What Was Life Like for a British WW1 Pilot: Experiencing the Forefront of Flight

The early morning sun is already arching its way into the sky as you step across the field in northern France which has been made damp by the morning dew, leaving your boots squeaking underfoot as you walk with your observer out to your plane. You have been assigned to fly the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2. the mainstay of the Royal Flying Corps, the air arm of the British Army in August 1914. In today's episode of Wars of the World, we put you in the shoes of a British pilot during WW1.

0:00 Introduction
3:19 How did I even get here?
8:13 Into the blue
14:24 Enemy Spotted
20:48 Final Words

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🎶🎶 All music from CO.AG

Narrated by: Will Earl
Written & Researched by: Tony Wilkins
Edited by: James Wade

History Should Never Be Forgotten...

[crickcrot]

I spoke to a ww1 veteran in 1963 i told him I was reading a book about WW1 he said to me thats good because ever since WW2 we have been forgotten about .

[cramersclassics]

As a pilot since age 16 and a builder of experimental aircraft this video is superb! They were the true pioneers!

[gedduncan]

My grandfather was an RFC pilot, was shot down but somehow survived, despite the lack of parachute. Thanks for this compellingly written and told amount, which has given me a glimpse of what the experience must have been like for him.

[oscarharriet]

My maternal grandfather joined the RFC the week before it changed to the RAF. His log book shows his training in 504K and 2 seat Camels, including winding up in a tree due to the “sparking plugs”. His 18th flight was a timed climb to 8000ft and, due to gas damage suffered st Passchendale, his lung collapsed. Armistice saw him in hospital followed by recuperation at a country estate somewhere. Judged fit to fly in Feb’19 his training was completed to A licence (55hrs) and he was demobbed the very next day. Vale Harry Edney.

[neilpiper]

My paternal grandfather was a reconnaissance photographer in the Royal Flying Corp.
He survived and helped teach me photography.

[glynluff]

My Uncle was in the RFC as a turner machining parts. He stated pilots mostly had dihorrea as the Castrol Motor Oil gave them this as the oil system from many engines were total loss. This was a continual process throughout the war.

[albetrosxcore]

Just imagine standing in a biplane shooting a bolt action rifle at another guy doing the same thing. That's awesome in a weird kinda way.

[XHollisWood]

Brave Pilots and Crazy Fragile Aircrafts 👍

[joeclay]

my dad was telling me about his uncles friend who was in the rfc. he said he went round to play billiards once and was alarmed to find a plane wind shield with bullet holes in it. apparently the rfc pilot was shot down and he kept it as a souvenir. he was a lucky one because he didn't end up dead from that. always an interesting memory for me now.

[jayc]

That was a wonderful little Snippets into World War 1 and flying. A great script, and beautifully narrated. Thank you, and best wishes.

[richardbradley]

A wonderful video, providing a level of detail I would not expect to find outside of a book. Compelling, knowledgeable narrative, read in a competent, compassionate and thankfully unsensational voice.

[andrewemery]

As a Commercial Pilot with a love for the Be2, I was stunned by the excellence if this video. Intelligently written, it was a joy to listen to.

[allantribe]

I matriculated in 1965 and in 1966 went to work in the Standard Bank, Marshalls Branch, Johannesburg. On 11 November the old man who was called the " messenger" and took cheques, etc to the clearing depot, was sitting on a table swinging his leg. About 11 am he called to me and asked if I knew what the day was. I said it was the anniversary of the end of WW! He then asked if I could guess where he was at that time and day. I did not have a clue, so he told me he had been a fighter pilot who had been shot down, and it was then that they allocated to him the task of flying new planes to squadrons in France. At 11 am he was flying over the front lines and suddenly everything went quiet, and all he heard was the wind in the wires and struts. His surname was Sullivan. In those days it was impolite to ask questions, so I never did. Now I look back and would love to have, but how much would he have discussed, as again, people did not talk.

[greggwilliamson]

I'm a pilot of a Challenger Ultralight in the FAR-103 class. A LOT like those early planes. I didn't fly near any Interstate Highways at first because the cars were zooming past under me. I was shamed. lol I live near (our near, 4 hour flight) the Wright Brothers Memorial and am PROUD to say I have my "First Flight Airport" stamp!! A small civil airport beside the Wright's "runway".

[Helm-wq]

I'm both an old aircraft mechanic and antique motorcycle mechanic. I have had the privilege to look inside, and even sit in some of those early airplanes. These early pilots from WW1 were unbelievable brave or just plain nuts.

[jamesewanchook]

You're making history come alive, thanks from Vancouver B.C.!

[ronnenni]

Well narrated, and accurate historical story telling
Bravo! And I'm thankyou!

[jameswebb]

The best account of WW1 RFC pilot is in the novel Winged Victory, by Victor Maslin Yeates . Virtually a autobiography, Yeates was a Camel pilot with five victories . He was disabled by Flying Sickness D, TB caused through the Castor Oil that Rotary engines threw back as a fine mist into the pilots faces .
Most likely younger WW1 flying enthusiasts are more absorbed by the Dog Fights that rarely happened . What scared Yeates, and his fictional character Cundell was ground attack.
During the 2nd Battle of Cambrai in Nov-Dec 1917, the RFC lost 400 aircraft in the ground attack role. Ironically that use of aircraft was similarly a prelude to an early death in WW2, Korea and Vietnam.
Just as the Americans designed their Warthog A-10 Thunderbolt as an armored ground attacker, so the British did in 1918 .with the Sopwith Salamander.

[Sophia-ioqg]

My grandfather Jock had may stories of his time in the Royal Flying Corps. I have one picture of him in flight gear stand in front of a sopwith camel, could be a pup. He had quite an aviation career over the span of his lifetime.

[johnjephcote]

So many were lost merely in training. There was one innocent-looking little coombe on the southern edge of Salisbury Plain that had its own local winds and it claimed a disproportionate number of trainee airmens' lives.