First Air War
Season 41 Episode 18 | 52m 22sVideo has Closed Captions
How did fighter planes evolve from rickety biplanes into deadly machines during WWI?
When World War I began in 1914, the air forces of the opposing nations consisted of handfuls of rickety biplanes from which pilots occasionally took pot shots at one another with rifles. By the war’s end, the essential blueprint of the modern fighter had emerged: it was now an efficient killing machine that limited the average life expectancy of a front line pilot to just a few weeks.
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
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First Air War
Season 41 Episode 18 | 52m 22sVideo has Closed Captions
When World War I began in 1914, the air forces of the opposing nations consisted of handfuls of rickety biplanes from which pilots occasionally took pot shots at one another with rifles. By the war’s end, the essential blueprint of the modern fighter had emerged: it was now an efficient killing machine that limited the average life expectancy of a front line pilot to just a few weeks.
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Video has Closed Captions
How did fighter planes evolve from rickety biplanes to deadly machines during WWI? (30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.