This talk is on the development of fighter aircraft from the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903 up to the first World War.

It covers

-  the development of single seater reconnaissance aircraft into fighters with deadly armament so that air supremacy over the battle field could be achieved providing for real time reconnaissance for the land army offensives.

- the development of the principle allied and German fighters covering their engines, airframes, armaments and the key pilots who flew them during the 4 year period of the war.

-the key aces on both sides. What type of people and personalities they had and the performance rankings that made them aces.

-  what it was like to fly in open cockpits at 20,000 feet firstly without parachutes and then finally at the latter stages of the war when they were introduced.

 The talk concludes with statistics on training or the lack thereof, losses and the strategic philosophies of the allies and the Germans on how they pursued the carnage of the air war.