The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing is a two-story gallery that highlights the stories of courage, dedication, heroism and the triumph of the human spirit of those involved in fighter aviation in World War I and World War II. The second story of this wing looks at World War I. World War I—“The Great War”—established airplanes as an important part of modern warfare. For the first time in history, combatants took to the skies over the battlefield and their presence changed military strategy forever. Shown below are some of the British, American, and French airplanes which were on display. (Note: the British Sopwith airplanes have their own photo tour.)
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 (reproduction)
The S.E.5 was fast, strong, and easy to fly. It was considered on of the best Allied fighter planes in the War.
The S.E.5 had a top speed of 132 mph and a service ceiling of 19,300 feet. It was powered by a 200 hp V-8 Hispano-Suiza 8B engine or by a 200 hp V-8 Wolseley W.4a Viper engine. It carried one .303 Vickers machine gun and one .303 Lewis machine gun.
British ace James McCadden noted:
“Good points of the S.E.5 were its great strength, its diving and zooming powers, and its splendid views. Apart from this, it was a most warm, comfortable, and easy machine to fly.”
Nieuport Type 24bis (reproduction)
The Nieuport Type 24 is one of the French fighter airplanes from Edouard de Niéport. The Nieuports have small lower wings—less than half of the area of the upper wings. The Nieuport Type 24 was also used by Russia, Belgium, Italy, and Britain.
The 1917 Nieuport Type 24 had a top speed of 109 mph and a service ceiling of 18,200 feet. It was powered by a 130 hp 9-cylinder rotary Le Rhȏne 9jb engine. It carried on .303 Vickers machine gun.
Canadian ace William “Billy” Bishop noted:
“Being a French model, the Nieuport Scout is a beautiful creature. British machines are built strictly for business, with no particular attention paid to the beauty of lines. The French, however, never overlook such things.”
Nieuport Type 27
The Nieuport Tpe 27, designed by Gustave Delage, was the last of the V-strut fighters. It first flew in 1917.
The Nieuport Tpe 27 had a top speed of 107 mph and a service ceiling of 6,850 feet. It was powered by a 130 hp 9-cylinder rotary Le Le Rhȏne 9JB engine. It carried one .303 Vickers machine gun and one .303 Lewis machine gun.
Nieuport Type 28
While the French Air Force rejected the Nieuport Type 28 as unsuitable as a front-line fighter, the United States Army took delivery of 297 Nieuport Type 28s. According to the display:
“The first plane Americans flew into combat, the Nieuport 28 was loved by some and feared by others.”
American ace Eddie Rickenbacker scored many of his 26 victories in his Nieuport.
The 1918 Nieuport Type 28 had a top speed of 123 mph and a service ceiling of 17,000 feet. It was powered by a 160 hp 9-cylinder rotary Gnome 9N engine. It carried two .303 Vickers machine guns.
One pilot noted:
“In flight, the most noticeable fact of the 28 is that the big Gnome gives off heat like a cast iron stove in a New England country store in winter. It’s so damned hot you’re sure the ship is afire.”
Spad XIII (reproduction)
The Spad XIII entered French service in May 1917 and by early 1918 had become the standard single-seat French fighter. In addition to its use by the French, the Spad XIII was also used by Italian, Belgium, and American forces. A total of 8,472 Spad XIIIs were produced.
The 1917 Spad XIII had a top speed of 135.5 mph and a service ceiling of 22,360 feet. It was powered by a 200 hp V-8 Hispano-Suiza 8BBc engine. It carried two .303 Vickers machine guns.
Curtiss JN-4D Jenny
The Curtiss Jenny is probably the most famous American World War I airplane. Earlier versions of the plane had been used in the war against Pancho Villa in Mexico. A total of 10,900 Jennys were built. They were also used by Canada, Britain, France, Spain, and Australia.
The Jenny was used as a trainer. According to the display:
“They never saw combat, but a handful of Jennys were equipped with machine guns and bomb racks for advanced training courses.”
The Jenny had a top speed of 75 mph and a service ceiling of 6,500 feet. It was powered by a 90 hp V-* Curtiss OX-5 engine.
More Airplane Photo Diaries
Museum of Flight: World War I German airplanes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I Sopwith airplanes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I German airplane models (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I multi-engine models (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I seaplane models (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I memorabilia (photo diary)
Yanks Air Museum: Biplanes (Photo Diary)
Evergreen Aviation: Biplanes (photo diary)