Thomas-Morse S-4C Aviation Section, US Army Signal Corps

These are 1/72 scale decals for the Thomas-Morse S-4C, serial SC38976, assigned to the Signal Corps Flying School, Aviation Section, U.S. Army Signal Corps — one of the most beloved American trainer aircraft of World War I, used to prepare a generation of U.S. military pilots for combat in the skies over France.

The Thomas-Morse S-4C — affectionately known as the "Tommy" — was a single-seat advanced trainer designed to bridge the gap between basic flight instruction and the demanding performance of frontline pursuit aircraft. Powered by a Le Rhône 9C rotary engine and closely resembling the French Nieuport fighters then equipping Allied pursuit squadrons, the S-4C gave student pilots their first experience of the speed, agility, and handling characteristics they would encounter in combat. Over 500 S-4Cs were built, making it the most widely used American-built trainer of the war.

In the years before and during World War I, military aviation in the United States fell under the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps — the institutional predecessor of the Air Service, Air Corps, and ultimately the U.S. Air Force. The Signal Corps Flying School was responsible for training the pilots who would go on to fly with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, and the S-4C was the mount on which many of those men first truly learned to fly a high-performance aircraft. Alumni of the Signal Corps flying training program included some of the most celebrated American aviators of the war and the interwar era.

A charming and historically rich subject from the very birth of American military aviation. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.