Thomas-Morse S-4

Thomas-Morse S-4 - an overview of the versions:

With-4 - the prototype
-4B - the production version for the army, three prototypes, 97 serial, 10 handed over to the navy
S-4C - the serial version with the engine Le Rhone, the first 50 of 497 shipped with Gnomem.
S-4E - prototype machines for acrobatic training, then rebuilt to racing
S-5 - float adjustment of the S-4B, six pieces

After the war, there were many private conversions for various other star, even ordinary engines, usually multisite, or even jednoplošné.

Source:
Wegg, John. General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors. Naval Institute Press, Annopolis 1990, ISBN 0-87021-233-8
Strnad, Frank. The Thomas-Morse Scout Profile Well.68, Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1966
http://www.aerofiles.com/_thomas.html .

At the time of entry of the United states into the first world war, the aviation department signal corps decided to quickly replenish your fleet, consisting of mostly school Curtissy and similar machines, and to fill the gap between them and the powerful interceptors, which at that time swept across the skies of France and on which they had to be american pilots ready. European countries to address the training of their pilots using older fighters, which were no longer suitable for combat and were therefore reserved for advanced training, but in America didn't even have those obsolete machines. But then arose the opportunity to create the first aircraft, designated directly for follow-on training.

In 1909, the U.S. moved the young british designer William T. Thomas, who immediately began to work for the company, Herring-Curtiss in new york Hammondsportu. The end of the year but decided to start their own business, in which he wanted to build his own airplane. It's already behind him moved brother Oliver, who thus founded the firm of Thomas Brothers. The third main character of the society became more British, and coincidentally the namesake of the brothers Thomasů Benjamin Douglas Thomas, the designer, who passed in England by Vickers and later Sopwith. B. D.

Thomas the Hammondsportu got at the invitation of Glenn Curtiss, to whose firm designed the Model J, the grandfather of veleslavného Curtissu Jenny, and for which he collaborated with the british lieutenant Port on the design of a flying boat America, intended for the first crossing the Atlantic. Just B. D. Thomas was the author of the design of the new aircraft, designed for training fighter pilots, and who carried a light form, with Tabloid from the Thomas the last of the british territory. It, however, was in the year 1917 and in an effort to find financial backing for the anticipated war production were merged with the company Morse Chain Company to the new company Thomas-Morse.

The prototype S-4, powered by the French rotary engine of the Gnome, first flew in June 1917 and during the summer passed the tests at the Army experimental air station in the Hamptons, the future of Langley Field. Despite the letter S in the name, to signify the Scout or in period terminology, a single-seat military aircraft (as well as a fighter as a reconnaissance), from the beginning has been tested as a practice. The plane left a good impression, the speed of 153 km/h was very good, but the machine had a center of gravity too far back and have been proposed other changes. There was, therefore, to shorten the hull, the steering wheel control system Deperdussin was replaced by leverage management, changed the size of the wings etc. In this form was order a second prototype and 3. October also building a hundred pieces under the designation -4B. Due to the fact that until then was the largest contract the company Thomas 25 machines T-2 and usually their types were formed in number of three to six pieces, it was a huge success. In November already the first prototype flew -4B. 21. December 1917 was, of course, the prototype destroyed in landing at the university of Cornell.

-4B he was a very durable aircraft, which was often performed even the acrobatics, without a single documented case of damage from stress. The wings had for its time an unusually large stupnění, yet when the tests could carry sand bags seven times heavier than the plane was the same. Problem but in the end he showed the engine, manufactured under license by General Vehicle Company of Long Island. It was difficult to get it to start, because praskajícímu the fuel system was prone to fire, and consumed three gallons of oil per flight hour. Similarly, deteriorated control of the aircraft to the influence of cold on wire management. Yet, during production there have been only minor changes. The navy was also presented the prototype of the S-4 equipped with two floats and a small auxiliary plováčkem under the tail. Although the floats significantly worse rate of climb, the navy purchased six machines S-5, which were assigned the designation A-752 to a-757. It was basically a standard -4B with the mentioned modifications. The floats were wooden and after each flight full of water, yet S-5 in tests at the naval air station Dinner Key in Miami have gained popularity.

Success -4B and the need for additional training aircraft led 9. January 1918 to order an additional 400 machines improved version of the S-4C. The main difference between version B and C was a change of control of the aileron, instead of cables were used to pivotally attached the rods (the inspiration of Thomas gain at Nieuport, which they had been sent to study) and the opportunity to place before the pilot space machine gun Marlin for shooting training. Troubled engine the Gnome was also replaced by a weaker, but much more reliable Le Rhonem, which for a change was produced in license by Union Switch and Signal Company. The first 50 S-4C (SC41359 up 41408) but got still the Gnomes, because the production of new engines is still nerozeběhla. It should be noted that all versions have suffered, although to a lesser extent, an affliction of the prototype were therefore "hard tail". With the further development of the war came the next order, and so it was in August 1918 ordered 150 machines and 4. October another 500. 10. November but the production was cancelled and was completed only 97 S-4C from the August series, with production numbers 44578-44674. However, it still accounted for more than 600 S-4 and S-5, plus an additional 200 machines in the form of spare parts.

