20 SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM (NASM 00186681)

New York’s high school shop students aided the war effort Flash cards were used to train by building fighter pilots for aircraft thousands of vital recognition during WWII. airplane models.

BY KEN BARTOWSKI orld War II fighter and the US Office of Education the early days of World War pilots needed to developed a way of using II, there was an urgent need Wknow the differ- model aircraft to train pilots, for 500,000 aircraft recognition ence between friendly and gunners, and civilian defense models, also called “spotter” hostile planes in the air in personnel to identify unknown models. Viewing small-scale split seconds. After the attack aircraft quickly. models of both Allied and on Pearl Harbor, the US Navy In February 1942, during Axis aircraft in 1/72 scale from

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different perspectives and This time period saw record- distances was believed to be an breaking flights, charismatic effective way to learn how to pilots, revolutionary aircraft quickly identify any approach- designs, a national air race, and ing planes that might be a innovations in the design of threat. Models were scaled so homebuilt airplanes, some that, at a distance of thirty-five powered with automobile feet, they would appear the engines. Many aviation maga- same size as the actual aircraft zines were being published would at a distance of one for youth, featuring model half mile. This was valuable building plans, articles, photos, for range finding when radar and artwork. And for a was not available. Both military youngster wanting to experi- and civilian personnel were ence the excitement of flight drilled using split second while still being on the ground, exposure to both the models a wide variety of easy to build and flash cards to train them model kits were available. to rapidly recognize aircraft The durable, nonflying, nationality by their distin- solid wood models that so guishing characteristics. These many young boys and girls were succinctly defined as: had constructed and played number of engines, wing with for years was exactly shape, tail design, and fuselage what was needed to train profile. It was a vital skill in a wartime aviators and ground new type of war in which air- observers. To make the planes power would be paramount. in quantity, only one approach The armed services had to seemed feasible at the time: turn to an unlikely source to merge industrial wood-work- produce thousands of these ing practices and years of model planes on an emergency model building experience in basis. Thousands of the the classroom. Combining the nation’s students would make diligence and determination the aircraft recognition models of both teachers and students, of templates, individually, out of wood. high school shop classes were specifications, Building model airplanes, a the answer. Six thousand and instructions common childhood pastime, school districts across the for the dozens of differ- had suddenly assumed an country were chosen to ent airplane types, it importance that few people participate in the project and was left to the shop could have imagined just a were directed by state educa- teachers to assemble the few months earlier. But how tion departments. tools and acquire the wood Above: Model did this hobby become and other materials that were aircraft building was a regarded as an important Unfilled Quotas needed. It was also the shop common childhood pastime, resource in wartime? In 1942, the Navy Department teachers who informed their as shown by this wartime Comet set the quota for the first year students that they were now Model Airplane ad for their High Times at 60,000 models. Meeting it an important part of the war “Official Identification Kits.” The decade prior to World was going to be a challenge. effort. Many students were Below: Recognition model of an War II was something of a Some schools had to abandon already advanced builders, but American Grumman F4F-4 golden age for aviation and their usual curricula to comply. others were less skilled. This PHOTO BY MARK AVINO SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL for the model airplane hobby. After receiving the official set disparity inevitably created AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM (NASM2011-02211)

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Children in shop classes across the country made model airplanes for the US Navy.

types were illustrated in the “Production Plan” booklet and shop teachers were expected to make and use them as designed, but improvements were allowed and even encouraged. All this was being accomplished using common shop hand tools, a table saw, a band saw, and a drill press. New York’s plan turned out to be an insightful and practical solution to several of the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS problems encountered when implementing the Model Airplane Project.

