SEATTLE — On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, a one-day symposium at The Museum of Flight on Saturday, July 26, brings together the leading experts on World War I aviation to show how recent investigations are revealing surprising new information.
Speakers include Javier Arango, who uses his personal collection of airworthy World War I airplanes in flight programs to chart the real abilities of the ancient aircraft. Other presenters are renowned World War I aviation historians and authors John Morrow, John Ross, John S. Ballard and Richard Hallion.
The symposium offers four programs from 10:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., followed by an hour-long tour the museum’s World War I Gallery with the guest speakers. The symposium is free with admission to the museum.
World War I Pfalz D.XII (foreground) and Sopwith Snipe
Symposium Schedule
10:30 a.m. to noon: Javier Arango and Dr. John Morrow. Arango is owner of one of the world’s finest private collections of World War I aircraft and a board member of the National Air and Space Museum. He has worked to restore his collection to its original condition and to document a record of specifications and abilities of each of the aircraft – information that has not previously existed.
Morrow is one of the most acclaimed World War I historians in the world. Morrow’s books are considered vital to any study of WWI aviation and the war as a whole.
1 to 2 p.m. John Ross, the author of the upcoming book “Enduring Courage – Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed.” He is the former executive editor of American Heritage and Invention & Technology magazines and was a senior editor of Smithsonian magazine.
2:30 to 4 p.m.: John Morrow, John Ballard, and Richard Hallion. Ballard is also a former U.S. Air Force historian whose book on World War I fighter pilot Field Kindley is renowned for its quality storytelling and historical value. Hallion is senior adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is also an Air Force historian who has published many aviation books. His book about World War I, “Taking Flight,” is considered the seminal work on the subject.
4:15 to 5:15 p.m.: Roundtable discussion among all speakers with focus on questions from the audience.
5:15 to 6:15 p.m.: Symposium speakers and participants tour the World War I Gallery.
For more information: MuseumofFlight.org
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