Tommy, how is ec čtyřkám nicknamed, were used in all fighter schools in the United states. At the end of September 1918 was flying at the florida base, Carlstrom Field 106 aircraft, at Gerstner Field in Louisiana to 84 and to california's Rockwell Field other 101 machines. A smaller amount were on Barron Field and Taliaffero Field in Texas, and Mitchell Field in new york Garden City. This airport received in connection with Tommy and his name - when during a training flight in Louisiana died (own fault) an unsuccessful candidate for new york mayor J. P. Mitchell, was in his honor the main new york airport renamed. S-4 was used and the navy - ten -4B (A3235-3244) and four S-4CS (A5855-5858) he was handed over to the army.
The end of the war signalled the end of production of the S-4, but not the end of the development. Followed -4E, which was intended as a prototype version for aerobatic training and had new wings with a tapering to the end. He was also driven by a motor Le Rhône 9J about 82 kW and had a redesigned, lighter tail surfaces, reminiscent of Fallout. The narrower the chassis made a bit of problems at launch, but the landing was despite the higher landing speeds (around 100 km/h) easy. Still, however, was heavy on the tail. After adjustments while you could meet the demands for a new advanced trainer, but prevent the rotary motor from the use of which the army retreated, so ended up with a single prototype. A few years flew to the factory to the airport in Ithaca when it was purchased Basil Crowe and edited for the then popular racing. After the reconstruction of the inline engine Aeromarine B has participated in several National air races and even one win, with the speed of around 230 km/h.

The next step was the modification of the basic design S-4 the two-seater machine, marked S-6. It was supposed to be a sports or training machine, which is the same engine, Le Rhone 9C, amounted to a little better performance than WITH-4C and was completed in January 1919. Even this promising great pilotovatelný type was "killed" by his rotary engine, which was found to be too complex for the pilot newcomers. At the same time originated and S-7, which had two seats next to each other in the extended hull, which was a little slower than the previous version. Same engine but meant the same fate. The prototype was eventually sold to the aforementioned Rowe and used for mapping in New Jersey. The last Tommy was S-9, who also had a seat placed next to each other. Used the wings from S-6 and the fuselage was in the basis of also to match the S-6, but he was broader and all-metal, with a covering of aluminum corrugated sheet metal ribs. Instead of the rotary engine has already been used 149kW Wright J-3, with which S-9 reached a speed of 225 km/h and high speed climb. Hull was, however, very tight, and when using the parachute the pilot enough to make him stand out from the aircraft. After the lease on the Kelly Field occurred during a test flight failure of struts, which forced the pilot to jump out on a parachute, while the machine continued to fly, to after nepilotovaném landing tore the wings from the fuselage. Although the hull was too badly damaged, was never corrected and remained in the factory warehouse.

As with other training aircraft after the war were many "Tommies" in civilian hands and were often modified in various ways. The most common was the replacement of the engine, afforded by a huge amount of Le Rhonů vyprodávaných from the military warehouses, so the machines with the Gnomes have often been after the first malfunction rebuilt. Some of the machines also got star engines Super-Rhone, which was the conversion, you conduct sure the texas company from the original rotary Rhonů. Later they were very popular row the engines of the Curtiss OX-5 (also in a large vyprodávaných Built Jenny), various extensions of the upper wings as well as the complete dismantling of the wings lower, so a few Tommy became a high-wing. The company Yackey even directly specialized in the redevelopment of the S-4 on your Yackey Sport, two three-seat aircraft with that engine Curtiss. Many other sports aircraft again used some of the parts, wings, etc. originally intended for S-4. At least one Tommy used to transport mail and other have been converted to racing.

Many more are put into the service of Hollywood, where, after minor modifications, represented the british, French and German planes. They played in the contemporary best-sellers like the Hell's Angels, Dawn Patrol, and also in The Sky Raider, in which he played the famous French fighter Charles Nungesser and when the shooting supposedly an american pilot on his Tommy vymanévroval Nungesserův Nieuport. In the movies appeared even later, still in the thirties at least stood somewhere in the background as the flightless props. The end of their career marked until the year 1956, when one was remodeled -4B used in the movie Lafayettte Escadrille.

This day has survived several machines. One S-4C is from the year 1965 in the Museum of the us air force in Dayton, at the entrance to the National museum of naval aviation in Pensacola is suspended from another machine, which is everywhere referred to as S-4C, however, has floats. Another machine in the National museum of the marine corps is -4B built from several parts, perhaps even using parts of the prototype S-4. Private Pioneer Flight Museum at Old Kingsbury own even one S-4C in letuschopném condition.

source:
Wegg, John. General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors. Naval Institute Press, Annopolis 1990, ISBN 0-87021-233-8
Strnad, Frank. The Thomas-Morse Scout Profile Well.68, Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1966
Hornát, George. Thomas Morse S-4 Scout, Aeronautics + astronautics 22/1989
http://www.aerofiles.com/_thomas.html.

In 1930 was created on motives of the short story The Flight Commander movie Dawn patrol, watching the fate of the two experienced british pilots during the first world war. The story ends classically, two friends (Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) the rozhádají to eventually one sacrificed his life for another. In 1938, originated the remake, in which played the main character Errol Flynn and David Niven. However it wasn't enough available! aircraft capable of featuring kits of fighter jets, a large part of the flight shots and the details on the technique was taken from the original film. The shots come from the second movie..