The War in the Air

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The War in the Air
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The Wright Brothers flew the first successful
airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.
Airplanes were regarded as a luxury and therefore
at the beginning of WWI Canada had no planes and
no pilots.
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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqyeXPtA101U
Young Canadians who wished to be pilots joined
the Royal Flying Corps (Later the Royal Air
Force). They were among the best fighter pilots
of the war.
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Most planes flew at about 150km/h. They had
open, single seat cockpits. Planes were used
mainly to observe enemy movements. Soon some
pilots brought rifles into the cockpit and shot
at enemy planes. Next machine guns were mounted
on the planes. A major problem was bullets often
hit the plane's propellers. Some designs put the
gun behind the pilot or above on the wing. The
Germans had a gun timed to fire through the
propeller without hitting the blades. The
British eventually tried this system but it did
not work perfectly.
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Dogfights Meetings between warring aircraft
often became deadly dogfights. Pilots tried to
tailgate enemy planes so that the enemies could
not return gunfire. Being shot down usually
meant instant death. Pilots were not allowed to
carry parachutes because, if they did they might
bail out. Their officers wanted them to try to
save the plane. The average lifespan of a pilot
was only three weeks. They called their planes
"Flying Coffins"
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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vv_TUzNBOZ4c
Billy Bishop With 72 recorded "kills", Billy
Bishop was Canada's greatest flying hero and the
greatest ace in the British Empire. He eared the
Victoria Cross for bravery. He as a natural
pilot, downing 17 enemy aircraft in his first
month. After the war he flew in airshows, gave
lectures and dabbled in business.
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Sopwith F.1 Camel
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