WAK 03-2006 Thomas-Morse S4C Scout

The Thomas-Morse S-4 was an American, wooden, biplane training and fighter aircraft from the First World War. The drive was provided - in later production series - by a single Le Rhone 9C engine with 80 HP. The prototype flight took place in 1917. Serial production continued in the years 1917-1918, ending with the production of about 600 copies of this aircraft. The on-board armament in the hunting version consisted of a single 7.7 mm machine gun.

The S-4 plane was created as a private initiative of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft aviation company, shortly after the accession of the United States to World War I on the side of the Entente countries. The machine turned out to be successful and was ordered very quickly by the American Air Force, quickly becoming one of the most popular domestic-produced aircraft in their ranks. It was also the primary training plane for US military pilots in 1917-1918. Based on the basic version of the S-4, several development versions were created, including: S-4E (aerobatic training aircraft), S-5 (seaplane) or S-9 (metal coated aircraft - never entered into production). After the end of World War I, many Thomas-Morse S-4 aircraft entered the civilian market.