The Thomas-Morse Scout became the favorite single-seat coaching plane for U.S. Pilots during World War I. The Scout first appeared with an order for one hundred S4Bs in the summertime of 1917. The U.S. Military Air Service later acquired just about five hundred of a barely changed version, the S4C. Dubbed the “Tommy” by its pilots, the airplane had a long and sundry career. Tommies flew at practically each pursuit flying faculty in the US during 1918. After the war stopped, the Air Service sold them as surplus to civilian flying faculties, athlete pilots and ex-Army fliers.

Some continued to be employed in the mid-1930s for WWI aviation pictures filmed in Hollywood. The Tommy on show was given to the museum in March 1965 by Capt. R.W. Duff, Miami, Fla, and revived by Aero Mechanis school, Detroit, Mich.