key role in the Allied strategic bombing campaign. His bombers were produced not only in Italy, but also in France, Great Britain and the United States. In late 1914 Caproni designed the Ca. 31, powered by three Gnome rotary engines. The following year, Caproni produced a new version, the Ca. 32. Very similar to the Ca. 31, it had three FIAT 100-hp water-cooled in-line engines. Three months after Italy's entry into WWI, the first Ca. 32s attacked an Austrian air base at Aisovizza, and by the end of the year, regular raids were being mounted against other Austrian targets. Caproni continued to refine his successful design with the introduction of the Isotta-Fraschini powered Ca. 33. Toward the end of the war the definitive version, the Ca. 36, went into production. Changes from the Ca. 33 were small but included five-section wings that made disassembly and surface transportation easy. Ca. 36s remained in Italian Air Force service as late as 1929. Restored by museum specialists, the museum obtained the Ca. 36 on display from the Museo Aeronautica Caproni di Taliedo in Italy in 1987.
73. NMUSW1_120805_614.JPG: DE HAVILLAND DH 82A TIGER MOTH This classic British trainer made its first flight on Oct. 26, 1931. It is one of a number of models of light aircraft named for moths, in recognition of designer Geoffrey de Havilland's interest in moths and butterflies. It became popular with air forces throughout the United Kingdom as well as the civilian aviation market. In Britain, 8,101 were manufactured plus 2,751 more in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. During World War II, most Royal Air Force pilots trained in Tiger Moths, including Americans who flew with the Eagle Squadrons before the United States entered the war. In the United Kingdom, Tiger Moths performed a variety of roles in addition to that of primary trainer, including submarine patrol, air ambulance and even prisoner evacuation. The U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942 ordered 200 from de Havilland of Canada as the PT-24, but these were never delivered and were diverted to the Royal Canadian Air Force instead. The beautifully restored Tiger Moth on display has won numerous trophies at air shows, including a prestigious Category Championship for WWII airplanes at the annual show at Oshkosh, Wis. It was donated to the museum by Susan and Kurt Hofschneider of Colonia, N.J., and J.P. Jordan of Slippery Rock, Penn.
74. NMUSW1_120805_638.JPG: BLUNDER TROPHIES Humor was a virtue not greatly lacking among the test pilots at McCook Field and, later Wright Field. Although the pilots assigned to the Flying Section approached their jobs in a most diligent and professional manner, they still possessed that habit so common among those who fly -- jocularity. A blunder trophy was created for presentation to a pilot who had made some kind of ridiculous or inexcusable mistake while flying, such as taxiing into a parked airplane or taking off without sufficient fuel and being forced down "out-of-gas." In this museum display are many of the blunder trophies from the 1920s and early 1930s presented at McCook and Wright Fields. Since the program was not of an official nature, no records were preserved to indicate which pilot won what trophy when and why.
75. NMUSW1_120805_689.JPG: AERIAL ROUTE FLASHING BEACON The U.S. Army Air Service placed beacons like this one around airfields in the early 1920s. They were also stationed three miles apart along the established air mail routes, and at night, pilots could see their constant glow from 10 miles away. A switch automatically turned the light on at night or on overcast days and shut it off during daylight hours. Developed from a Swedish light used by the British Air Ministry on the London to Paris air route, this American Gas Accumulator Co. beacon used acetylene gas to produce 5,000-candlepower flashes 150 times a minute.
76. NMUSW1_120805_707.JPG: FORD MODEL T AMBULANCE During World War I, the Allies used thousands of Model T cars and trucks because of their low cost and ease of repair. The ambulance version's light weight made it well-suited for use on the muddy and shell-torn roads in forward combat areas. If stuck in a hole, a group of soldiers could lift one without much difficulty. By Nov. 1, 1918, 4,362 Model T ambulances had been shipped overseas. The light wooden body was mounted on a standard Model T auto chassis. The 4-cylinder engine produced about 20 hp. There was no self-starter; the engine had to be cranked by hand. This vehicle was equipped with an early form of automatic transmission and could carry three litters or four seated patients and two more could sit with the driver. Canvas "pockets" covered the litter handles that stuck out beyond the tailgate. Many American field service and Red Cross volunteer drivers, including writers Ernest Hemingway and Bret Harte and cartoonist Walt Disney drove Model T ambulances. "Hunka Tin," a poem written as a parody on Rudyard Kipling's "Gunga Din," appeared in the American Field Service Bulletin and was used in Ford dealers' advertising throughout the United States. The final stanza read: Yes, Tin, Tin, Tin. You exasperating puzzle, Hunka Tin. I've abused you and I've flayed you, But by Henry Ford who made you, You are better than a Packard, Hunka Tin. The ambulance on display was acquired from and restored by Vintage Aviation Services Inc., Marion, Texas. This vehicle of mid-1920s vintage has been painted and marked to represent a WWI ambulance.
