Aviation Archive Magazine Aeroplanes of World War 1 Back Issue

IN THE SPACE OF JUST OVER TEN YEARS, from the first heavier
than air powered  ight by the Wright Brothers, the aircraft found
itself entering into the war to end all wars. There is little wonder,
considering how new the concept of powered aircraft was, that the flying-machine as a military weapon was not taken particularly seriously
by commanders outside of aviation in August 1914.
During the early stages of the con ict the usefulness of the aircraft
was recognised as a reconnaissance machine and artillery spotter, both
of which were particularly dangerous roles. At the beginning air forces
on all sides were small with machines being counted in the tens and low
hundreds, but by 1918 all could call upon thousands of aircraft capable of
performing a variety of roles.
The pressure of being at war accelerated the pace of development
dramatically, engines more than doubled in horsepower, structures
doubled in strength and weapons either increased in calibre or were
more e ectively employed. Bomb loads rose from a few pounds to
thousands of pounds while overall performance and manoeuvrability
evolved to produce  ghting machines that were more challenging and
fearsome to the enemy.
Production of these early aircraft introduced a huge range of new
manufacturers, some of whom would become well known pioneers
of aviation development in their own right after the war. The relative
simplicity of aircraft during this period meant that large amounts of
unskilled and semi-skilled labour could be employed by companies,
who in peacetime, were more likely to have plied their trade by selling
furniture, musical instruments or components for the motoring industry.
Little training was needed and generally a single pattern aircraft was
supplied to each sub-contractor, who re-drew a set of plans and then set
about building the required number to meet the contract.