World War I Airplanes
Authored by Nadia Crace
Reconnaissance, fighter, and bomber planes
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Airplanes -Airplanes were a major weapon used in World War I. There were many different types of planes used and all worked like normal planes at the time. Most planes were just regular passenger planes that were with eqipped with special features. Each type of plane had a special purpose.
The purpose of Reconnaissance planes was to spy on troop movenments. Fighter planes were used to attack other planes in the air, using installed machine guns. Bomber planes were used to drop bombs on troops below them. The Wright Brother's first airplane
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The First Airplane -The first powered airplane first took flight on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It weighed about 750 pounds and was 21 feet and 1 inch long. The plane had a wooden frame, which was covered by a finely-woven cotton cloth. During trials, the farthest it flew was 852 feet for 59 seconds. The plane traveled about 30 mph.
Airplane InventorsThe first powered, sustained, and controlled airplane was invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright. They were both born near Millville, Indiana in 1867 (Wilbur) and in 1871 (Orville).
Reason for InventionThe Wright Brothers always had an interest for aircraft. They were always working on mechanical projects. They closely followed German aviator Otto Lilienthal when keeping up with scientific research. This aviator inspired them to inspired them to create their own designs, which led to the invention of the first airplane.
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Airplanes in Action
Impact of Airplanes During WWI
Airplanes had a major impact on WWI. The fighter planes were nothing big, compared to others weapons. Their major use however, was to spy on enemies. This proved to have a major impact on the war, as armies could send planes out to discover the location of the other troops and organize their soldiers. The spying of troops using airplanes proved to be very beneficial and helped may nations to do better in the war.
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Airplanes affected all people during the war, soldiers and civilians. The bombs that aviators dropped from their planes had a high chance of missing their target, and often did by 1 or 2 miles. Bombs often hit many unintended targets. Airplanes also had the opportunity to attack all parts of the army, not just the front line since they could fly above the troops. Leaders of armies were also impacted by the use of airplanes. They could plan attacks based on information they had gathered about the enemies location and their tactics. This allowed armies to prepare more and better predict the battles to come.
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Positives of Airplanes -
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Pilots and aviators of countries would fly airplanes and make attacks against enemy troops below them. Planes were beneficial because they could both spy and attack at the same time.
Connections to Today
Modern day examples of World War I airplanes fighter jets from the U. S. Air Force. These fighter jets relate to the older fighter planes used in WWI. These current jets have been given names such as F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-14 Tomcat.
The use of airplanes in WWI allowed for the popularity of them to grow. Many different types of planes have been created since then, and not all were for war purposes. Passenger planes is a type of airplane that has evolved from WWI planes. They are used by hundreds of countries daily and can carry people all over the world.
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