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The Early Aviation Industry in France
France was undoubtedly the leader in the earliest
days of aviation. It had the first designers and was the first to form independent companies dedicated to building aircraft.
The earliest company of this type was probably Gabriel Voisin and Ernest Archdeacon's Syndicat d'Aviation, which they
formed in 1905. The company produced two biplane gliders, one for Archdeacon and one for Louis Blériot, mounted on
floats and resembling a box kite in appearance.
Blériot joined Voisin and formed the Blériot-Voisin
Company later in 1905. The company built a floatplane, a glider, and a powered machine. But their craft couldn't fly,
and the two parted in 1906, with Voisin buying Blériot's shares. In November 1906, Gabriel Voisin and his brother
Charles formed Voisin Fréres, the first commercial aircraft company. The Voisin company built gliders and airplanes
and produced about 20 airplanes before World War I began in 1914. At about the same time, Blériot began his own company
and built a series of popular aircraft, including his famous Blériot XI, which he used in his record-setting crossing
of the English Channel in 1909, and the Bleriot XII, which shone at the Reims International Air Meet.
The A-26 was the follow-on design to the A-20 and
entered combat in late 1944. The type had early developmental difficulties, and it took 28 months to go from first flight
to combat operations. After being redesignated as B-26 in 1948, it was the only attack airplane available when war broke out
in Korea. Crews flew their first mission against North Korea on June 29, 1950, when they bombed an airfield at Pyongyang.
Air Force B- 26s were credited with the destruction of 38,500 vehicles, 3,700 railway cars, 406 locomotives, and seven enemy
aircraft on the ground in Korea. On September 14, 1951, while flying a night intruder mission, Capt. John S. Walmsley, Jr.,
attacked a North Korean supply train, but after his guns jammed he used his search light to light the way for his wingmen
to finish destroying the train. Captain Walmsley was shot down, died, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. On
July 27, 1953, 24 minutes before the cease-fire was signed, a B-26 crew from the 3d Bomb Wing dropped the last bombs of the
Korean War. Some holdover RB-26s were part of the initial cadre of aircraft sent to Vietnam as part of Operation Farm Gate.
In the early 1960s, On-Mark Engineering converted approximately 40 aircraft into the B-26K Counter Invader for counterinsurgency
missions in Vietnam
"For all practical purposes the warplane came
into being at the end of 1914, with the adoption of the machine gun. In the early stages of the war reconnaissance planes,
used for observation of enemy troop movements and of artillery fire, used to come into close confrontation with each other.
Air craft of world war one
An amazing array of aircraft were used during the
course of the Vietnam conflict. Below you'll find a partial listing of American aircraft (as well as allies) and enemy
aircraft. Pictures of the air planes and helicopters may be viewed by clicking the link in their descriptions.
List of Aircraft Used During the Vietnam War
The B-17 was primarily employed in the daylight
precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The United States Eighth
Air Force based in England and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime
area bombing in Operation Pointblank, to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western
Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord.[4] The B-17 also participated, to a lesser extent, in the War in the Pacific,
where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping.
THE EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION
A History of RAF Organisations
The Aviation History On-line Museum
World's Armed Forces Forum
The Golden Age of Aviation
TENNESSEE MUSEUM OF AVIATION
A history of RAF Aircrew
American Aircraft of World War II
The Spitfire and Bf 109E were well-matched in speed
and agility, and both were somewhat faster than the Hurricane. The slightly larger Hurricane was regarded as less "twitchy"
and provided a more stable gun platform, as Luftwaffe bombers would later find out to their cost. The RAF's preferred
tactic was if possible to deploy the Hurricane's concentrated firepower against formations of less-agile bombers, and
to pit the Spitfires against the fighter escorts waiting to pounce from higher altitude. The Spitfires one-piece sliding moulded
canopy gave the best visibility, the pilot having a better chance of spotting an enemy over the Bf 109E and its heavy framed
hinged hood. The Emil's main armament was two MG-17 (Maschinengewehr 17) 7.92 x 57 mm machine guns on the engine decking
and two Oerlikon / Mauser MG FF 20 x 72RB mm autocannons in the wings. Although the explosive cannon shells had more destructive
power, the FF's low muzzle velocity and limited ammunition carried meant the cannon was not markedly superior to the Hurricane
and Spitfire's eight proven Browning .303 (7.7 x 56R mm) machine guns. Whilst the British were not the first to make use
of heavier-than-air military aircraft, the RAF is the world's oldest air force of any significant size to become independent
of army or navy control. It was founded on 1 April 1918, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying
Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. After the war, the service was cut drastically and its inter-war years were relatively
quiet, with the RAF taking responsibility for the control of Iraq and executing a number of minor actions in other parts of
the British Empire.
The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War. Under the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed "Article
XV squadrons" for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from these countries, and exiles from occupied
Europe also served with RAF squadrons.
