Commentary: Experiencing The Evolution Of Aircraft At The WWI Dawn Patrol Rendezvous

15 years after the Wright brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, airplanes were weapons. The 12 horsepower motor and the frailties of the first airplane gave way to powerful engines. We tend to think of WWI as soldiers stuck in muddy trenches, but there was also fierce fighting in the sky. WWI airplanes flew much faster than early aircraft and soon were armed with guns and bombs. Flying warfare began with slow and basic airplanes sent up to see what the enemy was doing beyond the horizon. Pilots came close to enemy airplanes and even shot at each other with pistols, wild west style. The pilots became the knights of the air with chivalry and honor, leather jackets and silk scarves. But the conditions in the cockpit were grim, cold and freezing. There were no parachutes; in fact the British Army prevented pilots wearing a parachute because they worried that the pilots would abandon government property. The aircraft were made of fuel soaked wood and fabric; any fire was disastrous. The