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With World War I gaining in intensity overseas, the time was ripe to merge the airplane and engine divisions with the flying school, and
obtain additional financing. With the financial backing of the Morse Chain Company of Ithaca, the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Company was
incorporated on January 31, 1917. At that time, much of the training of U.S. pilots was done in the Curtis JN-4 "Jenny", a slow two-seat primary trainer. The U.S. Air service needed a fast, sturdy and maneuverable single-seat trainer that closely resembled the performance of the French and British pursuit planes the U.S. Expeditionary Force pilots would be flying when they entered air combat in France. |
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Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Collection of Vince Clarida Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie, 6-28-05 |
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Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Collection of Vince Clarida Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie, 6-28-05 |
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The Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout met this need for an advanced trainer. It was powered by a Rotary engine with a top speed of 105
MPH and had a good rate of climb. It carried a .30 caliber Lewis machine gun. The addition of floats made the S-4 Scout also
suitable for naval aviation use. With the end of U.S. neutrality, and upon the U.S. entering WWI, both the U.S. Army Air Service and the U.S. Navy placed large orders for the S-4 Scouts to be used for advanced pilot training. In 1918, the S-4 Scouts were seen at every army flying field in the country. The Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout got the nickname "Tommy" from the pilots. It has been estimated that 600 Tommy S-4 Scouts were delivered, along with spares equal to 200 more planes. An additional order for 500 S-4 Scouts was cancelled at the end of the war. Many of the S-4 Scouts were sold as war surplus to civilian flying schools, sportsman pilots, and ex Army fliers and they were modified for many uses. Several of these modified Scouts were entered into and won National air races. Some were flown in the mid-1930s for Hollywood movie epics about WWI aerial warfare such as Hells Angels and Dawn Patrol. Different paint schemes were applied and the tails were modified to make them look like British, French and German pursuit planes. A few remaining S-4 Scouts are still on display to be seen by the public at various aircraft museums around the country. After the war, the company shifted its main focus to the manufacture of pursuit planes, which today are called fighters. The first attempts failed, but success was achieved in 1919 with the MB-3, a slick design monoplane powered by a 300 H.P. Wright engine. The MB-3 carried two Browning machine guns. It so outperformed its competitors that the Army Air Service ordered 50 of the planes. However, under the procurement system instituted by the Air Service after the war, the Air Service invited bids for 200 additional MB-3s from the entire aircraft industry instead of ordering production models from the original designer and builder. The Boeing Airplane Company won the contract with the lowest bid which firmly established Boeing as a force in aircraft manufacturing. The MB-3A became the Air Service's standard pursuit plane during the 1920s and saw service throughout the country and Hawaii. The Thomas-Morse company tried to regroup by attempting various new designs with all metal construction for trainers, mail planes, and racers. The resultant prototypes had only moderate success. Finally, the design of a metal two-seat observation plane called the O-19 with a 425 H.P. Wasp engine was accepted by the Army Air Service. |
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