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| A Look At 2 Fighter Planes In WW 1 |
By:
Jimmy "Jack" Frosst |
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Curtiss JN-4D Jenny Reproduction Faithful Jenny The Jenny is one of America's most famous airplanes. Early versions of the Curtiss biplane were serving the US Army before America's entry into World War I, flying in Mexico on the trail of Pancho Villa in 1916. The JN-4 version was an extremely popular trainer plane. Scores of American and other Allied pilots learned the skills they would need to "fight the Hun" in this cantankerous training ship. Unable to keep up with the demand for Jennys on their own, the Curtiss design was produced by six other manufacturers. While never seeing combat, a handful of Jennys were equipped with machine guns and bomb racks for advanced training courses. A total of 10900 Jennys were built, including 2900 in Canada. Britain, France, Spain and Australia received 1930 of the Curtiss aircraft. Over 500 Jennys even served with the United States Navy and N-9s. At the end of the war, hundreds of these aircraft were designated surplus - some still in their unopened packing crates! The Jenny's second life had begun as Americans of the 1920s used the readily available craft as "Barnstormers." The Jenny was used to sell the many Americans "their first airplane ride." While others were used in wild flying stunts and appeared in scores of movies. The Museum of Flight's Jenny was built as an Army plane at the Springfield Aircraft Company in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1917.
SPAD XIII (S.13) Reproduction The XIII was designed in late 1916 to counter the twin-gun German fighters appearing over the front. The SPAD XIII had a powerful Hispano-Suiza engine and two proven Vickers machine guns. By the middle of 1917, the SPADs were arriving at French combat squadrons and by early 1918, they had become the standard single-seat fighter for France. After the experiencing the characteristics of their delicate Nieuports, French pilots couldn't help but notice that their new SPADs were solid as rocks. The SPAD had other rock-like features too - they were slow climbers and not particularly maneuverable. But, at least, they could dive away from most German fighters with ease. The Museum of Flight's SPAD was created by Richard Day of Colonia, New Jersey and is powered by a Hispano-Suiza, 200- to 235-horsepower in-line engine and two .303-inch Vickers machine guns. Because the original SPAD drawings were destroyed during World War II, Day had to locate and study existing original examples to build this plane. The Museum's plane is painted in the markings of famous American ace Frank Luke, Jr. Aircraft Details * Manufacturer: Richard Day of Colonia, New Jersey based on original design by Soci?t? Pour l'Aviation et ses D?riv?s Model: XIII (S.13) Year: 1917 Power Plant: One Hispano-Suiza, 200 to 235 hp in-line engine Registration: NX3883F Span: 26ft Length: 20ft Height: 8ft Wing Area: 227ft? Empty Weight: 1245lbs Gross Weight: 1807lbs Maximum Speed: 138mph.
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