77. NMUSW1_120805_716.JPG: BATTLESHIP TRIALS For over a century the U.S. Army and Navy were in agreement about the coastal defense of the United States: the Army would defend the beaches and out to the range of their coastal guns, and the Navy would protect anything beyond that range. The airplane, however, changed that arrangement. Since the U.S. Army Air Service's airplanes could attack an enemy fleet far from the coastline, the airmen wanted to take over that mission, but first, they had to prove that an airplane could sink a battleship. In May 1921 men and aircraft from various units arrived at Langley Field, Va., to prepare for the Ostfriesland bombing trials. Designated the 1st Provisional Air Brigade, this unit was commanded by Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell during the bombing trials. During highly publicized tests held in June-July 1921 off the Virginia capes, the Navy and Army studied the effects of bombing on ships taken from the German navy after World War I. The climax came on July 21, 1921, when Army Air Service bombers sank the powerful German battleship Ostfriesland. These tests, General Mitchell stated, proved that bombs dropped from airplanes could easily destroy "even the most modern of battleships." Furthermore, they "demonstrated beyond a doubt that, given sufficient bombing planes -- in short an adequate airforce -- aircraft constitute a positive defense of our country against hostile invasion."
78. NMUSW1_120805_724.JPG: In September 1921 the airmen presented further evidence by striking the obsolete USS Alabama. Although the Army Air Service sank two more battleships -- the USS New Jersey and the USS Virginia -- two years later, control over the coastal defense mission remained with the ground and naval forces. As a result, the supporters of an independent air force -- especially Billy Mitchell -- became more vocal in their demands for a separate air force.
79. NMUSW1_120805_735.JPG: G-3 TARGET GLIDER The McCook Field Engineering Section developed a series of target gliders in the 1920s, including the G-3. In December 1922 J.A. Roche designed the first model, the GL-1, as a target for anti-aircraft gunners of the U.S. Army Coast Artillery. These early targets were the first and only gliders (manned or unmanned) used by the U.S. Army Air Service. Later target gliders, like the G-3, operated as live-fire aerial targets for fighter and attack aircraft into the early 1930s. Because it could be adjusted to fly a straight, circular or random course, the target glider provided a more effective training tool than the traditional towed target sock. For aerial gunnery training, a pilot carried his target glider aloft. After release, the glider took several minutes to reach the ground. During this time, the pilot could make several gunnery passes against it.
80. NMUSW1_120805_751.JPG: KELLETT K-2/K-3 AUTOGIRO Before World War II, aeronautical engineers sought to build an aircraft capable of making short takeoffs and landings. Eventually, their efforts produced the helicopter, but they also pursued a less common design -- the autogiro. Like helicopters, autogiros used a rotary wing to produce lift. However, unlike helicopters, the engine did not power the autogiro's rotor. Instead, aerodynamic forces made the autogiro rotor spin, while the engine propelled the aircraft. In 1931 the Kellett brothers, Wallace and Rod, manufactured 12 K-2 autogiros. Based on existing Cierva and Pitcairn autogiro designs, the K-2 incorporated a much larger blade area, a simplified landing gear and a wider fuselage to accommodate side-by-side seating. Equipped with a 165-hp Continental A-70 engine, the K-2 could carry a useful load of 609 pounds at a top speed of 100 mph, a cruise speed of 80 mph and a stall speed of 24 mph. In 1932 Kellett produced an improved model, the K-3. Powered by a 210-hp Kinner C-5 engine, it had a top speed of 110 mph, a cruise speed of 90 mph and a stall speed of only 15 mph. Kellett produced six of these aircraft, with two of them being modified K-2s. To observe enemy forces and to control artillery fire, the U.S. Army needed an aircraft capable of flying very slowly, and the autogiro seemed to be a perfect solution. Therefore, the U.S. Army Air Corps tested both versions of the Kellett at Wright Field, but these aircraft lacked the performance necessary for military applications. Later versions of the Kellett autogiro proved more successful, and the Army Air Corps purchased a small number of Kellett YG-1s, the first practical rotorcraft procured by the Army Air Corps, at the end of the 1930s. The Kelletts sold two K-3s to the Japanese War Office in 1932, but the most famous Kellett was the K-3 that Admiral Richard E. Byrd used on his Antarctic Expedition of 1933-1934. The aircraft on display, a modified K-2, was the first autogiro tested by the Army Air Corps at Wright Field in 1931.
