On this Day (WWI aviation news)

[KiwiZac]

I love stuff like this 

[PJ Fisher]

American Aviator James Doolittle Killed in Action
This headline is actually true... but who knew there were two?  Here are excerpts from a lengthy obituary of the seldom-remembered James R. Doolittle, who flew with the Escadrille de La Fayette in France.  He was unrelated to the legendary James H. Doolittle of WWII fame who also flew for the U.S. during WWI (though not overseas).
(from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 20 October 1918):

........

[PJ Fisher]

'Guynemer' Falls 10,000 Feet
Another dubious war story here. Gotta say, that sure looks like René Fonck to me... I suppose they read whatever news they could get back then in Tombstone, Arizona.  I wonder if there are any valid recollections confirming this event actually happened.
(from the Tombstone Epitaph, 22 October 1916):



Check out forum member Will Levesley's 1/72nd-scale Eduard build of Guynemer's Nieuport Ni-17 of Escadrille N.3 from 1916:
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13241.msg246606#msg246606

[PJ Fisher]

Completes Call of Duty in Crippled Aircraft
(from the Detroit Times, 23 October 1916):

[PJ Fisher]

Spotlight: The German Air King
Two articles, exactly one year apart, spotlight the legendary ace and pioneering tactician Oswald Boelcke. The first describes one of his double-victory days (possibly 16 October 1916), at the point when Boelcke was the world's leading ace.  The second article retrospectively reveals a reputed relic from Boelcke's plane... though his Albatros was primarily wooden and the spelling of his name differs from his signature.
(respectively from the the Hawaiian Gazette and the Evening Star, 24 October 1916/1917):

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Check out forum member crouthaj's 1/32nd-scale build of Boelcke's Albatros D.II, c. autumn 1916: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=11269.0

[PJ Fisher]

"Bird Friend of Bird-Men"
Interesting glimpse of a Lewis gun mounted diagonally from the starboard side of the cockpit.
(from Illustrated War News, 25 October 1916):

[PJ Fisher]

"You Are Going Out to Inflict Death, Not Avoid It"
Here's an account on flying and gunnery tactics, including one of the earliest written uses I've yet seen of the phrase 'Hun in the Sun'.
(from the Morning Leader, 26 October 1918):

[PJ Fisher]

War Progress in Flying (pt.1)
Here's the first installment of two articles by Karl/Carl Dienst, whose writing on aviation began in the 1890s
(from Popular Mechanics, October 1916):

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Check out forum member dirk's 2012 1/32nd-scale WNW build of a similar presentation F.E.2b as illustrated above: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=962.msg14317#msg14317

[PJ Fisher]

War Progress in Flying (pt.2)
Second installment of two articles by aviation writer Karl/Carl Dienst.
(from Popular Mechanics, October 1916):

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Noticing the flock of Royal Aircraft Factory birds in the last image, check out Mike Norris' recent 1/32nd Lukgraph build of B.E.2c 2635: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13001.0

[PJ Fisher]

Aviator Almost Kills Kaiser
(from the Albuquerque Morning Journal, 29 October 1916):

[PJ Fisher]

'Father' of German Air Force Falls
Oswald Boelcke's name again spans multiple headlines this month as news of his demise over the Western Front immediately spread.  The 25-year-old died ironically not from enemy gunfire but from a mid-air collision with his best friend- fellow ace Erwin Böhme (who survived).  Boelcke's fate reminded me of our recent article announcing Fritz Rumey's death, which was also caused by collision (with British ace G.E.B. Lawson) rather than gunfire.  This got me wondering how many of the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte's top flyers were actually killed by enemy guns during the Great War.  A quick survey of wikipedia's 'List of World War I flying aces from Germany', suggests that this happened to only three of Germany's top twenty (Richtofen, Voss and Müller)... a remarkable statistic.  Oswald Boelcke's influence on the history of aerial combat is epic (despite the last article's headline erroneously dubbing him as merely a 'one-time elevator man').  Many of the tactics enshrined in his 'Dicta Boelcke' endure today.
(respectively from the Lakeland Evening Telegram, the Tonopah Daily Bonanza, the Daily Gate City, Constitution, and the New York Sun; 30 October 1916):


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Check out forum member Kreston's 1/32-scale vignette depicting Boelcke (by Model Cellar): https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=7707.msg141784#msg141784

[PJ Fisher]

Action Over Land and Sea
(from the Arizona Republic, 31 October 1918):

[PJ Fisher]

Italian Ace Injured
Anyone ever heard of this signore?  The closest match from the Bongionvanni Commisison List of Italian aces that I could deduce is Alessandro Buzio, who was injured during the Battle of the Piave River during a ground accident in the Summer of 1918, though he is listed as having flown with 76a Squadiglia.
(from the Telegraph-Herald, 1 November 1918):

[PJ Fisher]

Feeling Lonely at Altitude?
No problem, simply 'switch off your engine... for a talk"!
(from the Fargo Forum, 2 November 1919):

[PJ Fisher]

Americans 'Fight' for Freedom... and New Swimming Pool
This full-page advertisement was placed on this day in 1918 by the airmen at Taylor Field, which was the first military flying facility in the state of Alabama (established in late 1917 after the US joined the conflict).  The purpose of this 'greatest exhibit of flying ever witnessed in the South' was to raise funds not for war bonds but rather... to build themselves a 'badly needed' pool.  Alas, the Armistice would occur just five days before this great 'Aerial Circus' was to be held, presumably dashing their noble dream.  Just five months later, in April 1919, the airfield was shut down.

It would seem that these aspiring aviators neither got the chance to fly overseas nor take a collective plunge at home before the war was called off... however, the wikipedia entry on Taylor Field notes: "All the former hangars and structures of the military airfield have been torn down, though the remnants of a swimming pool remain"!
(from the Birmingham Age Herald, 3 November 1918):