Autoplane: airplane and car. Designed by Glenn Curtiss and shown at the 1917 Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York. Cost: about $190,000 in today’s money. Credits: Scientific American, March 24, 1917
Aviation in 1917: The State of the Industry and Science
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Autoplane: airplane and car. Designed by Glenn Curtiss and shown at the 1917 Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition in New York. Cost: about $190,000 in today's money. Scientific American, March 24, 1917
Trans-Atlantic airship proposal, 1917. An idea for a rigid frame airship, initially for naval use, eventually for civilian use. Scientific American, December 8, 1917
Airplane ambulance from 1917: "The first practical test of a true twentieth century means of transporting the seriously-wounded to base hospitals." Scientific American, November 24, 1917
British seaplane with folding wings (for ease of storage) was used at "a naval flying school along the English coast" in 1917. Scientific American, December 8, 1917
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Airplane manufacture relied on skilled carpentry. Here, women workers in a British factory, 1917. Note the brace-and-bit drill and other hand tools on the bench. Scientific American, May 12, 1917
Armament production was vital for countries fighting the Great War. Here, a large seaplane being built in the U.S. for the British government. Scientific American, June 30, 1917
Your parachute is colored khaki. Early versions of these devices were issued to artillery observers manning tethered balloons that were liable to be attacked. Scientific American, December 29, 1917
Justin Kay Toles labored unsuccessfully in helicopter research for decades. This photo from 1917 shows a design for spinning disks with ailerons at the edges. Scientific American Supplement, June 30, 1917
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Night flying was dangerous. This photo from 1917 shows a British machine after a collision with a tree. "The pilot, fortunately, was uninjured." Scientific American, June 2, 1917
Airman's lighthouse: an experiment in providing landing lights for night flying was installed at the United States Army flying school at Mineola, Long Island, in 1917. Scientific American, April 28, 2017
Giant bomber: the Italian Caproni Ca4, developed in 1917. Several were sent to the U.S. and the Royal Naval Air Service. Scientific American, November 3, 1917
A British "submarine scout": a blimp powered by the aircraft fuselage slung beneath it. Simple but effective, used for coastal patrols during World War One. Scientific American, May 12, 1917
