STINSON'S BIG-GUY L-BIRD L-1 Vigilant

摘要

As soon as the airplane joined motorized ground vehicles as tools of war, its ability to see over the horizon made it an invaluable tactical device. It was more mobile than a tethered balloon and could be used to transport messages and leaders from point to point, whenever and wherever it was needed. There was one disadvantage, however: An airplane needed a relatively flat, longish piece of ground from which to take off and land. Then Germany's newly formed Luftwaffe brought the Fiesler Fi 156 Storch to the 1938 Cleveland Air Races. It was seen as the vehicle of long-distance adventurers and airline pioneers.