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We might think of those craft as frighteningly primitive, but to those guys, it was state of the art. It was the highest tech of the time.

Maybe this will help.

your right Camel was introduced to the front in summer 1917. about 14 years after Wright brothers first flight of an airplane that barely just got off of the ground and flew only 120 feet .So camel was high tech for those days

Peter Jackson, the fellow that made Lord of the Rings Movies is very interested in WW1 as his relatives fought in it. He has used some of his $$$ from the movies to build one of the best museums concerning WW1 in the world. They actually make some of these planes from scratch from the original plans. There is a video on one of the streaming services all about it. Here is a link to this company https://thevintageaviator.co.nz/

Yes, even though parachutes were available. "Not manly to wear one, old boy, don'cha know?"

Seems like commanders would have forced their pilots to wear one since a) it takes time and resources to train a pilot and b) an experienced pilot is worth several times his weight in gold over a rookie. Apparently there have always been two kinds of pilots - Aces or Targets - but letting a pilot get killed for his first mistake when he might possibly have been saved to learn from it and fight again seems rather wasteful.

But they were all in their early 20's and invulnerable Knights of the Air...

Mornin, I'm pretty sure there's one of those in Canada, ont. actually. The weather man from CKRV Tv had one. Bob???? Somebody?? He's gone now so lord only knows we're the plane went. Bob Macadory maybe. Anyone up here in Canukastan remember? Tv station in Barrie ont. GWPGUY. 🐾👣🇨🇦

There are a bunch of old aircraft preserved and flown in Canada. I watch YT vids by Dave Hadfield (the luckiest guy ever) who flies all of them, from Tiger Moths and Lysanders to P-51s and Spits. There are even a few of "last one in existence" planes that are still flying.

Yep. Beat me to it. Unmanly to wear a parachute

I can hear it now…”What a wuss!”

My grandfather was in the 95th Aero Squadron in France. He was a mechanic and the 95th had Nieuport 28’s and later Spad X111’s. He saw lots of crashes mainly during landings where the pilots would control their airspeed by turning the engine on and off. He also said the planes used castor oil as a lubricant.

A good book on the 95th: First to the Front by Charles Woolley.
https://www.amazon.com/First-Front-Adventures-Heinrichs-1917-1918/dp/0764307495

Consider the plight of the observer/rear gunner in a two seater.

His pilot is killed or incapacitated. The poor guy in the back seat has no choice but to ride the plane down to his death. Nightmarish way to die.

A tidbit: the engines spewed castor oil in a fine mist that got all over the pilot's faces. Enough of it got ingested that regularity was never a problem for them.

Did you see how quickly that thing got into the air! Almost like a helo!

Can you imagine flying a junker like that and seeing a Spitfire zoom by!
The jump between WWI and WW2 was huge.

There were still biplanes in active service throughout WWII, almost to the end. Some still doing creditable work. They were much advanced past Camels and Spads, but still biplanes.

Sure didn't take much of a runway to get it airborne.

I think the red baron would have chit his lederhosen if a P51 buzzed him

Now if something like that fly over my backyard…I would make thread.

But woooo-weeee a c-130 or any helicopter flies over…no thread. Cmon seriously?

Wonder if there was even enough room in the cockpit for a parachute?

Whenever I read something like this, I am reminded of a quote by Archie Ferguson, bush pilot out of Kotzebue.

WWII, he was flying to Nome and asked for the weather. "In the clear", against war time rules. Nome dispatcher asked if it was an emergency.

"Jesus Christ, Lady! Anytime I'm in the air it's an emergency!"

Which was pretty much true. Once he landed in Nome with a polar bear cub loose in the cabin. Claimed the bear landed the plane.

Years later, I flew with his son Don.

Once.

Pretty sure Jap zeros were wood & canvas and it would dishonorable to surrender or be captured. Hence, no parachutes.


Edited to add:
Just checked, Zeros were metal & canvas.