9781422285046

Mission Prep

Barely one hundred years ago, the job of fighter pilot did not even exist. Airplanes themselves were cutting-edge technology. World War I began in 1914, and the first military planes were used to drop bombs and to act as scouts, collecting information about what was happening. Soon, engineers found ways to arm planes with other weapons that could be used in direct combat. By the end of World War I, fighter pilots routinely engaged in dogfights —battles between planes in air-to-air combat. For such bat- tles, the airmen became fighter pilots. Probably the most famous fighter pilot of all time was Manfred von Richthofen, a German pilot who was nicknamed the “Red Baron” because of his red airplane. He chalked up some eighty victories before being shot down near the end of the war.

Words to Understand civilians nonmilitary personnel; regular people

dogfights battles between planes that take place entirely in the air drones aircraft that carry no pilot on board and are controlled remotely sorties attacks made from a defensive position

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