most of them joined the raf predecessor, the royal flying corps, inspired by the exploits of the firstgh trenchard, known as the father of the royal air force. the royal flying corps was in action from the start of the first world war, inspiring others to seek this new adventure. facing the enemy was initially a gentlemanly affair, as pilots took aim with pistols or rivals, but soon the germans worked out how to add machine guns to the fight. —— rifles. here we have the interrupter gearfrom 1915. when it's engaged, as we'll see here, no bullets will be released from the gun at the moment when the wooden propeller is in front of the gun. the war in the air became brutal and chaotic. the average life expectancy of a pilot was 18—hours. but as the war ground on, technology and experience helped the allied flyers gain the upper hand. the case was made for the world's first independent air force. at the start of the first world war, the royal flying corps and the royal naval air service were onlyjust over 2,000 strong. by the end of the war, the new royal air force had over 300,000 personne

most of them joined the raf‘s predecessor, the royal flying corps, inspired by the exploits of the first915. when it‘s engaged, as we‘ll see here, no bullets will be released from the gun at the moment, when the wooden propeller is in front of the gun. the war in the air became brutal and chaotic. the average life expectancy of a pilot was 18—hours. but as the war ground on, technology and experience helped the allied flyers gain the upper hand. the case was made for the world‘s first independent air force. at the start of the first world war, the royal flying corps and the royal naval air service were onlyjust over 2,000 strong. by the end of the war, the new royal air force had over 300,000 personnel. there could be no going back. today‘s raf has reduced in size to around 31,000 trained regular personnel. its commander—in—chief says it is still a credible air force, but the challenges ahead will need more resources. the world is changing, it‘s adaptling very quickly. people have noticed where we‘re strong. they‘ve noticed, through recent conflicts, our strength in the air and they‘re w