![Towards the end of 1912, the people of Switzerland began collecting money for a national military aviation division. Illustration by Marco Heer.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/titelbild-7-300x225.jpg)
Switzerland’s first military aircraft
At the beginning of the 20th century, the general enthusiasm for aviation also found its way into the military. After a tentative start, in 1914 Switzerland began to assemble a fleet of its own.
![Ernst Failloubaz carrying out the first military reconnaissance flights, in 1911.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/manover-1911-300x164.jpg)
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Call for donations for the creation of a Swiss military aviation division, 1912. Swiss Federal Archives
![Dübendorf airport, 1915: The Swiss Army’s first aircraft fleet was a motley assortment of mismatched contraptions.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/flotte-300x160.jpg)
The beginnings of the Swiss Air Force. YouTube / Swiss Federal Archives
The first time…
There’s always a first time. In this series, we will be looking at historic Swiss firsts. The topics covered are very diverse: from the first zebra crossing to the first ever popular initiative. The articles have been produced in cooperation with the Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv (Swiss Federal Archives).