The Curtiss aircraft
The Curtiss Jenny became America’s most renowned World War I coaching aeroplane. Often used for first flight coaching, some Jennies were equipped with machine guns and bomb racks for complicated coaching. The JN series started by mixing the best features of the Curtiss “J” and “N” models. A 1915 version, the JN-3, supported Pershing’s Punishing Expedition into Mexico in 1916, but the plane proved barely suitable for field operations. Curtiss improved the JN-3 and redesignated in the JN-4. With America’s entry into WWI on Apr six, 1917, the Signal Corps ordered large amounts of JN-4s, and by the point production was terminated after the truce, more than six thousand had been delivered, the bulk of them JN-4Ds. After WWI, the division sold loads of surplus JN-4s to civilians. Continue reading
CAQUOT type R observation
Tethered balloons authorized World War I observers to see as far as forty miles behind enemy lines to spot troop movements, chart ditch systems and direct artillery fire. The observation balloon most utilized by Americans was named for its designer, French engineer Lt.
Albert Caquot. The hydrogen-filled balloon could lift 2 passengers in its basket, with charting and communications appliances, and the weight of its mooring wire, to a height of roughly four thousand feet in good weather. Standard operations were between one thousand and four thousand feet. During WWI, Yank balloon observers directed artillery fire at targets like troop concentrations and supply dumps. Continue reading
Avro aircraft
In July 1913, the Brit AV. Roe (Avro) Corp. Tested its first model 504 aircraft, and many variants followed — based on the kind of engine installed. The 504K version had adapters, which authorized the installation of many differing kinds of rotary engines. This aircraft had an ordinary combat career, but it proved to be a superb tutor and after America entered in the World War I, it took many months to build the coaching facilities required by the U.S.
Armed forces Air Service. In the meantime, many American student pilots went abroad for flight training and those were sent to Great Britain learned the Avro 504K tutor before advancing the fight aircraft. Continue reading