August 17 ~ Museum of Flight ~ Warplanes

World War I Fighters

Explore the history of “the war to end all wars” amid 18 World War One aircraft and interactive exhibits. Learn how the fighter plane and fighter tactics evolved as you discover the personal stories of flyers from around the world. (taken from site) 

Caproni Ca.20
The World's First Fighter Plane

The Caproni Ca.20 was an aircraft ahead of its time in design, purpose, and armament. In early 1914, before World War I, this speedy single-seat monoplane was created and equipped with a forward-facing machine gun mounted above the propeller arc. Considered the world's first fighter plane, the Ca.20's pilot could aim the overhead .303-caliber Lewis machine gun at enemy aircraft via false sight at eye level.

The model 20 was a derivative of Caproni's Ca.18 reconnaissance airplane -- the first Italian-made airplane to be used by the Italian military. The new "fighter plane" version, incorporated a larger engine (a Le Rhône 110-horsepower rotary engine), shorter wingspan, and a streamlined metal cowling to reduce drag and increase speed.

Test flights proved that the Ca.20 was an exceptional airplane -- much faster than other military airplanes being made in France and Germany. Yet the Italian military wanted the Caproni Company to focus on heavy bombers and only this single Ca.20 was ever produced.

The Caproni Ca.20 may not be as crisp, clean, and pretty as the day when it was rolled from the workshop, but that's part of its beauty. Unlike most aircraft in museum collections, this plane is displayed in almost its entirely original condition. It wears covering that was applied long ago, and that battered fabric shows all of the scars and stains of almost a century of life.

The plane was stored by the Caproni family in Italy for over 85 years. It was eventually parked, strangely enough, in a monastery! The Ca.20 was carefully dismantled piece by piece by Museum staff and then lowered through a second story window. The rare aircraft was then shipped to The Museum of Flight and painstakingly reassembled and displayed as it appeared in Europe. (taken from site)

World War II Fighters
Follow the consequences of World War II through history’s greatest conflict. Ten fighter aircraft representing all the major combatants serve as guideposts for your exploration of interactive exhibits on the men and women who designed built and flew these planes in every theater of the war.

TRUE STORY:
It was about this time that - when I was taking pictures of the War Propaganda Posters that there was this announcement over the intercom system .... "Attention Please, we have a lost child.  He's wearing a red shirt and black pants.... "  I heard it, but it went in one ear and out the other because I thought FOR SURE Kaedyn was with Dennis, Cal and Noah.  I had Nathan in the stroller covered up.  Mom was with me...  and I think my Godmother was with the guys.   So Mom casually said "Isn't that what Kaedyn was wearing?" and I said "Yes, but........" ... but he was red CARS shirt and blue jeans ....but then my stomach sank.  What if he got away from Dennis, or Dennis thought he was with me while I thought he was with him?  So I dashed off with mom behind me.  I found them, practically yelled like a crazy woman "Isn't Kaedyn with you?"  He's like "No, I thought he was with you!"  They didn't even register the announcement.   So I ran off (speed walking with poor Nathan) ...  to the customer service area.  Of course I'm scared to death - even though I already know - I KNOW - he's fine - because they announced it.  I'm in a panic.  I know he's terrified.  So I see him up there ... they are trying to keep him occupied ...  so I call out his name and he spins around and INSTANTLY bursts into tears which just makes me want to burst into tears with him.  He yells "YOU WERE LOST!" ...  He says "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! ME WAS SCARED!"  It broke my heart ...  but apparently I got lost.   I am sooooooooo thankful, so thankful someone who worked there found him or he went and found someone who worked there other than him being really really missing... or before I realized he was missing because that would have causes HUGE MAJOR PANIC ....  Worst fear.  Right there.  Anyway - they were all loving on him.  He was really brave until he saw me, they said.  They were trying to get him to write his name when I got there.  They couldn't understand him saying his name.  LOL..  He never left my side again for the rest of the day ...  This was before going upstairs to the World War I exhibit ...  the World War II exhibit was downstairs, upstairs was WWI ...

Holtgrewe WWI Model Collection

World War I –previously called "the Great War"– began less than eleven years after the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. For the first time in history, combatants took to the skies over the battlefield and their presence changed military strategy forever.  From 1914-1918, airplanes evolved from frail wood and fabric machines, little different from the original Wright Flyerof 1903, to more advanced, all-metal, aerodynamically efficient fighters, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft.

This collection of 1/48 scale models represents over 150 of these aircraft. These models were constructed by Dr. H. Logan Holtgrewe over a period of four and a half years. The World War I collection serves as a companion piece to the collection of WWII models which was installed in 2007. The new World War I collection features 153 model aircraft rendered at 1/48 scale. The centerpiece of the new collection is a 13 1/2-foot long model Zeppelin, complete with interior lighting.


The collection is now on display in the upper gallery of the Museum's Personal Courage Wing.

Holtgrewe WWII Model Collection

Although it lasted only a few years, World War II involved hundreds of different types of aircraft and was the most prolific period of airplane production ever. Dozens of countries ultimately became combatants in the war and of these, many flew military aircraft. This collection of 1/72 scale models represents over 400 of these aircraft, probably the most complete collection of its kind. These models were constructed by Dr. Logan Holtgrewe over a period of seven years. You will find this collection in the World War II gallery of the Personal Courage Wing.

Dr. H. Logan Holtgrewe was a teenager during World War II and was greatly influenced by it. “Like most young men, I had a profound interest in the daily news from newspapers, radio and the weekly editions of LIFE magazine, all of which recounted the events of the conflict, especially the air war.”

The model-building project began in the early 1990s when he began to accumulate kits of World War II airplanes. Each of the models in this collection was carefully researched before it was built to ensure the greatest possible accuracy in the replication of its airframe, coloration, camouflage, and insignia. Many of these models were built from high quality commercial kits. Where no suitable quality kit was available, Holtgrewe scratch-built the model from wood, styrene plastic, and brass using dimensional data and photographs from multiple reference sources. As a group, these models capture the dramatic expansion of aeronautical technology that transpired before and during the war.