New menace on the L&L

[WotEver]

It works the other way too... I was in the front seat of a Tiger Moth with a pile of flour bombs on my lap trying to hit a truck zig-zagging down the runway. After several not-very-near misses the truck had an ‘engine failure’ and stopped still. I still couldn’t hit the thing. If WW1 pilots hit anyone with bombs dropped from the cockpit I’m convinced it was more by luck than judgment. 

[RLWP]

21 minutes ago, WotEver said:

It works the other way too... I was in the front seat of a Tiger Moth with a pile of flour bombs on my lap trying to hit a truck zig-zagging down the runway. After several not-very-near misses the truck had an ‘engine failure’ and stopped still. I still couldn’t hit the thing. If WW1 pilots hit anyone with bombs dropped from the cockpit I’m convinced it was more by luck than judgment. 

It is the same

Only, while the Royal Navy were proving that your average Jack Tar couldn't shoot down aeroplanes in straight and level flight, in America they were showing just how easy it was to bomb a stationary battleship. This was one of those turning points in technology, big ships had had their day

Richard

WW1 pilots were often trying to hit stationary aerodromes, ammunition dumps and trenches. And generally, the point wasn't to destroy much, it was to make the enemy commit soldiers and guns around potential targets just in case. The reality of WW1 air warfare was surprisingly different to the glamour of Aces in dogfights. Grittier, duller and nastier, mostly

Edited November 5, 2017 by RLWP

[Flyboy]

1 hour ago, RLWP said:

One of my obscure recent interests has been remotely piloted aerial vehicles, beginning during WW1 (no, that's not a typo)

Among the most successful was the DeHavilland Queen Bee:

 

 

The DH Queen Bee first appeared in 1935 definitely not  WW1.  What remotely piloted vehicles came out during WW1?  Radio transmission in those days was of the spark type only suitable for morse code.

[RLWP]

Just now, Flyboy said:

The DH Queen Bee first appeared in 1935 definitely not  WW1.  What remotely piloted vehicles came out during WW1?  Radio transmission in those days was of the spark type only suitable for morse code.

R.A.F aerial target (six built, three crashed, three not flown). Kettering Bug (Liberty Eagle), Sperry Automatic Aeroplane (1918) was probably the best of the bunch. Sopwith also had a go at an aerial target

Most of those google if you have a go

This is the R.A.F* Aerial Target:

Richard

*Royal Aircraft Factory

 

[Flyboy]

38 minutes ago, RLWP said:

R.A.F aerial target (six built, three crashed, three not flown). Kettering Bug (Liberty Eagle), Sperry Automatic Aeroplane (1918) was probably the best of the bunch. Sopwith also had a go at an aerial target.

*Royal Aircraft Factory

Richard

 

 

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting. The RAF aerial target seems to have an rudimentary radio control system but it didn't work. The Kettering  Bug & Sperry Automatic Aeroplane were simply programmed to fly to a target just like the WW2 German V1, so not actually remotely piloted. 

 

[RLWP]

9 hours ago, Flyboy said:

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting. The RAF aerial target seems to have an rudimentary radio control system but it didn't work. The Kettering  Bug & Sperry Automatic Aeroplane were simply programmed to fly to a target just like the WW2 German V1, so not actually remotely piloted. 

 

This was the work of Archibald Low

The whole subject of wireless in WWI is fascinating

Richard