USAAS SE5a/e 1920's color schemes: help

Douwe · 31 July 2023, 10:25 AM

Hello,

I'm building a full-scale SE5a replica and am now considering possibly painting it to represent a 1920's US Army Air Service paint scheme. I love the olive fuse with yellow wings etc, but am having a hard time finding many photos or records of service.

can anyone help with photos or info? if I knew when the SE was phased out of service, that would at least help me know what schemes MIGHT have been applied.

Any help is much appreciated!

Douwe

saxon lions · 31 July 2023, 12:41 PM

This question was recently covered on the forum in the thread - U.S. SE5a paint schemes - from 26/07/21 or should it be 07/26/21 complete with five photos.

Wace · 11 August 2023, 12:02 PM

Hi Douwe,
Tried to send you a PM asking if you had the book 'The S.E.5 File' a lot of what you are looking for in that book. There is also a restored original of the A.S. series of about 100 S.E.5 that saw service in the USAAF post WW1 at the Airforce museum This link

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Vi...berhart-se-5e/

This one doesn't have the yellow wings but gives a pretty good idea of the markings in 1920's There were a few different squadrons that had them with variations in the markings.

Douwe · 17 August 2023, 05:34 PM

thank you for the suggestions! yes, I have that book and have visited the SE5e at Dayton.

since my post, I've found some good resources regarding the color schemes during that era. the yellow wings came in as an "optional" scheme, with yellow on the top surfaces only in like 25 or 26 and then when the Army Air Service became the Air Corps, they came out with the all yellow surfaces, horizontal red and white strips on the rudder and the serial number on the fuse, with U.S. ARMY on the bottom wing. 27 is pretty late for an SE still being used, but I have a photo of a Eberhardt SE5e in that precise scheme, so they must have still been using them somewhere at that later date. it's a pretty fun scheme. now if i can just figure out what squadrons were using them in 1927-28... then I could get the right squadron logo for the side.

still not sure if I'm going with a post-war look, or just the regular RAF WWI with guns.

thanks again