WW1 - 1914-1918
" Looks of War photographers "
" Regards de photographes de Guerre"
9000 photos
438 pages
AIRCRAFTS
STANDARD AIRCRAFT CORP.
Many thanks to Kees Kort for
his clarifications and comments.
Kees Kort Comments
This Standard SJ-1 two-seat trainer was from a massive production order of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) for
600 machines
(serials 4376 - was 4975).
Probably the full order
was built.
After the war lots of these machines were sold as surplus for almost scrap prices as the Air Service
had no use for them.
The machines made their mark in civil flying and barnstorming.
Cockpit panel of the Standard model D 1917
NARA111-SC-003663-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG:111; American Military Activities
Many of those SJ-1's
were sent to Love Field near Dallas TX.
They wrecked them
almost as much as
they did the Jennys.
First Handley-Page bomber built at Standard Aircraft Co. in Elizabeth, NJ July 6, 1918
NARA111-SC-14479-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111
Launching of the 1st American built Handley-Page bomber
at Standard Aircraft Corp.field, Elizabeth, NJ July 6, 1918
NARA111-SC-14480-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111
Side view of Liberty Caproni at Mineola, NY undated
NARA111-SC-15359-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111
Kees Kort comments
The actual building of the Caproni Liberty-engine bomber trimotor was actually very trying.
In a nutshell these were the bottle necks
- the Italian drawings in metrics (meters) had all to be redrawn in inch measures.
A gigantic task which involved thousands of detail drawings
- the fitting of the Liberty engine necessitated alterations in the design which had to be worked in the drawings
- as the large experienced factories like Curtiss were full with production, the building was given to the relatively inexperienced Standard factory,
which actually has never build airplanes of this size
- many alterations in the Caproni design were made by Standard which had to be approved by the Italians, again slowing down the actual building
- as Standard had difficulties building the machine, work was shifted to the Fischer Body works who could not fit the drawings in their building process
so .... again the drawings had to be redrawn
Actually it is a small wonder that the Caproni Liberty bomber trimotor was built at all.
Cost was probably excessive and the machine came much too late (actually after the armistice) and was never used at war.
Think about all those man making the drawings by hand, no computer assisted drawing (CAD) in those times !
French aviator with Standard E-1 aircraft at Potomac Park Apr. 24, 1918
NARA111-SC-008832-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.
Standard Aircraft Corp. H-3 machine, Elizabeth, NJ 1918
NARA111-SC-19900-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.
Standard Aircraft Corp. H-3 machine, Elizabeth, NJ 1918
NARA111-SC-19903-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.
Kees Kort Comments
Nice picture of the second sample of the Standard E-1 pursuit trainer with serial 33770.
Small detail is that
the first sample of the E-1 with serial 33769
had a sightly smaller rudder
The second sample was likely modified as
a result of flight test of
the first sample, to better
the control in flight.
Smaller other differences are visible too.
Standard E-1 [M - defense] at Potomac Park, Wash DC Apr. 24, 1918
NARA 111-SC-008831-ac
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.
Standard E-1 [M - defense] at Potomac Park, Wash DC
NARA 111
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.
'Kays and Figel' single-seat biplane at Standard Aircraft Corp. Elizabeth, NJ 1918
NARA 111-SC-19902
Source of Photograph: National Archives RG 111.