Beautiful Planes of World War I

SPAD S.VII

The first in a series of fighter aircraft, the SPAD S.VII was produced by the Société Pour L’Aviation et ses Dérivés during most of the First World War. Based on a modified automobile engine, a Hispano-Suiza 8A, the S.VII was in essence a smaller one-seater version of the SPAD SA pulpit fighter.

But being operated by a single person didn’t make this World War I aircraft any less formidable in the air. Its maximum speed of 119 miles per hour put it well ahead of most competitors. Furthermore, the range of 225 miles meant it was able to strike the enemy where they would least expect it. And while it only carried one gun, that weapon was a Vickers .303 machine gun — a weapon renowned for its performance on the battlefield and now in the skies.

Used by both British and French forces throughout the war, the SPAD S.VII was a game changer in the aerial dogfights of the Great War.