First World War in the Air
First World War in the Air
is a new permanent exhibition at the RAF Museum in London. As the name suggests, it's about the aircraft that were used in the conflict, and how aviation grew from a curiosity to a strategic instrument of warfare.
When the war started in 1914, Britain's Royal Flying Corps had just 1500 people. By the end of the war in 1918, the Royal Air Force, the RFC's successor, had over 200,000. (The reason for the change of name is that the RFC was part of the army, whereas the RAF is an armed force in its own right - another indication of how much of a difference air power had made.)
The exhibition is in two parts. The building that houses it was once an aircraft factory, and the first part explains how aircraft were manufactured at this time. The second part displays the actual aircraft. These are mainly those used on the Western Front, mostly British, with a few French and German. I thought they were in very good condition, considering how old and fragile they are, and then I noticed some of the descriptive panels said in small type, "This aircraft is a replica" or "This is a composite of two/three/four aircraft." At least they're honest about it...
Weight was a problem for the aircraft of this era. (Strictly speaking, it's always a problem, but it was more obvious back then.) The available engines were only just powerful enough to keep themselves in the air, and so the rest of the plane had to be built out of the lightest possible materials - wood and canvas, mainly. This is what gives the planes their characteristic "box kite" appearance. They required a lot of skill and courage to fly well (or at all, in some cases). Pilots of the Sopwith Camel would joke that it offered them the choice of a wooden cross, the Red Cross, or a Victoria Cross.
The aircraft here are mainly one- and two-seat fighters and reconnaissance planes. Larger aircraft were built as bombers, but I don't think the museum has any, besides which this building is too small to display them comfortably. As if by way of compensation, on a mezzanine where you can look out over the whole gallery, I found some blueprints of the Handley Page O/400, a widely-used bomber of the period. Something that struck me as odd was that they were built with two different types of engine, and the layout of the instrument panel was different for each type, even though the controls and the information given to the pilot were the same.
Overall, the exhibition gives a good account of a key chapter in the history of warfare, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in aircraft. Admission is free (as is admission to the museum as a whole). Allow an hour to go round if you just want to look at the planes, or maybe two if you want to read all the text as well.
When the war started in 1914, Britain's Royal Flying Corps had just 1500 people. By the end of the war in 1918, the Royal Air Force, the RFC's successor, had over 200,000. (The reason for the change of name is that the RFC was part of the army, whereas the RAF is an armed force in its own right - another indication of how much of a difference air power had made.)
The exhibition is in two parts. The building that houses it was once an aircraft factory, and the first part explains how aircraft were manufactured at this time. The second part displays the actual aircraft. These are mainly those used on the Western Front, mostly British, with a few French and German. I thought they were in very good condition, considering how old and fragile they are, and then I noticed some of the descriptive panels said in small type, "This aircraft is a replica" or "This is a composite of two/three/four aircraft." At least they're honest about it...
Weight was a problem for the aircraft of this era. (Strictly speaking, it's always a problem, but it was more obvious back then.) The available engines were only just powerful enough to keep themselves in the air, and so the rest of the plane had to be built out of the lightest possible materials - wood and canvas, mainly. This is what gives the planes their characteristic "box kite" appearance. They required a lot of skill and courage to fly well (or at all, in some cases). Pilots of the Sopwith Camel would joke that it offered them the choice of a wooden cross, the Red Cross, or a Victoria Cross.
The aircraft here are mainly one- and two-seat fighters and reconnaissance planes. Larger aircraft were built as bombers, but I don't think the museum has any, besides which this building is too small to display them comfortably. As if by way of compensation, on a mezzanine where you can look out over the whole gallery, I found some blueprints of the Handley Page O/400, a widely-used bomber of the period. Something that struck me as odd was that they were built with two different types of engine, and the layout of the instrument panel was different for each type, even though the controls and the information given to the pilot were the same.
Overall, the exhibition gives a good account of a key chapter in the history of warfare, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in aircraft. Admission is free (as is admission to the museum as a whole). Allow an hour to go round if you just want to look at the planes, or maybe two if you want to read all the text as well.
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