Summary: Crudely assembled footage with editorial comments of planes in use or in test status in 1926. included are scenes of the Barling bomber with Gen. Patrick, Chief of the Air Service, at the controls, and Lt. Maughan and his plane on a transcontinental flight in 1924; experiments with aircraft fires, parachute drops, smoke screens, bomb drop tests, and the sinking of the USS Virginia in 1923. Aircraft shown includes the curtiss P-!, AT-4, and NBS 4; Boeing PW-9; Douglas 0-2; Loening OA-1; Cox-Klemin XA-1; Huff-Daland LB-1; and Martin GMB. (Photographed by unknown) THE ARMY HAS DIVIDED ITS AIRPLANES FOR MILITARY PURPOSES INTO FIVE GENERAL CLASSES. THE FIRST, KNOWN AS THE PURSUIT TYPE, WHOSE PURPOSE IS CLEARING THE AIR OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT, MUST BE VERY FAST AND MANEUVERABLE. THE MODERN EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE IS THE CURTISS PURSUIT P-1 WHICH IS CAPABLE OF 170 MPH. THE P-1, ARMY SLATED PURSUIT AIRPLANE, TESTED FOR MANEUVERABILITY BY LT. JAMES DOOLITTLE. CU Curtiss pursuit P-1. MS P-1 taxiing, taking off, and in flight. ANOTHER MODERN PURSUIT AIRPLANE, THE BOEING PURSUIT PW-9, WHICH IS CAPABLE OF 168 MPH. Cu stationary Boeing PW-9 -- blocks in front of wheels. PW-9 taxis, takes off, and banks. PW-9 buzzing field. Aerial maneuvers of PW-9 at low altitude. FIRST PURSUIT SQUADRON AT SELFRIDGE FIELD, MICHIGAN. AT THE COMMAND OF MAJOR SPAATZ, EIGHTEEN PROPELLERS START WHIRLING. Maj. Spaatz standing in front of squadron, giving the signal for preparations for takeoff. Crews get into planes -- camera pans down across field. MLS fighter aircraft at Selfridge Field. LS across airfield, showing three aircraft taking off, followed by other aircraft -- camera follows aircraft taking off. PASSING IN REVIEW. ECHELON FORMATION. AV formations passing overhead. 90 TURN IN THE FORMATION. FIRST PURSUIT GROUP REPULSING IMAGINARY ENEMY ATTACKING THE NORTHERN PART OF MICHIGAN. A fifty gallon drum of fuel is hauled, on a sled, to the airplane. Aircraft being fueled by a hand pump. WITH TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO THE WHEELS ARE REPLACED WITH SKIS FOR LANDING ON SNOW AND ICE. CU P-1 aircraft with skis. CU P-1 engine starting, second plane in bg -- camera pans down long line of P-1's with ski-type landing gear. P-1 taxiing and taking off-other planes taking off in bg. THE P-1 ARMY SLATED PURSUIT AIRPLANE, TESTED FOR MANEUVERABILITY BY LT. JAMES DOOLITTLE, Aerial maneuvers of the P-1 aircraft -- barrel roll and falling leaf. FLYING ON HIS BACK THE PILOT HAS PERFECT CONTROL OF HIS PLANE. P-1 flying upside down and performing aerial maneuvers. AERIAL ACROBATICS ARE PART OF THE TRAINING OF THE PURSUIT FLYERS. THE BARREL ROLL. P-1 performing the barrel roll. AS THE STUNTING LOOKS TO THE FLYER. WHEN THE PLANE LOOPS, THE UNIVERSE SOMERSAULTS AROUNT HIS HEAD. Fixed camera shots of terrain as aircraft starts aerial maneuvers. THE EARTH ACTS RATHER QUEERLY AS THE PLANE GOES INTO A TAIL SPIN. Fixed camera view of terrain as plane maneuvers. OBSERVATION AIRPLANE WHOSE FUNCTION IS OBSERVING LONG RANGE FIRING, LONG DISTANCE SURVEYANCE AND PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK. THE DOUGLAS O-2 IS A MODERN EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE. (150 mph) CU Douglas O-2 plane, propellers spinning. O-2 aircraft taxis down the field, takes off. CU O-2 enging. CU pilot in cockpit. AV O-2 in flight -- plane is close to camers. THE LOENING AMPHIBIAN COA-1 CAN TAKE OFF OR LIGHT ON LAND OR WATER. CU COA-1 aircraft, props spinning -- plane taxis on wheels, takes offon runway flies. THE XA-1 AMBULANCE AIRPLANE OFFERS THE FASTEST MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION OF THE INJURED. CU SY ambulance plane, XA-1 aircraft. painted white with crosses on side and tail. THE THIRD CLASS GROUND ATTACK AIRPLANE, USED FOR ATTACKING TROOP FORMATION ON THE GROUND, MUST BE HEAVILY ARMORED. MLS plane that appears to be a Boeing GA-2. AT-4, THE CURTISS PURSUIT PLANE, WITH SMALLER