81. NMUSW1_120805_812.JPG: BOEING P-26A The P-26A marked a significant step in the evolution of fighter aircraft -- it became the U.S. Army Air Corps' first all-metal monoplane fighter in regular service. Affectionately nicknamed the "Peashooter" by its pilots, the P-26A could fly much faster in level flight than the Air Corps' older wood and fabric biplane fighters. The P-26A also had a higher landing speed. Although not initially delivered with wing flaps, P-26As were later fitted with them to reduce landing speeds. Even with its monoplane design and all-metal construction, the Peashooter retained some traditional features, such as an open cockpit, fixed landing gear and external wing bracing. The P-26A became the last Air Corps fighter to have these obsolete characteristics. The first of three prototype P-26s flew in March 1932. After purchasing these aircraft, the Air Corps ordered a total of 111 of the production version, the P-26A, and 25 of the later B and C models. Boeing delivered the first P-26As to the Air Corps in December 1933. The P-26 remained the Air Corps front-line fighter until 1938, when the Curtiss P-36A and the Seversky P-35 began to replace it. The P-26 also flew in foreign air forces. In 1934 Boeing sold an export version to the Chinese, who flew it in combat against the Japanese. In December 1941, the Philippine government employed the then-obsolete P-26 against the Japanese in a futile effort. This P-26A reproduction is painted to represent the commander's aircraft of the 19th Pursuit Squadron, 18th Pursuit Group, stationed at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, in 1938.
82. NMUSW1_120805_835.JPG: LT. GEN. FRANK M. ANDREWS Before his premature death in 1943, Frank Maxwell Andrews played a major role in building the small U.S. Army Air Corps of the 1930s into the powerful U.S. Army Air Forces of World War II. Furthermore, he had become one of the key military commanders in the United States' armed forces. Born in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 3, 1884, Andrews entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in July 1902. Upon graduating from West Point in 1906, he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the cavalry. Andrews remained in the cavalry for 11 years, and he served at various posts, including the Philippines and Hawaii. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Andrews thought his cavalry unit would not be sent overseas, so he transferred to the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps. After a short time in the office of the Aviation Section in Washington, D.C., Andrews went to Rockwell Field, Calif., in 1918. There, he earned his aviator wings at the age of 34. Ironically, Andrews never went overseas during the war. Instead, he commanded various airfields around the United States and served in the war plans division of the Army General Staff in Washington, D.C. Following the war, he replaced Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell as the air officer assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany. After returning to the United States, Andrews assumed command of Kelly Field, Texas, and he became the first commandant of the advanced flying school established there. In 1928 he attended the Air Corps Tactical School at Langley Field, Va., and the following year he went to the Army Command and General School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Andrews served as the chief of the Army Air Corps' Training and Operations Division for a year before taking command of the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field, Mich. After graduation from the Army War College in 1933, Andrews returned to the General Staff in 1934. In March 1935 General Andrews took command of the newly formed General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force, which consolidated all the Army Air Corps' tactical units under a single commander. The Army promoted Andrews to brigadier general (temporary) and to major general (temporary) less than a year later. Under his command, GHQ Air Force started the development of air power that became the mighty U.S. Army Air Force. A vocal proponent of the four-engine heavy bomber, Andrews advocated the purchase of the Boeing B-17 in large numbers. The Army General Staff disagreed with Andrews, believing it better to purchase a large number of twin-engine light and medium bombers like the Douglas B-18 rather than a small number of four-engine heavy bombers. Through his insistence, however, the War Department purchased enough B-17s to keep the program alive. His tour as the GHQ Air Force commander ended in 1939, and he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel. The Army assigned him to the same position to which Gen. Mitchell had been sent after vigorously advocating the importance of air power. To many, it