voisinviii

This is a Voisin Type 8 (Voisin 8 / Voisin VIII) pusher equipped with what appears to be a 37mm cannon. Another view of what is certainly the same aircraft: Note the nose art with the Owl clutching (or dropping) the bomb. The Voisin Type 8, in particular the cannon armed type, was used frequently on night attack and bombing missions during the First World War. Norman Prince was an American aviator and pilot who was a founding member of the Lafayette Escadrille. Prince would perish from head injuries sustained in October 1916 when his Nieuport 17 tangled with telegraph cables and crashed. Given that the Voisin Type 8 initially entered service with the French Air Force in November 1916, it is likely that this aircraft was named "Norman Prince" in his honor. See: Voisin Type 8 airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A... Norman Prince en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Prince www.earlyaviators.com/eprinorm.htm albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille124Lafayette...

Thanks a lot. I was very curious about this one. Do you know if it was common for a plane to have two names? Is it possible that Prince actually flew this one and that it was named "Henriette?"

Oh, nevermind. I just noticed the discrepancy with the dates. I wonder if the plane is named "Norman Prince" and the owl mascot is named "Henriette."

Yes, I would be interested to learn the origin and fate of both the "Henriette" name and owl nose art, as well as stylized logo ("AVSA"? "ASA"?) below "Norman Prince."

I've been puzzling over that, as well. I looks to me like some combination of HSV.

Another view of the same aircraft (see comments there):