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I recall that in the beginnings of World War I, planes were primarily used as surveillance tools. So the germans and french would send their planes above a batt

I recall that in the beginnings of World War I, planes were primarily used as surveillance tools. So the germans and french would send their planes above a battlefield, and the pilots would see each other, sometimes even wave at each as they passed by. A little bit later someone brought a shotgun on one of the planes and the rest is literal history.

adrtessier 11y ago
I'm very curious as to what the reaction was of the first pilot that was shot at. My guess is he was probably be thinking more "Wow, what an asshole," than he would be thinking that the aggressor's action makes sense in the context of war.
- quizme2000 11y ago
  Probably the thought, "Next time I'm bringing a machine gun!"
- michaelcampbell 11y ago
  > "Wow, what an asshole," Which has a long history between the Germans and French...
  - ekianjo 11y ago
    Much longer between Brits and French.
- HillaryBriss 11y ago
  That's exactly what the little drone said when it got stuck in the police drone's net.
- taytus 11y ago
  Maybe something like - " Bruh... Seriously dude?"
- hanniabu 11y ago
  That probably was their reaction considering it's usually the governments that have issues with each other, not the people. For instance, I have no problem with Russians or Chinese, I think in general they're nice people, as with any population, but our governments have problems with each other and that causes us to fight. I get we're, for the most part, fighting the ideologies of the other country, but it's a real shame we can't live in peace. It's the few bad apples - the greedy, the criminals, the oppressors, the deceiving - that ruin it for everybody.
  - collyw 11y ago
    That generally how I think when I "dislike" a nation. Its not individuals, but the governments.
HelloMcFly 11y ago
I heard bags of bricks were one of the first weapons brought to the skies. This is the type of thing prone for many apocryphal stories.
lotharbot 11y ago
The version of this I heard is that the first air-to-air shots were fired during the Border War (US / Mexico) in around 1911 or 1912. Somebody unloaded his six-shooter and didn't hit a darn thing. Just before WWI, Caproni designed an airplane with a machine gun mounted above the propeller [0], but the military wasn't that interested in it. It wasn't until the invention of the interrupter gear (credited in part to Roland Garros and part to Anthony Fokker) that air-to-air combat got to be really deadly, on account of pilots being able to fire accurately at other aircraft. [0] http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/caproni-ca20 http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/caproni-ca20
- hayksaakian 11y ago
  Note that prior to that gear you would hit your own propeller.
  - Xylakant 11y ago
    Before, Machine guns were either mounted outside the propeller circle (which made aiming harder) or propellers had deflectors on the back which made them less efficient.
    - JWLong 11y ago
      ... and a little (quite) dangerous.
chippy 11y ago
I heard that they were dropping hand grenades and bombs on people below before shooting other planes in the air.

adrtessier 11y ago

I'm very curious as to what the reaction was of the first pilot that was shot at. My guess is he was probably be thinking more "Wow, what an asshole," than he would be thinking that the aggressor's action makes sense in the context of war.

quizme2000 11y ago
Probably the thought, "Next time I'm bringing a machine gun!"
michaelcampbell 11y ago
> "Wow, what an asshole," Which has a long history between the Germans and French...
- ekianjo 11y ago
  Much longer between Brits and French.
HillaryBriss 11y ago
That's exactly what the little drone said when it got stuck in the police drone's net.
taytus 11y ago
Maybe something like - " Bruh... Seriously dude?"
hanniabu 11y ago
That probably was their reaction considering it's usually the governments that have issues with each other, not the people. For instance, I have no problem with Russians or Chinese, I think in general they're nice people, as with any population, but our governments have problems with each other and that causes us to fight. I get we're, for the most part, fighting the ideologies of the other country, but it's a real shame we can't live in peace. It's the few bad apples - the greedy, the criminals, the oppressors, the deceiving - that ruin it for everybody.
- collyw 11y ago
  That generally how I think when I "dislike" a nation. Its not individuals, but the governments.

HelloMcFly 11y ago

I heard bags of bricks were one of the first weapons brought to the skies. This is the type of thing prone for many apocryphal stories.

lotharbot 11y ago

The version of this I heard is that the first air-to-air shots were fired during the Border War (US / Mexico) in around 1911 or 1912. Somebody unloaded his six-shooter and didn't hit a darn thing. Just before WWI, Caproni designed an airplane with a machine gun mounted above the propeller [0], but the military wasn't that interested in it. It wasn't until the invention of the interrupter gear (credited in part to Roland Garros and part to Anthony Fokker) that air-to-air combat got to be really deadly, on account of pilots being able to fire accurately at other aircraft. [0] http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/caproni-ca20 http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/caproni-ca20

hayksaakian 11y ago
Note that prior to that gear you would hit your own propeller.
- Xylakant 11y ago
  Before, Machine guns were either mounted outside the propeller circle (which made aiming harder) or propellers had deflectors on the back which made them less efficient.
  - JWLong 11y ago
    ... and a little (quite) dangerous.

chippy 11y ago

I heard that they were dropping hand grenades and bombs on people below before shooting other planes in the air.