single engine fighter/aircraft.

Fighters, with their power, armament, speed, and agility, are deadly foes. As you can see, my research topic is single engine fighter/aircraft. I was first interested in fighter/aircraft about four years ago, when I first saw a episode of dogfights, a history channel TV seres. I was interested because my dad liked it, all aircraft are unique, and its educational.I got some of my information at www.chuckhawks.com/best_fighter_planes.htm and www.hightech-edge.com/worlds-top-ten-fighter-planes-discovery-channel/2423/.

To start from WW1, military aircraft started as two-seat scouts, ones the pilot, the other is the gunner with a rifle. Then they had the bright idea to use a machine gun instead of a rifle. And after the first year, they introduced the Interrupter Gear, gear used to interrupt the machine gun's rate of fire so that it wont hit the propeller when it was in front of the gun. Then they could put the machine gun in the nose, making it easier and more accurate to kill the foe.
The interrupter gear was used in WW2 also.

An example of a WW 1 aircraft is the DR 1 Fokker Triplane. This is a good example of German innovation. The three wings give it exceptional lift but makes it slower then bi-planes and more maneuverable. The famous German ace Manfred , Von Richthofen, aka, "The Red Baron" made the last 80 if his kills in a DR 1.

Before WW2 even started, bi-planes were obsolete by the 1930's. monoplanes were now just about every where. Four planes from WW2 are the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero, the ME/BF 109, the North American P-51D Mustang, and the Supermarine Spitfire MK 1-24. All the planes had machine guns, but at a heavier and bigger sizes. The Spitfire and the Mustang where allied, while the 109 and the Zero were with the Axis.The Mustang fought both the ME 109 and the Zero, while the Spitfire only fought the ME 109. It was during WW2 that jets first appeared. The first operational jet fighter was the ME 262, but it appeared too late to change the outcome of the war.

But in the Korean war,the jet fighters would face-off for the first time. The allies had the F-86 Sabre, while the Communists had the MiG-15. Both had swept wings that reduced drag, and increased the speed limit of the fighters. But, they still used guns to kill the enemy, up close.


It was during the Vietnam that missiles were available, but the A9D Sidewinder and the Am's 7 Sparrow missiles sucked. So did the Communist's missiles. Half the time the missiles missed the target if they got off the rail. Now, we don't have to worry about the mechanical failure of modern aircraft and weapons. But, guns are used still today.