Monthly Archives: May 2008

Sopwith Atlantic

Posted on by
Reply

An attempt was made to cross the Atlantic in a Sopwith Atlantic biplane by Com. Mackenzie Grieve and Maj. Harry Hawker on 18 May 1919. This plane generally followed the design of Sopwith warplanes, and had a 46 feet wingspan and was 31 feet long, weighing 6000 pounds fully equipped for flight. It was supposed to have a flight duration of 25 hours at 100 miles an hour, and was driven by a Rolls-Royce engine developing 375 horse power, at 1800 RPM. A 4-bladed propeller was used, geared down to 1281 revolutions. Continue reading →

Curtiss NC

Posted on by
Reply

Curtiss NC flying boat

The year 1919 was memorable in the history of aviation for the first successful flight across the Atlantic, achieved by aviators of the United States Navy using NC flying boats, jointly developed by the United States Navy and the Curtiss Engineering Corporation, the N in the designation standing for navy and the C for Curtiss. Continue reading →

Nieuport-Delage 29

Posted on by
Reply


Nieuport-Delage 29
Nieuport-Delage 29

In 1920, the Nieuport-Delage Ni-D 29 was the fastest airplane in the world. Designed by the Nieuport firm for the French Aviation Militaire in 1918, the Ni-D 29 appeared too late for combat in WWI. Following its record-breaking performance in the 1920 Gordon Bennett Trophy race, when it flew 168 miles per hour, it was adopted by several air forces: France, Sweden, Japan, Spain, and Belgium. Overall 1180 were manufactured, just over half of those license-built in Japan, designated as the Ko-4. Continue reading →

Morane-Saulnier L

Posted on by
Reply


Captured Morane-Saulnier Type L

How do you fire a machine gun through the arc of a spinning propeller? Early in 1915, aviators engaged in the First World War wanted to solve that problem. Obviously, the bullets of the machine gun would smash a propeller to bits. So far in the war, German, French, and British airmen had fired at each other with limited efficiency, the best results having been obtained in two-seaters, with the observer shooting while the pilot flew the plane. Pusher airplanes, with the propeller in back, also provided a clear field of forward fire. Continue reading →

Nieuport 28

Posted on by
Reply


Nieuport 28
Nieuport 28 with offset twin machine guns

This late variant of Nieuport’s biplanes was used mainly by American pilots, notably Eddie Rickenbacker, the French having switched over to Spads.

The Type 28 looked quite different from the earlier Nieuports: it had a longer, rounded fuselage; it dispensed with the sesquiplane configuration (and the associated V struts); and it had rounded, not angular wingtips. A very distinctive feature was pair of machine guns mounted on the port side cowling, the only aircraft so equipped by any country. (Detail photo from Airminded.net.) Continue reading →

Mitsubishi A6M, Type Zero

Posted on by
Reply


Zero on display in museum
Zero - front view
Zero fighter on display - side view
Zero museum description
Zero museum description

Early in World War Two, American fliers thought they were facing a “wonder weapon,” in the Pacific: Japan’s A6M2 Zero, the main fighter plane of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It flew rings around the Brewster Buffalo’s, the Bell P-39′s, and (to a lesser extent) the Grumman F4F Wildcats. The Zero pilots were superb; their machines were light, fast, and maneuverable. Overcompensating for their previous, negative stereotypes of the Japanese as imitative “little yellow bastards,” the American fliers regarded the Zero with too much respect, even awe. In fact, the Zero was a very good aircraft, but one with distinct weaknesses. Continue reading →

Albatros B.II

Posted on by
Reply


Albatros B.II
Albatros B.II

The B.II, a two-seater reconnaissance plane, was the first airplane that established Albatros’ reputation, and was the forerunner of many successfaul craft from that manufacturer. Designed by Ernst Heinkel, it set an altitude record of 14,765 feet early in its career. It was produced in large numbers in the first half of the war. Continue reading →