Saw this story in the paper of a hundred years ago. Apparently the British design DeHavilland became the American plane of choice. They made them in the US with a US design engine. Here is a WWI war movie that shows how one was built and then broken down into shipping pieces. Hand made and low tech to say the least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIn0YnhTqqw
The DeHavilland 4 is the American WWI plane of choice
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