Lieutenant Kenneth Lee Porter was a World War I
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
credited with five aerial victories.
[
]
World War I service
Porter was an engineering graduate from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
who joined the
U.S. Army Air Service in August 1917. He reported to the 147th Aero Squadron in February 1918.
While on patrol with
Ralph O'Neill and four other American pilots, they shot down a
Pfalz D.III over
Château Thierry on 2 July. After switching his
Nieuport 28
The Nieuport 28 C.1, a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I, was built by Nieuport and designed by Gustave Delage. Owing its lineage to the successful line of sesquiplane fighters that included the Nieuport 17, the Nieu ...
for a
Spad XIII
The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII.
During early 1917, the French designer Louis ...
, Porter would score four more times, from 28 September through 12 October 1918, sharing his scores with
Wilbert White,
Francis Simonds
Lieutenant Francis May Simonds (17 October 1894 – 10 July 1961) was an American World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
Biography
Captain of the football team and a member of the varsity eight in his junior year, Francis May ...
, and three other pilots. He also became a
Flight Commander.
He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.
Postwar
He worked for
Burroughs Corporation
The Burroughs Corporation was a major American manufacturer of business equipment. The company was founded in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company. In 1986, it merged with Sperry UNIVAC to form Unisys. The company's history paralleled many ...
and the Pesco Pump Co. in New York until World War II. During the war, he worked with
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
. Afterwards, he returned to civilian engineering.
See also
*
List of World War I flying aces from the United States
The following is a list of flying aces from the United States of America who served in World War I
Overview
Even before the United States entry into World War I in April 1917, many Americans volunteered to serve in the armed forces of Great Bri ...
References
Bibliography
* ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , .
1896 births
1988 deaths
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
American World War I flying aces
Burroughs Corporation people
People from Dowagiac, Michigan
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
University of Michigan alumni
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