Before World War One the development of aircraft was in its early stages and there had been limited use of aircraft in a military role. World War One changed all that and inspired an unprecedented leap of technology in the field of aircraft and engine design and manufacture that took the realm of warfare into a whole new dimension. The flimsy kite like structures of 1914 and 1915 were a world away from the designs that evolved over the few years that followed: unimagined beasts like the Gotha and Handley Page bombers, and the Zeppelin airships would cross hundreds of miles to terrorise cities and bring the war to the civilian population; fast sleek biplanes and monoplanes roamed high above the trenches involved in bitter dog fights to secure superiority of the air, and dangerous low level missions to strafe enemy lines and aerodromes; innovative tri-plane designs took to the air with stunning agility; early simple two stroke engines gave way to powerful rotary and radial engines that could turn an aeroplane upside down on takeoff if the pilot wasn't careful. New companies emerged to take on the challenge of designing and building these innovative new flying machines: Sopwith, Bristol, Spad, Albatross, Nieuport and Fokker were just a few.

A new kind of hero emerged to take these delicate new machines into battle; Aces like Boelcke, Mannock, Ball, von Richthofen, Immelmann, Udet, Goreing, Rickenbaker, Libby, Bishop, Collishaw, Guynemer and Fonck were just some some of them, and a substantial number of them lost their lives doing it.

Fokker Eindecker E-III

The Fokker Eindecker E-III. Designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Herman Fokker the Eindecker entered service in1915. It was not as nimble as its looks would suggest; what made the Eindecker such a formidable opponent was the synchronised machine guns that fired straight ahead through the propeller.

This innovation by Fokker gave Eindecker pilots like Max Immelmann such a massive advantage during combat that they rapidly became known as the 'Fokker Scourge' and dominated the battle field until more maneuverable allied aircraft entered service.

Sopwith Triplane

The Sopwith Triplane first appeared in 1916 and had such good maneuverability and rate of climb that it inspired the German designer Fokker to produce his own version, which was to be flown by the famous Baron Von Richthofen. The Sopwith Triplane was only used by the Royal Naval Air Service and, in the hands of accomplished pilots such as Flight Sub-Lieutenant Raymond Collishaw of the famous Black Flight ("B" Flight of No. 10 (Naval) Squadron), it proved to be a very effective weapon.

Bristol fighter

The Bristol Fighter entered operational service in France at the beginning of 1917 with No. 48 Squadron RFC. Originally thought to suffer from structural weakness the aircraft was initially put into service as a gun platform. From experience the design was shown to be structurally sound and was then flown as a fighter and proved itself more than adequate for the task.

Fokker Dridecker Dr1

One of the most famous aircraft of World War One the Fokker Dr 1 owed much of its fame to one of the most notable pilots of the era, 'The Red Baron' Manfred von Richthofen commander of Jagdgeschwader Nr.1, the "Flying Circus".