Future Careers Roy G. Fales, State Director of the Model Airplane Project, problems. Not every model important issue was the time- noted there were additional Doing a type of by every student met the high consuming nature of precision benefits for participants in the standard of quality and model building. Some of the Production Plan. He wrote: “It assembly line work accuracy that was required by more complicated types took should be possible to make the Navy. Despite the initial fifty hours to build. The pri- them so rapidly and so easily in class could be enthusiasm, pupil interest in mary emphasis was now on that each pupil will be able to considered both an the project reportedly lagged the use of newly developed own as many of the various toward the end of 1942, lead- devices, or jigs, designed to models as he wishes. The very initiation and an ing to unfilled quotas. Clearly, guide tools to improve accu- speed with which the planes steps needed to be taken to racy. The booklet described in can be made … will make invitation to a future level the playing field as well detail their use to produce this work attractive and inter- job in one of as speed up construction. each component of an air- esting to the pupils.” Another There was also a growing craft model: wings, fuselage, plus was that doing this “type America’s defense concern that excessive time horizontal and vertical stabi- of work” lent itself to “group was being spent building lizers, engine nacelles, etc. or class cooperation.” Also, industries. models at the expense of A part produced in a jig doing a type of assembly line other aspects of the students’ would be identical to every work in class could be consid- education. other part made in that jig, be ered both an initiation and it two or 2,000. This solved an invitation to a future job Jigs both the accuracy and consis- in one of America’s defense In March 1943, the New York tency problems. Jigs were industries, all considered State Education Department easy to use even by relatively positive for the war effort. published “A Production Plan unskilled students. Jigs were By 1943, the Navy’s list of for the Scale Model Aircraft also quick, creating a part aircraft types that needed to Project.” The 62-page booklet that required little hand be built had expanded to addressed the problems finishing. According to the eighty models representing six encountered in the first year cover of the booklet, jigs countries: America, Britain, of the project. The most were “fun.” All the required Russia, Germany, Italy, and

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Japan, ranging from the British collections. After the war, THE ARCHIVES C O N N E C T I O N Bristol Blenheim to the Russian thousands of surplus models Yak-4. Fortunately, reaching the ended up in crowded toy he New York State Archives maintains a collection goal was no longer as difficult chests, with predictable results. Tof fifty-eight instruction manuals published as it had been the previous year, During the post-war era, during WWII by the State Education Department for due to the improvements to recognition models were the Vocational Education Program for National the program. New York’s quota replaced by commercially Defense Industries. These manuals were distributed was an attainable 40,000 made injection molded plastic to vocational and high schools to assist in the techni- planes of the various types. versions, designed not for war cal training of students. A pamphlet titled “Junior About this time, a method of but to populate collections, Aviation in New York” is a pictorial essay of activities casting virtually unlimited dresser-top airports, and relating to aviation in high schools during World War numbers of ID models from bookshelf landing fields. These II, including model making. molds was developed using an airplane models had the out- The Archives Division of the National Air and early type of plastic, making the ward form of American B-17s, Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia has copies of handmade types obsolescent. P51s, German BF 109s, and the original plans for the recognition models. Go to While these served their intend- Japanese Zeroes, but lacked https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/united- ed purpose until the war’s the compelling aura of history states-navy-world-war-ii-aircraft-recognition-model- end, the material they were that surrounded wartime’s plans-1942 to order one and try making your own! made of tended to decom- handmade wooden Air Force. The Empire State Aerosciences Museum at the pose over time. Very few have But history reminds us that Schenectady County Airport in Glenville, New York, survived in recognizable form. The Model Airplane Project has an extensive array of indoor and outdoor exhibits Today, examples of any and the contribution of New tracing the history of aviation from its beginnings to type of World War II aircraft York’s high school students the current day, with an emphasis on New York's recognition models are scarce, helped obtain the eventual significant participation. In its World War II section present mostly in museum outcome: peace. n there is a full-scale reconstruction of an Aircraft Warning Service post complete with period correct artifacts (including a couple of ID models) on display. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LIBRARY

Right: Recognition model of a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46

PHOTO BY MARK AVINO SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM (NASM2011-02368)

Left: Howard Babcock of Rochester, NY, working on one of his model airplanes

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