ENGINES, ARE USED FOR TRAINING PURSUIT PILOTS. CU SV stationary AT-4. AT-4 taxiing on runway. THE FIFTH CLASS. BOMBARDMENT AIRPLANES. MUST FLY IN FORMATION WITH A LARGE LOAD OF EXPLOSIVES, FOR BOMBING OVER LAND OR WATER, DAY OR NIGHT. AN AIRPLANE OF THE NOGHT BOMBARDMENT TYPE THE CURTISS BOMBER XNBS-4. SY XNBS-4 taxiing. THE HUFF-DALAND BOMBERS WITH PACKARD 800 HP ENGINES. CAPABLE OF 125 MPH. CU Huff-Daland LB-1 bomber. SV Huff-Daland aircraft taxiing. AIRPLANES OF THE U.S. ARMY AIR SERVICE, TYPE 2. THE GIANT BARLING BOMBER IS TH LARGEST EXAMPLE OF TH LONG DISTANCE BOMBER, XNBL-1. IT HAS A TOTAL OF SIX 400 HP ENGINES. IT IS CAPABLE OF CARRING 5000 LBS. OF BOMBL FOR TEN TO TWELVE HOURS. MLS Barling bomber triplane standing on landing field. SIX LIBERTY ENGINES TOTALING 2,500 HP CARRY THIS BOMBER INTO THE AIR. CU engine of the Barling bomber. LS Barling bomber in field, taxiing, and taking off. AV Barling bomber in flight. THE BARLING ARRIVES AT ST. LOUIS WITH GEN. PATRICK AT THE WHEEL. Barling bomber coming in for a landing in field, taxis, lands -- crowd watches at airport. CU nose of bomber -- pilot, Gen. Patrick, Chief of the Army Air Corps, gets out of aircraft. LT. MAUGHAN, BY FLYING THIS BOMBER FROM NEW YOUK TO CALIFORNIA A 18.66 HRS. PROVED THE POSSIBILITY OF CONCENTRATING ON EITHER COAST IN LESS THAN A DAY. CU pilot, Lt. Maughan, getting out of cockpit. DAYTON, OHIO, FIRST STOP AFTER LEAVING NEW YOUK. Hand manually pumping fuel into the aircraft. Civilian employees checking pilot's check sheet. Curtiss XPW-8B bi-plane passes in front of camera taxis. OFF FOR ST. LOIS, MISSOURI. Curtiss XPW-8B taxiing along runway -- takeoff obscured by by-standers. OBSOLETE AIRPLANES ARE CRASHED TO DETERMINE ORIGIN OF FIRES AND METHODS OF PREVENTING THEM. AIRCRAFT SENT DOWN AN INCLINE TO EXPLODE AGAINST TOWER. Aircraft explodes and burns. SECOND AIRCRAFT SENT AGAINST CONCRETE WALL EXPLODES AND BURNS. CU third aircraft, a WWI model, crashes against stone wall -- explodes and burns. CU aircraft exploding against wall and burning. PARACHUTES, THE AERIAL LIFE PRESERVERS, ARE TESTED WITH DUMMY WEIGHTS. Plane in flight, dropping parachutes. PREPARED FOR A PARACHUTE JUMP. CU enlisted man equiped with chest type parachute. MLS FV & RV bi-plane, with double landing gear and twin tail, turns in front of camera and takes off. A GOOD PLACE TO GET FRESH AIR. Men, wearing parachutes, on tail end of fuselage -- they are waiting to jump. THIS METHOD OF LEAVING A PLANE IS CALLED LIFTING-OFF. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND EVER ATTEMPTED IN THE AIR SERVICE. The parachute catches the wind and pulls the pilot clear of the machine -- parachute is carried away by the wind, man follows. PARACHUTE JUMP. Man standing at edge of wing, holding onto straps -- parachute opens behind him, man is lifted off plne. MLS plane in the air -- appears to be Martin GMB. Another view of parachute opening behind plane, man jumps off-adelayed opening. THIS TYPE OF JUMP COULD BE USED N THE EVENT OF A BURNING PLANE. THE MARTIN GMB WS FIRST BUILT IN 1918, AND THIS U.S. DESIGNED BOMBER FLEW COMLETELY AROUND THE RIM OF THE U.S. IN 1919. Plane in air, four landing wheels showing. AV Curtiss aircraft in flight -- parachute jumps with double chute open. TO PROTECT BOMBING PLANE, THE AIR SERVICE CAN LAY A SMOKE CURTAIN. AV's smoke curtain, laid by plane, obscuring view of ships. AIRIAL BOMBS ARE MADE AS LARGE AS 4000 lbs., SMALLER BOMBS ARE USED FOR PRACTICE. AV bombs dropping battleship target design. RIGHT TO THE MARK. Second bomb drips, hits target, and explodes -- third bomb drops and explodes. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AERIAL BOMBS WAS ILLUSTRATED BY THE RECET BOMBING TESTS. AN 1100 LB. BOMB SENT THE USS VIRGINIA TO THE BOTTOM. View of ship exploding -- mountain of smoke. NOTE THE CONDITION OF THE DECK AFTER THE 1100 LB. BOMB ATTACK. PS of deck of the USS Virginia, showing extensive damage. AV same scene description -- deck stil smoking, ship lists severely, and sinks. fair
