General History

The Thomas Morse Scout became the standard single-seat fighter trainer used by the U.S. Air Service during World War I.  It was nicknamed the 'Tommy' by the pilots that flew it.  Starting in 1917, it was used stateside as an advanced trainer.  First models were delivered with the 100 hp Gnome rotary engine and a slightly modified version was later made with the 80 hp Le Rhone rotary engine.  Less than 500 examples were built. 

After the war ended, many were sold surplus to civilian flying schools, sportsman pilots and ex-Army fliers.  Some were used in the early 1930’s for use in World War I films. 

Personal History

This aircraft was built with the 100 hp Gnome rotary engine and was acquired in 1997 from the Crawford Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.  This will be a great project to restore back to flying condition.  At some point the wings were 'restored' and will have to be completely rebuilt but most of the other components look usable for a restoration to flying condition.  This is one of less than a dozen Tommies left in existence.

Kermit Comment

The Gnome rotary engine used in this aircraft does not have a throttle!  A fuel lever in the cockpit allows the pilot to control fuel going into the engine.  Because there is no carburetor, there is no real way to properly control the fuel mixture and, the pilot has only two choices for power; full throttle or none!   (Imagine trying to drive your car, with your foot full on the accelerator, and turning the key on and off to park.)

The way the pilot controls the engine speed is with a blip switch located on top of the control stick.  By holding the switch down with his thumb, the magneto is grounded, which shuts electricity off to the spark plugs.  This effectively, kills the engine.  When the blip switch is released by taking the thumb off the switch, the spark plugs begin to fire again and the engine roars to life.  By blipping the switch on (thumb up) and off (thumb down), the pilot can control the speed of the engine for operation on the ground and to slow down for landing.  If you watch any old World War I films, you can hear the sound of the engine going . . . Brrrappp! . . . Brrrappp! . . . Brrrappp!. . . when the aircraft comes in to land.

If the pilot is at altitude and wants to come down, the procedure is to shut the fuel off with the fuel lever in the cockpit, and leave the blip switch on.  The wind milling propeller allows the engine to continue to spin without delivering any power and the aircraft will descend.  While the fuel is shut off, it is important for the pilot to remember to leave the blip switch on, as the spark plugs will continue to spark and keep them from fouling with oil.  When the fuel valve is re-opened, the engine will start again.

IMPORTANT - If the pilot shuts the engine off, by continuing to hold the blip switch down, fuel will continue to pass through the engine without burning and raw fuel will soon begin to collect in the cowling.  When the inadvertent pilot releases the blip switch, 1 of 2 things could happen.  Either it won’t start because the spark plugs are too fouled (the best of the two options), or the airplane will catch on fire.

It was very rare to wear parachutes at this time.