Popular films about aerial combat are important for what they say about American ideals of heroism in wartime. Military use of the airplane in World War I attracted Hollywood’s attention and throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, the major studios produced a multitude of films on the subject. In those films certain generic conventions emerged about fighter pilots that dealt specifically with their character, values, and actions. Many of these conventions persist in the public mind.
 
Scenes from these films can be seen in the Legend, Memory and the Great War in the Air Theater.

The Ask An Expert lecture series at the National Mall building is presented every Wednesday at noon. A Museum staff member talks to the public about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum.

 Germany's best fighter, the Fokker D. VII had a frame of welded steel tubing that was lightweight and strong. Its sturdy wings were internally braced; so unlike other biplanes, it didn't need wire rigging, which frequently had to be "turned." This airplane was captured two days before the Armistice, when its pilot mistakenly landed at an American airfield. How to attend

National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

6th St. and Independence Ave SW. Washington, DC 20560