Kids Encyclopedia

Helicopter — A helicopter (informally known as a “chopper”) is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed …

Hawker Hurricane — The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although largely overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60% of the RAF’s air victories in the battle, and served in all the …

Grumman TBF-1 Avenger — The Grumman TBF-1 Avenger was one of World War II’s most effective torpedo bombers. The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was a torpedo bomber, developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and used by a large number of air forces around the world. It entered service in …

Gotha G.V — The German World War I Gotha G.V., with a range of more than 800 km (500 mi) and speed less than 160 km/h (100 mph), carried six 50-kg (100-lb) bombs. The Gotha G series was a family of heavy bombers used by the Luftstreitkrafte (Imperial German Air Service) during the First World War. There were five basic …

Ford Trimotor — The Ford Trimotor (also called the “Tri-Motor”, and nicknamed “The Tin Goose”) was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced. Although it was designed …

Fokker E-III — The Fokker E.III was the main variant of the Eindecker (monoplane) fighter aircraft of World War I. It entered service on the Western Front in December 1915 and was also supplied to Austria-Hungary and Turkey. Design & Development The E.III was basically an E.II fitted with larger, newly designed wings that had a slightly narrower chord aircraft …

Fokker D-VII — The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft. The Armistice ending the war specifically required Germany to surrender all D.VIIs to the …

F-86 Sabre — The North American F-86 Sabre (sometimes called the Sabrejet) was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America’s first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War. Considered one of the best and most important …

Douglas DC-3 — The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed wing propeller driven airliner, the speed and range of which, revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made. The major military version was designated the C-47 Skytrain. Many …

F4U Corsair — The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought’s manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in …