The most famous fighter
aircraft used in the Battle of Britain were the British Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and the German Messerschmitt
Bf 109E (Emil). Although nowadays the glamorous Spitfire is often thought of as the main British fighter, in fact the Hurricanes
were at first more numerous (by a factor of about 5:3) and (especially in the early part of the battle), were responsible
for most of the German losses.
There are approximately 44 Spitfires and a few Seafires
airworthy worldwide, although many air museums have static examples. For example, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry
has paired a static Spitfire with a static Ju 87 R-2/Trop. Stuka dive bomber.
The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire maintains and operates five Spitfires (of various marks) for flying display and ceremonial
purposes.
A Spitfire XIVe, MV293 owned by The Fighter Collection at Duxford is marked as MV268, JE-J, flown by Wing
Commander Johnnie Johnson OC 127 Wing, Germany May 1945. There are regularly more than a dozen Spitfires on site at Duxford.
Whilst some of these are under restoration in a private hangar many flying and static examples can be seen in hangars one
to 5.
The Temora Aviation Museum in Temora, New South Wales, Australia, has two airworthy Spitfires: a Mk VIII and a
Mk XVI, which are flown regularly during the museum's flying weekends.
A Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVIE is on display
in the Polish Aviation Museum.
The Hellenic Air Force Museum own and displays a Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc.
Kennet
Aviation, a British company specializing in ex-military aircraft has a Seafire XVII and a number of Seafire projects at its
home airfield at North Weald Airfield.
1917 Curtiss JN-4D
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine
heavy bomber aircraft developed for the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to
build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectations.
Although Boeing lost the contract due to the prototype's crash, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design
that they ordered 13 B-17s. The B-17 Flying Fortress went on to enter full-scale production and was considered the first truly
mass-produced large aircraft, eventually evolving through numerous design advancements, from B-17A to G. 
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Nearly 8,000 members strong, the Vintage Aircraft
Association brings together people from around the world who share an interest in the aircraft of yesterday. Since it was
established in 1971, the association has been working to keep aviation history alive. Members are active restorers and enthusiasts
working to keep vintage aircraft in the air and flying for the pleasure and education of themselves and the public at large.
Vintage Aircraft Association
Welcome on the British Aircraft of World War II
site, providing data and photographs of hundreds of different types of British airplanes. British Aircraft of World War II
is a reference to all known types of aeroplane of British origin that saw military service during the Second World War.
Next to that, British Aircraft of World War II contains data and photos of Commonwealth aircraft, being aircraft types that
originated in the countries of the British Commonwealth, including types that were designed in the USA but were subject to
extensive development by licensees in the British Commonwealth.
British Aircraft of World War II contains a range
form the famous fighters and bombers of frontline units, such as the Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito and Lancaster, to trainers,
civilian impressed aircraft and experimental aeroplanes that were tried and tested between 1939 and 1945.
British Aircraft of World War II
The Wright brothers, Orville (August 15, 1871 January
30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building
the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight
on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing
aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft
controls that made mechanical fixed wing flight possible.
The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their
invention of "three axis-control", which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its
equilibrium. This method became standard on fixed wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work,
the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing
more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than
any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before. Their U.S. patent claims
the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machine's surfaces
British aviators Alcock and Brown made the first
non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in June 1919. They flew a modified World War I Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's,
Newfoundland and Labrador to Clifden, Ireland, which became the second aircraft (and the first landplane) to fly across the
Atlantic. (Two weeks earlier, the first trans-Atlantic flight had been made by the NC-4, a United States Navy flying boat,
commanded by Lt. Commander Albert Cushing Read, who flew from Rockaway Beach, Long Island, to Plymouth, England with a crew
of five, over 23 days, with six stops along the way.
The V-2 rocket (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2) was the first ballistic
missile and first man-made object to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight, the progenitor of all modern rockets including the Saturn
V moon rocket. Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets in World War
II. As many as 20,000 slave labourers died constructing V-2s compared to the 7,000 military personnel and civilians that died
from the V-2's use in combat
The Lancaster and Spitfires
Experimental rocket powered aircraft were developed
by the Germans as early as World War II, and about 29 were manufactured and deployed. The first fixed wing aircraft to break
the sound barrier in level flight was a rocket plane- the Bell X-1. The later North American X-15 was another important rocket
plane that broke many speed and altitude records and laid much of the groundwork for later aircraft and spacecraft design.
Rocket aircraft are not in common usage today, although rocket-assisted take offs are used for some military aircraft. Space
Ship One is the most famous current rocket aircraft, being the test bed for developing a commercial sub-orbital passenger
service; another rocket plane is the XCOR EZ-Rocket; and there is of course the Space Shuttle.