appeared that the Army was punishing Andrews for advocating the B-17 so forcefully. However, after less than four months, the Army reassigned Andrews as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations with the rank of brigadier general. In 1941, promoted again to lieutenant general, Andrews became commander of the Caribbean Defense Command, which had the critically important duty of defending the southern approaches to the United States including the vital Panama Canal. In 1942 Andrews went to North Africa, where as commander of all United States' forces in the Middle East, he helped to defeat Rommel's Afrika Korps. In February 1943 Andrews became the commander of all United States forces in the European Theater of Operations. In his memoirs, Gen Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces in WWII, expressed the belief that Andrews would have been given the command of the Allied invasion of Europe -- the position that eventually went to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Unfortunately, on May 3, 1943, the B-24 carrying Andrews on an inspection tour crashed while attempting to land at the Royal Air Force Base at Kaldadarnes, Iceland. Andrews and 13 others died in the crash, and only the tail gunner survived.
83. NMUSW1_120805_862.JPG: HITLER'S JUGGERNAUT Hitler's juggernaut invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, and another World War began. The rapidity with which Poland fell to the invaders, largely due to the Luftwaffe, had a stunning effect upon many Americans. What little lethargy remained was shattered in April-June 1940 when Norway, Holland, Belgium and France fell before the Nazis, leaving the British Isles as the Free World's only bastion in Western Europe. In but a few months, the words Stuka and Blitzkrieg became commonplace in the English language, feared symbols of supposedly invincible Nazi military strength. The Luftwaffe then directed its attention across the English Channel and attempted to bomb the British into submission. During the Battle of Britain, which took place from Aug. 8, 1940, to the spring of 1941, the Luftwaffe suffered such heavy losses that it finally was forced to call off its concentrated air offensive.
84. NMUSW1_120805_870.JPG: NORTH AMERICAN O-47B In 1934 North American Aviation developed the O-47 to replace the O-19 and O-38 observation biplanes. Larger and heavier than most preceding observation aircraft, its crew of three sat in tandem under the long canopy. Since the wings restricted downward observation and photography, North American put windows in the aircraft's deep belly. The U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 174 O-47s in 1937, and National Guard units received 93 of them. In 1938 the Army ordered 74 O-47Bs, which had a redesigned engine cowling for better cooling, a more powerful engine, and improved radio equipment. Training maneuvers in 1941 demonstrated the O-47's shortcomings. Lighter airplanes proved more capable of operating with ground troops, and fighters and twin-engine bombers showed greater ability to perform reconnaissance and photographic duties. Therefore, the Army relegated the O-47 to towing targets or to flying coastal and antisubmarine patrols. The museum acquired the O-47B on display in 1978 from Loren L. Florey Jr., of Eden Prairie, Minn. The 179th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard, Mansfield, Ohio, restored the aircraft in the markings of an O-47A of the 112th Observation Squadron of the Ohio National Guard.
85. NMUSW1_120805_884.JPG: NORTH AMERICAN BT-14 (NA-64) The NA-58, Army Air Corps designation BT-14, was a basic trainer developed by North American from its earlier BT-9. Except for the fabric-covered movable surfaces on the tail and wings, the BT-14 was an all metal aircraft. The Army Air Corps purchased 251 BT-14s. Very similar to the BT-14, this North American NA-64 is one of a group of aircraft originally built for the French. When Germany defeated France in 1940, undelivered NA-64s were diverted to the Royal Canadian Air Force where they served as Yale I flight and radio operator trainers. In 1974 the aircraft on display was extensively restored, after which it flew in air shows and conducted aerial photography. In 1978 Challenge Publications Inc. (Air Classics, Air Combat, Air Progress), Mr. Edwin Schnepf, president, donated it to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. A Flight Training Mishap This exhibit demonstrates what could happen to a cadet pilot when taxiing with the wind from behind and applying his brakes too hard. The wind would lift the tail, and the nose would hit the ground. Such an accident resulted in at least a stern lecture from the instructor and possibly the student's dismissal from the school. On average during the war, 40 percent of the cadet pilots did not graduate from flying school.
