Flying Circus

by Mark D Smith

My intent of building this collection was to document an intriguing exercise in aerial graphic design and communication carried out by the Germans only 11-14 years after the first successful powered flight at Kittyhawk. Initially, each of the four Jastas of Jadgeschwader 1 were assigned a unique graphic standard to assist in quick and easy identification in the air.

Jasta 04 birds took on a black helix on the fuselage, with the noted exception of Ernst Udet.s peppermint stick. Jasta 06 dawned what appears to be Allied WWII invasion stripes on the horizontal stabilizers. Yellow noses marked Jasta 10 aircraft and red noses, struts and wheels identified Jasta 11 aeroplanes.

Even after it was determined the individual pilots were encouraged to design their own personalized graphic schemes, the Jasta markings are still clearly recognizable. Though the overall result of this build resembles a field of tie dye at a Grateful Dead concert (another circus, another time) the consistency and clarity of the initial German experiment is somewhat stunning. But more important, it is just fun to look at.

Fokker D.VII

Kit: Roden (1:72)

Jasta 10 Fokker D.VII 244/18 (O.A.W.) Ltn. Alloys Heldman 1918

---

Pfalz D.III

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 10 Pfalz D.III Ltn. Hans Klein 1918

---

Fokker D.VII(F)

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker D.VII(F) 5125/18 Oblt. Hermann Goering 1918

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I 147/17 Ltn. Ludwig Kesling 1918

---

Pfalz D.III

Kit: Roden (1:72)

Pfalz D.III 1369/17 Pilot unknown 1917

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I 454/17 Ltn. Lothar von Richtofen 1918

---

Fokker D.VII

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker D.VII (Albatros) late Ltn. Lothar von Richthofen 1918

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I 425/17 Rittm. Manfred von Richthofen 1918

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I Pilot Unknown 1918

---

Fokker D.VII

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker D.VII (Fokker Built) Ltn. Willey Gabriel 1918

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I 545/17 Ltn. Hans Weiss 1918

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 11 Fokker Dr.I 564/17 Ltn. Werner Steinhauser 1918

---

Fokker D.VII

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 04 Fokker D.VII (O.A.W.) early Ltn.Ernst Udet 1918

---

Pfalz D.IIIa

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 04 Pfalz D.IIIa Pilot Unknown 1918

---

Albatros D.V

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 04 Albatros D.V Pilot Unknown 1917

---

Fokker D.VII

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 06 Fokker D.VII(O.A.W.)early Ltn. Urlich Neckel 1918

---

Albatros D.V

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 06 Albatros D.V 1148/17 Ltn. Hans Adam 1917

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 06 Fokker Dr.I Pilot Unknown 1918

---

Fokker E.V, D.VIII

Kit: Roden (1:72)

JASTA 06 Fokker E.V, D.VIII Pilot Unknown

---

Fokker Dr.I

Kit: Eduard (1:72)

JASTA 06 Fokker Dr.I "Die Optische Teuschung" (The Optical Illusion) Ltn. Hans Kirschstein 1917

---