When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, america lacked a practical scout plane to span the gap between primary trainers such as the Curtiss JN-4 and Sopwiths, Spads and other frontline fighters. That deficiency and the desire for a practical American-made fighter served as the primary motivation for the development and fast-tracked production of the Thomas-Morse Scout. The “Tommy,” as it was nicknamed, became the first modern American fighter, despite the fact it was designed by an Englishman, Benjamin Douglas Thomas of JN-4 “Jenny” fame (see Genesis of the Jenny).
William T. Thomas and his brother Oliver W. Thomas (no relation to B.D.) were British subjects born in Argentina. William worked for Curtiss as an engineer from 1908 to 1909, then left to set up his own shop in 1910 with his brother in a barn in Hammondsport, N.Y. The Thomas Brothers Company recruited Curtiss employee Walter Johnson, another self-starter who had taught himself to fly, to serve as a mechanic, test pilot and flight instructor.
