WWI Aero

The Journal Of The Early Aeroplane,
No. 178, November 2002

Reviewed by Jim Schubert

The black and white cover photo on this issue is charming. "Charming" is not a word that I often use but it is absolutely the right word to describe this cover. As you may be able to see from the thumbnail view at the right, it shows Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's reproduction Deperdussin being attended to by period dressed pilot, mechanic and admiring lady. Charming.

Leading contents, from my point of interest, include a fine article on the Beachey-Eaton Monoplane, in which Lincoln Beachey died in San Francisco on March 14, 1915. The article is accompanied by an old Willis Nye drawing of the airplane, which drawing compares well with photographs except for its color notes. These notes indicate that all the fabric covered surfaces were black. The B & W photos show dark fabric surfaces and the name "BEACHEY" on the wing top in a darker shade, which makes black an unlikely candidate for the overall color of the fabric. Does any reader have any input in this regard?

Part 2a of the Gaullaudet Story gets deeply into the first Gaullaudet airplane; a pretty fantastic looking floatplane 55 feet long with a 44 foot wingspan, a large canard control surface and pusher/puller propellers at the extreme ends of the fuselage driven by long shafts from a centrally mounted 125 hp Emerson six cylinder, water cooled engine. Although extensively tested, the first Gaullaudet airplane never flew and was abandoned. It is a great subject for a scratchbuilt model using the drawings and photos from this installment.

Dan-San Abbott honors us with one of his long, thoroughly researched, articles - this time on the colors and markings of the AEG C.IV accompanied by seven of his detailed livery drawings.

There is so much good content in this quarterly journal that it cannot be adequately addressed in a short review like this. Send 'em $4.00 for a sample copy or $35 dollars for a year's worth of four issues - $40.00 in Canada and elsewhere.

WWI Aero
World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.
15 Crescent Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
USA