What it was like to fly a World War I biplane fighter...  “Imagine being at 20,000 feet (~5 miles) high in a canvas and wood contraption, something akin to your camping tent, pulled by a heavy 90 to 240 hp engine, with no parachute, no GPS, no potty, no oxygen, no airbags and open to the elements.

It’s -12° F (-25° C) of brutal cold up there. Fly as long as you want or for two hours, whichever comes first because that’s when you run out of fuel and/or oil. You have some chance of wrecking/crashing/dying on takeoff, landing and at every moment in between.

Then there’s combat. And if you’re new and up against a veteran, chances are very high that you’ll lose. If you’re not killed, and you manage to crash land, you’ll probably lose some teeth or worse.”