Standard E-1

Not to be confused withStandard E1.

TheStandard E-1 was an earlyAmerican Army fighter aircraft, tested in 1917.^[1] It was the only pursuit aircraft manufactured by the United States duringWorld War I.^[2] It arrived late in World War I, and as a result saw more use in the months following the Armistice than those preceding it.^[3]

Standard E-1

Standard E-1 of 1919 displayed in theVirginia Aviation Museum atRichmond, Virginia in USAAS markings
Role	Military trainer
National origin	United States of America
Manufacturer	Standard Aircraft Corporation
First flight	1917
Primary user	United States Army Air Service
Number built	168

Design and development

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Built by theStandard Aircraft Corporation, theE-1 was an open-cockpit single-placetractor biplane, powered by an 80 hp (60 kW)Le Rhône or 100 hp (75 kW)Gnome rotary engine.^[4]

Operational history

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It proved unsuitable as a fighter, but 128 were bought as an advancedtrainer.^[5] Of these, 30 were powered by the Gnome rotary engine of 100 horsepower and 98 were powered by the LeRhone C-9 rotary engine of 80 horsepower.^[3] After World War I, three were modified asRPVs.

Operators

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United States

United States Army Air Service
United States Navy - 10 aircraft received from the Army (A-4218 to A-4227)^[6]

Survivors

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A late 1918 E-1 was on display at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force inDayton, Ohio for over 40 years. It was placed on indefinite loan to the Museum by J. B. Petty ofGastonia, North Carolina in 1959.^[3] After Mr. Petty passed on, the aircraft was sold at auction by his estate and eventually was obtained byKermit Weeks and is now part of the collection atFantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.^[4]
A 1918 E-1 is on display at the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This airframe was found at a florist shop inDayton, Ohio in the 1950s and restored for display.^[2]^[7]

Specifications

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1918 photo of Standard E-1 serial number 33769

Data from The American Fighter^[8]

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Length: 18 ft 11 in (5.76 m)
Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.31 m)
Height: 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m)
Wing area: 153 sq ft (14.21 m²)
Empty weight: 380 lb (838 kg)
Gross weight: 1,140 lb (519 kg)
Powerplant: 1 ×Le Rhône rotary , 80 hp (60 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
Endurance: 2 hours
Service ceiling: 14,800 ft (4,510 m)

References

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Notes

^Taylor 1989, p. 839.
^^a ^b"Historical Aircraft."Archived 2011-07-28 at theWayback MachineVirginia Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 14 February 2011.
^^a ^b ^cUnited States Air Force Museum 1975, p. 11.
^^a ^b"Standard E-1."Fantasy of Flight. Retrieved: 26 March 2012.
^Donald 1997, p. 854.
^Evans, Mark L. (2015).United States Naval Aviation 1910-2010, Vol. 2(PDF). p. 103. Retrieved18 June 2023.
^P. B. Sullivan 1976, P. 2-3.
^Angelicci and Bowers 1987, p. 416.

Bibliography

Angelucci, Enzo.The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980. San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983.ISBN 0-517-41021-4.
Angelucci, Enzo and Peter Bowers.The American Fighter. Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1987.ISBN 0-85429-635-2.
Donald, David, ed. "Standard Aircraft."Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997.ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
Taylor, Michael J. H.Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989.ISBN 0-517-69186-8.
United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.