"...what Boelke might have accomplished had he not been accidentally killed in a mid-air collision with one of his own pilots?"
I think having accident in mid-air makes you a bad pilot.:<:
At least insurance companies say so, even if it isn't your "fault".:D

The other pilot actually flew into Boelke, one of his wheels hitting Boelke's upper wing hard enough to collapse it. The other pilot was inconsolable with grief and guilt and was shot down and killed not long after. So I think he would have gotten the ticket, not Boelke. How State Farm would have handled this is anyone's guess.........

Insurance companies say statistically, every accident is your own fault to some extent. Perhaps Boelke should have know enough to be ready to stay out of the way. Heck, hitting a pedestrian that runs into traffic is almost always considered the driver's fault.:confused:
OTOH, it is hard to fly like an eagle when surrounded by turkeys.:D

I like Frank Luke because he was kind of a loner although he flew with a guy named Lt. Werner sometimes. Once in a single day he downed three balloons!!! He met his demise if I remember correctly by getting wounded. Instead of flying to a French base for medical care he instead flew over a village to strafe some German infantry. He was then wounded again and had to land. He tried to fight the Germans with just a .45 pistol and they killed him. Steve

You're right, Steve. Some more Luke facts:
He was the first American aviator to win the Medal of Honor (posthumously).
He was an outstanding football player at Phoenix Union High School.
Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is named after him.
There is a full-sized statue of Luke in front of the Arizona state capital building in Phoenix.

Like you, Steve, I have a certain fondness for Frank Luke. His story is an amazing one.

Told both of them the insurance was cancled just before they hit each other. LOL

I found how I want to paint one of my Nieuport 17 when I put it together. I wonder what the actual colors were.

A flying fish eh? Blues and greens?

That photo looks a little fishy to me!!! Does anyone know much about Raymond Collishaw? I haven't read much about him. Steve

Here is another picture of the "Flying Fish". This one shows how the elevators were painted. I am sure the rings on the wheels are red, white, and blue. I wonder if the plane was left sliver and scales were just added leaving sliver to show between them.

Here is another fishy Nieuport but not a 17.

That is a cool plane!!!

Follow this thread at Aerodrome on the "flying fishes". Be warned if you are not a scale fanatic, these guys can get almost as annoying as me.:D

Hi
 

Hi guys
I'm new here .
I only do WW1 planes .As I have just started back in the hobby I need some
more plans .
I do have Peter Rake's
SE5A (54.00") and Spad XIII (54.00").

Greg

Plans
 

You want them, I got them (all WWI). I'll send you a list tomorrow. Marty

Plans
 

Hi Marty
Yes please.
I cannot PM you as I do not have 3 post up yet
Greg

Hey Marty,
I would be interested in a copy of the plan's also, if possible.
I have plans for
-Fokker DVIII
-Bristol Bulldog
-Bristol F2b fighter

I'll try to add a pic if the Fokker, its nearly finished (only for display)
-Thanks Reuben

You can find lots of free plans for WW1 planes on the net. Then you can scale to size you want, tile print on letter paper and tape the plans together. There are several free programs that will scale and tile print.

WWI plans
 

Boys, here is a quote from one of my former posts. See the list below. We can work something out if we need to. Let me know if you need any specifics about a certain set of plans. Marty

"I too have a set of DVIII plans both small and large. The small plans are about 36" and the large at 72" and I have 1 more set of Cleveland plans. As always Guys, any and all plans I have are available to anyone here for the cost of copying and postage. I LOVE to share them. As a matter of fact, most of the plans I have are swaps or obtained from magazines. Some of the plans that I have are: Sopwith Tripe, Fokker DVIII (again 3 sizes), Eindekker (2 sizes, 1 for indoor), Albatros DVA (1 small and 1 one quarter scale), Fokker DVI, Sopwith Pup, Pfalz DIII, Albatros DII, DH5, Sopwith 1 1/2 strutter, BE2, Pfalz E3, Bristol Type C, Sopwith Dolphin, N11, Donnier L, Morane Type N, DH2, Brisfit (Thanks Murph!), Bristol Scout Type C, Sopwith Camel, Ansaldo, and SE5a. All of these plans are for electric with one or two slimers. The slimers are easily converted to electric."

Where ya been Marty? We've been missing ya!!! Marty has some great plans guys!! I have a couple of 'em. Great guy too!! Even if he is from Jersey, but hey, we can't all be perfect!!! Steve

WWI plane site
 

Check this out Boys. Marty
http://www.airminded.net/http://www.aviation-history.com/theory/dr1wing.htm
http://www.internetmodeler.com/2007/...Fokker_DrI.php

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2007/...Fokker_DrI.php
http://plans.aerofred.com/cat8.htm
http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Ger/Fok_EV/index.html
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Fokker_E.V
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...t=spoke+wheels

Thank you for the offer Marty. Once I learn to build from plans well I will surely take you up on it.

Thanks Again,

Ryan

Luke's last flight is still somewhat of a mystery since there were no witnesses to most of it. He was flying after being grounded by his CO, who declared that if Luke came back alive he'd be court martialed. He did shoot down at least one balloon and was then set upon by a number of DVII's. His plane was shot up and he landed in a field. German Infantry approached him. Prior to leaving for the war he had told his mother that he'd never let himself be taken prisoner, so, living up to that promise he attacked the German's with his pistol and was shot. He really was doomed after Werner was killed since he flew alone most of the time.

The SPAD XIII kit page on our web site is the prototype that I did in Luke's color scheme. It was also on the cover of Flying Scale Models twice (turns our the editor loves the SPAD).

charlie

PS I was also born and raised in Phoenix.

Thanks for the Luke info!! I didn't know some of that. For no longer than he flew he had a very interesting history!! Steve

http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/us_luke.html

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro.../contents.html

Here are two pretty good in depth accounts with as much credible history available.

Look at the last couple of pages of the second one.

charlie