| I have been making paper
airplanes since I was 13 years old. My first
airplane was a B52 that I would put in the
fireplace today, but back then I played with it
for hours. I have since spent more time designing
airplanes. There is always a tradeoff between
realism and the amount of time you are willing to
sit still for one aircraft. |
 The Hurricane
was the first monoplane fighter produced by Hawker,
and was available in substantial numbers at the
beginning of World War II. Hurricanes played a
decisive role in the Battle of Britain when it
equipped 26 RAF and 1 RCAF squadrons, and went on
to fly on more fronts than any other British
fighter. The Hurricane also earned distinction
for being the most versatile of single seat
warplanes to emerge from the Second World War.
Later in the war, Sea Hurricanes were launched by
catapult from ships at sea to defend convoys
against air attack. A "tank buster"
version with 40mm cannon was used in North
Africa.
|
 The
Messerschmitt Me-109
or Bf-109, was the mainstay of
the German Luftwaffe from the Spanish Civil War
in 1935 to 1942. It was quite a revolutionary
design, being the smallest aircraft that could be
built around a powerful engine. Its advantages
were good performance and handling, and a simple
construction; its disadvantages were restricted
vision, bad landing characteristics due to the
narrow-set landing gear, and the inability to
carry heavy armament without adverse affects on
handling. The Me109 was quite advanced for 1935
but, by 1943 it was seriously outdated and was
largely replaced on the Western Front by the
superb Focke-Wulf 190. It stayed on in large
numbers in North Africa, Russia, Italy and the
Mediterranean.
|
 The
Messerschmitt Me-109
or Bf-109 had many types of
coloring. Many had the two tone green color on
the tops of wings and fuselage. The bottom was
painted light blue and the sides was a light blue
and spotted green coloring. |
 The Supermarine
Spitfire was much more than just a
highly successful fighter aircraft. It was, and
indeed to many people still is, the symbol of
victory against overwhelming odds and is probably
the only fighter to achieve a truly legendary
status.
Certainly no other fighter is more deserving of a
place in aviation history. The brown green
coloring was found frequently during the Battle
of Brittain.
|
 The brown and green
camouflage saw the RAF through the Battle of
Britain and into1941. With them now taking the
fight to the enemy, and having to cross the
Channel or North Sea to do it, the brown part of
the camouflage stood out against the sea. So it
was changed to dark grey, a scheme of grey and
green being equally good over land or sea.
|
 In the Middle East Spitfires
were painted with "sand and stone"
upper surfaces for operation over the desert. The
undersurfaces were a much darker blue,
"azure blue" to suit the more intense
blue of the sky in that theatre of war. |
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