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Power - Early airplanes used engines that had a very low power-to-weight ratio, meaning the engines were heavy compared to the amount of thrust it provided. Their performance prevented them from many maneuvers. Some a/c operated at close to their stall speed. If some a/c went into a stall, it was almost impossible to recover from it.

Strength - Airplanes were made of wood covered with fabric applied with glue and braced using cables. The cables and struts created drag on the airplane. These aircraft could bend in flight or a support cable would break. They could not take the forces of fast maneuvers. Some could not fly inverted or fly a loop.

Visibility - Some early WW1 aircraft were designed so that the pilot had poor visibility. These early bi-planes had many struts and wires that impeded their view, even their forward view.

Fuel Leaks - Many planes would catch on fire and burn very quickly if there was a leak in their fuel tank, either due to combat or other causes. A lot of aircraft mounted the fuel tank in the upper wing and a leak would drip back on the pilot.

Poor Performance with dead engine - Since most aircraft engines had low power-to-weight ratio, they were very heavy. If the engine stopped then the aircraft would drop very quickly, giving the pilot little time to select a landing spot.

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14y ago

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