High above the battlefields of World War I dashing pilots swooped and soared in their flying machines The roar of engines and the staccato rattle of machine guns filled the air as wood-and-canvas airplanes performed a deadly dance in the sky Here was fighting that soldiers stuck in muddy trenches could understand men battling and outwitting each other often so close they could see the faces of their enemies World War I pilots were called knights of the sky They seemed to come from a time long ago when warriors in shining armor lived their lives with chivalry and courage The best pilots were called aces They fought in the freedom of the clear blue sky where heroes were born and brave men could die with honor The aces of World War I became legends Mick Mannock from Great Britain Eddie Rickenbacker from the United States France’s René Fonck Canada’s Billy Bishop and the most famous ace of the war Germany’s Manfred von Richthofen also known as the Red Baron
In reality the career of most World War I pilots was short and brutal Their training was usually limited Their airplanes were often unreliable or outmatched by the enemy Within a few short weeks of arriving at the front lines most young pilots were shot down or died in an accident Death at the hands of the enemy could be especially cruel Parachutes were rare When a plane went down in flames the pilot faced a terrible choice burn to death or jump and plummet to the ground The life of a pilot many discovered was not so glamorous after all Airplanes pilots joked were merely coffins with wings
EARLY AIRCRAFT We do not consider that aeroplanes will be of any possible use for war purposes Richard Haldane British Secretary of State for War 1910 When fighting broke out in World War I powered aircraft had been flying for barely a decade On December 17 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their first plane Flyer 1 at Kitty Hawk North Carolina The flight lasted 12 seconds for a distance of 120 feet 37 m Within five years the brothers developed a military version of their airplane It could stay aloft for more than an hour and reach a speed of more than 40 miles per hour 64 kph However the United States Army couldn’t decide the best way to use flying machines on the battlefield
Meanwhile aircraft development continued especially in France Great Britain and Germany But even in these countries military people didn’t understand how important airplanes would become Marshall Ferdinand Foch commander in chief of the Allied forces during World War I once said The aircraft is all very well for sport but for the army it is useless The 1909 Wright Military Flyer was the world’s first military airplane It was designed with two seats one for the pilot and one for an observer
