Flying Flea
Mignet Pou-du-Ciel Model (Literally “The Flying Flea ”or “Louse of the Sky”) The Mignet Pou-du-Ciel model in the museum is a representation of a family of aircraft designed by Frenchman Henri Mignet. The odd name comes from the French nickname for the Ford Model T automobile, “Pou de la Route” meaning “Louse of the Road” because […]
Douglas 0-43
This scale model represents a parasol monoplane observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps. They appeared in 1934 powered by a 675 HP Curtiss V-1570-59 inline engine. They served in observation squadrons for several years before being assigned to National Guard units. Twenty-four aircraft were manufactured. Crew of 2 Wingspan 45 feet […]
Curtiss Seagull
This model represents a family of early flying boats developed in the United States in the years leading up to World War I. These airplanes were biplane flying boats powered by a single engine mounted among the interplane struts and driving a pusher propeller. The pilot and passenger sat side by side in an open […]
Curtiss P-6E
This model represents the Curtiss P-6E “Hawk” which was an American single-engine biplane fighter introduced into service in the late 1920’s with the United States Army Air Corps and operated until the late 1930’s prior to the outbreak of World War II. Beginning in 1922, Curtiss began the design on the Curtiss Hawk line. They […]
Avro Type G
This model replicates on a small scale the actual airplane which was a two-seat biplane designed by A.V. Roe to participate in the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition. It was unique in that it had a fully enclosed crew compartment. The fuselage occupied the entire gap between the upper and lower wings. At the trials […]
Airco DH.2
This model aircraft represents the Airco DH.2 that was a single-seat biplane “pusher” aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.I two-seater. de Havilland designed the aircraft, but it was built by Airco. 453 of […]
What About Steam ?
From Scientific American ( September 1933 )… A Steam Driven Airplane Two brothers, William J and George Besler recently installed a reciprocating steam engine in a conventional Travelair biplane, and a number of successful flights have been made at the Oakland, CA airport. The power plant is illustrated in these columns by photographs and a […]
The Spirit of St. Louis
Ninety-two years ago, on May 20, 1927, a 25-year-old airmail pilot named Charles A. Lindbergh departed Roosevelt field in New York and flew a modified Ryan monoplane solo to Paris, France. The flight lasted only 33 hours, but Lindbergh had enough fuel to fly over 40 hours if he drifted off course and found […]
The RAF brings the War to Berlin
War comes to Berlin, August 1940 The late August weather in Berlin was cool for the time of year, but despite the chilly weather, the morale of the Berlin public was high. One year had passed since the Second World War in Europe had begun. Less than a month before the Berlin public had celebrated […]
Doolittle Raid-April 1942
At the beginning of 1942, America and its British ally were the underdogs fighting a two-front world war. After losing Singapore (and Tobruk in North Africa), Winston Churchill described 1942 as one of the darkest years in British history. The United States military was still a small fraction of the combined and combat experienced Germans […]