Vought VE-7

The Vought VE-7 Bluebird was an early American biplane built by the Lewis and Vought Corporation. It first flew in 1917 as a two-seat trainer for the Army, with a Wright-Hispano engine of the kind used in the French SPAD fighters, and it performed far better than a trainer usually did. The Navy took it up, received its first machine in May 1920, and also had examples built at the Naval Aircraft Factory, 128 in all. A single-seat fighter version, the VE-7S, carried a synchronized Vickers machine gun, and the VE-8 and VE-9 were variants. The VE-7 served as the Navy first fighter in its first two fighter squadrons, and in 1922 one flown by Lieutenant Virgil Griffin made the first takeoff from the deck of the carrier Langley. The last were retired in 1928, and a replica now stands at the National Naval Aviation Museum.