In 1928 the advertising slogan “Learn to Fly Where Lindbergh Learned” started appearing in ads for the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School. After invoking Lindbergh’s name, the ad stated that students would get the same thorough training that enabled Lindbergh to win fame and fortune. Indeed, in 1923 Charles Lindbergh did start his flight training […]
First woman to cross the continent by air
“Girl to Fly Across Nation” was how the Oakland Tribune reported the plan of Lillian Gatlin of San Francisco to make an aerial trip from coast-to-coast via air mail. It was her idea to do this in honor of mothers whose sons were aviators and killed during the First World War. Gatlin was consigned by […]
Aeronca C-2: Small plane, big records
Introduced in February 1930 at the St. Louis Air Show, the Aeronca C-2 was the first lightweight aircraft to be type certificated for production. Coming as it did during a time of economic distress that affected everyone in aviation, the low-cost, low-upkeep Aeronca C-2 put flying within the reach of many. It was available for […]
Spokane Air Derbies a big hit in 1927
The first and only time that the National Air Races were held at Spokane, Wash., was during the week of Sept. 19, 1927. This was quite an adventurous undertaking for a small town such as Spokane, especially given that the previous two events in Cleveland and Los Angeles were money losers. However, Lindbergh’s solo flight […]
A year of epic flights
Prior to 1927, many well-informed people — as well as the general public — continued to think of aviation as a stunt to be marveled at or an amusement, but not something of concrete accomplishment. These attitudes changed during 1927 with many epic flights that proved the capability of modern aircraft and powerplants — flights that saw […]
Dick Merrill, Atlantic double-crosser
Merrill’s flying career began in 1920 when he purchased a war-surplus Curtiss Jenny for $600.
English pilot becomes aviation sensation
Claude Grahame-White, a notable English pilot, took first place at the international air meet held at Boston during September 1910. Flying against notable American pilots such as Glenn Curtiss, Walter Brookins, and Ralph Johnson, he won the major prize for an overwater race to the Boston Lighthouse and placed first in other events to become […]
In search of the $700 airplane
Obtaining an engine for a lightplane was the greatest challenge facing amateur builders in the 1930s. The prices for light airplane engines were prohibitive for most builders. The powerplant of the average small plane amounted to 60% of the cost of the complete plane. That led builders to look to other sources of power. Auto engines, being […]
The great migration of 1940
January 1940 saw a mass migration of light planes from throughout the United States to Florida. Held in conjunction with the Miami All-American Air Maneuver Air Races, the group flights of personal planes was known as the Light Airplane Cavalcade. Under the sponsorship of the Gulf Oil Co. and the manufacturers of Cub, Taylorcraft and […]