Model | airplane:1917 British Sopwith "Camel"

Kids growing up in the early years of the 20th century stood in awe of the major strides made in the field of aviation and in the development of aircraft for a variety of purposes. New designs for airplanes and daring speed and endurance competitions especially made taking to the skies seem adventurous, progressive, and even heroic. Barnstormers and local air shows brought the thrill of flying to every corner of America. Many boys watching the aeroplane aerobatics determined they would grow up to pilot their own aircraft. In the meantime, they assembled models of planes they read about in the newspaper and poured over the details of the adventures of the pilots they admired. That early planes were developed for military use by U.S. and European governments meant that the first aviation heroes were often fighter pilots like the U.S.A.'s Eddie Rickenbacker, Germany's Manfred von Richthofen, best unknown in popular culture as the Red Baron, and Roy Brown, the Canadian fighter, who, in his Sopwith Camel, is credited with shooting down the Red Baron. The kids too young to fly themselves spent hours assembling small models of their favorite planes. Youngsters didn't necessarily outgrow their fascination with airplanes, some proved it by continuing to build air models well into their adulthood. This plane is the work of an adult model builder.