The National Archives has a huge collection of records
On the 14th of June the Vickers-Vimy Rolls-Royce
biplane, piloted by John Alcock and with Arthur Whitten Brown as observer-navigator, left St. John's, Newfoundland, and
arrived at Clifden, Ireland, in sixteen hours twelve minutes, having made the first non-stop transatlantic flight. Hawker
and Grieve meanwhile had made the same gallant attempt in a single-engined Sopwith machine; and had come down in mid-ocean,
after flying fourteen and a half hours, owing to the failure of their water circulation. Their rescue by slow Danish Mary
completed a fascinating tale of heroic adventure. The British dirigible R34, with Major G. H. Scott in command, left East
Fortune, Scotland, on the 2d of July, and arrived at Mineola, New York, on the sixth. The R34 made the return voyage in seventy-five
hours. In November, 1919, Captain Sir Ross Smith set off from England in a biplane to win a prize of ten thousand pounds offered
by the Australian Commonwealth to the first Australian aviator to fly from England to Australia in thirty days. Over France,
Italy, Greece, over the Holy Land, perhaps over the Garden of Eden, whence the winged cherubim drove Adam and Eve, over Persia,
India, Siam, the Dutch East Indies to Port Darwin in northern Australia; and then southeastward across Australia itself to
Sydney, the biplane flew without mishap. The time from Hounslow, England, to Port Darwin was twenty-seven days, twenty hours,
and twenty minutes. Early in 1920 the Boer airman Captain Van Ryneveld made the flight from Cairo to the Cape.
British Aircraft of World War II
Are you trying to identify a vintage wooden airplane propeller?
In the Battle of Britain in the late summer of 1940,
during the Second World War, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the German Luftwaffe, helping foil Hitler's
plans for an invasion of the British Isles, and prompting Prime Minister Winston Churchill to say in the House of Commons
on August 20, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
The largest RAF
effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. While RAF bombing attacks against
Germany began almost immediately upon the outbreak of war, from 1942 onwards, under the leadership of Air Chief Marshal Harris,
these attacks became increasingly devastating as new technology and greater numbers of superior aircraft became available.
Controversially, the RAF adopted a policy of night-time area bombing that saw raids on German cities such as Hamburg and Dresden.
Other units, however, developed precision bombing techniques for specific operations, such as the "Dambusters" raid
by No. 617 Squadron
Short Brothers plc is
a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts and is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in
1908, Shorts was the first true aviation company in the world, and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s and
1930s and throughout the Second World War. In the immediate post-war period they received orders for several military and
experimental aircraft; from the 1960s Shorts turned primarily to the production of cargo aircraft. In 1989 the company was
bought by Bombardier. Within Bombardier Aerospace, Shorts designs and manufactures nacelle systems, fuselages and flight controls.
Shorts is the largest manufacturing concern in Northern Ireland. Today the company's products include aircraft components
and engine nacelles for its parent company Bombardier Aerospace, and for Boeing, Rolls-Royce Deutschland, General Electric
and Pratt & Whitney.
Commercial development of the airplane and the airship
commenced after the war. The first air service for United States mails was, in fact, inaugurated during the war, between New
York and Washington. The transcontinental service was established soon afterwards, and a regular line between Key West and
Havana. French and British companies began to operate daily between London and Paris carrying passengers and mail. Airship
companies were formed in Australia, South Africa, and India. In Canada airplanes were soon being used in prospecting the Labrador
timber regions, in making photographs and maps of the northern wilderness, and by the Northwest Mounted Police.
It is not for history to prophesy. "Emblem of much, and of our Age of Hope itself," Carlyle called the balloon
of his time, born to mount majestically but "unguidably" only to tumble "whither Fate will." But the aircraft
of our day is guidable, and our Age of Hope is not rudderless nor at the mercy of Fate.
Spitfire
The Black Spitfire is a black-painted Spitfire which
belonged to Israeli pilot and former president Ezer Weizman. It is on exhibit in the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatserim
and is used for ceremonial flying displays.
Kermit Weeks, keeps a restored Mk XVI at his Fantasy of Flight museum in
Florida.
The "Asas de Um Sonho" Museum, located in São Carlos, Brazil, owns the only airworthy Spitfire
in South America, a Mk IXc donated to the museum by Rolls Royce and painted in the colors and markings of RAF ace Johnnie
Johnson.
One of the newest Spitfires to fly in Canadian skies is Michael Potter's Supermarine Mk XVI Spitfire SL721/N721WK/C-GVZB,
refinished in the markings of No. 421 Squadron RCAF and is now registered in Gatineau, Quebec as part of the Vintage Wings
of Canada Collection.
A Seafire 47, the final aircraft in the long and distinguished line of aircraft, is airworthy
with Jim Smith in the U.S. after being restored by Ezell Aviation.
The Shuttleworth Collection maintains and displays
an airworthy Mk Vc, AR501.
One Spitfire Mk IX is on display at the "Vigna di Valle Museum" (Italian Air Force
Museum) Bracciano, Rome, Italy.
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