86. NMUSW1_120805_904.JPG: CURTISS O-52 OWL In 1940 the U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties -- signified by the designation "O" -- and used them for military maneuvers within the continental United States. Upon America's entry into World War II, however, the U.S. Army Air Forces realized that the airplane lacked the performance necessary for combat operations overseas. As a result, the Army relegated the O-52 to stateside courier duties and short-range submarine patrols off the coasts of the United States. The O-52 was the last "O" type airplane procured in quantity for the Army. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army Air Forces cancelled the "O" designation and adopted "L" for the liaison type airplanes that replaced it.
87. NMUSW1_120805_926.JPG: EVOLUTION OF THE AIR FORCE SONG In 1938 Liberty magazine sponsored a contest for a spirited, enduring musical composition to become the official Army Air Corps song. Of 757 scores submitted, one written by Mr. Robert Crawford was selected by a committee of Air Corps wives. The song was officially introduced at the Cleveland Air Races on Sept. 2, 1939. Fittingly, Mr. Crawford sang it in its first public rendition. Mr. Crawford's original title was "What Do You Think of the Air Corps Now?" However, he changed it for the contest to "Nothing'll Stop the Air Corps Now." By the time the song was published in 1939 as "The Army Air Corps," the phrase had been changed again, this time to "Nothing'll Stop the Army Air Corps." With the creation of the separate U.S. Air Force in 1947, the official name became "The U.S. Air Force" and the phrase was changed to "Nothing'll Stop the U.S. Air Force." The first page of the score that Mr. Crawford submitted to the selection committee in July 1939 was carried to the surface of the moon on July 30, 1971, aboard the Apollo 15 "Falcon" lunar module by Col. David R. Scott and Lt. Col. James B. Irwin. Ironically, at the moment the "Falcon" blasted off the surface of the moon with Col. Scott and Lt. Col. Irwin on board, a rendition of the "Air Force Song" was broadcast to the world by Maj. Alfred W. Worden Jr., who had a tape recorder aboard the "Endeavor" command module, which was in orbit above the moon. Col. Scott, Lt. Col. Irwin and Maj. Worden comprised the first and only all-Air Force Apollo crew and arranged to take the page of sheet music with them as a tribute to Mr. Crawford and the U.S. Air Force.
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Wikipedia Description: National Museum of the United States Air Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Riverside, Ohio, just east of Dayton. Over 300 aircraft and missiles are on display, most of them indoors. Admission is free.

Exhibits:
The museum has many rare and important aircraft and other exhibits, including one of four surviving Convair B-36s, the only surviving XB-70 Valkyrie, and Bockscar—the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the second atomic bomb in World War II. In contrast to its better-known Smithsonian counterpart, nearly all of the museum's exhibits are extremely accessible. Most are easily touched, even investigated, by visitors.

Presidential aircraft:
The museum has several Presidential aircraft, including those used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The centerpiece of the Presidential aircraft collection is SAM 26000, the first aircraft to be called Air Force One, a modified Boeing 707 used by Presidents John F. Kennedy through Richard Nixon during his first term, after which served as the backup Presidential aircraft. That aircraft was most used by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Pioneers of flight:
There is a large section of the museum dedicated to pioneers of flight, especially the Wright Brothers, who conducted some of their experiments at nearby Huffman Prairie. A replica of the Wright's 1909 Military Flyer is on display, as well as other Wright Brothers artifacts. The building also hosts the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which includes several educational exhibits.

Uniforms & clothing:
The museum has a large inventory of USAAF and Air Force clothing and uniforms in its collection. At any time over fifty WWII vintage A-2 leather flying jackets are on display, many of which belonged to famous figures in Air For ...More...
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2012 photos: Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA), a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean, another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else.. Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
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