Chapter 3The Golden Age

Preview Questions

•What were some early goals/milestones in aviation?

•How did the war ending affect the aviation industry?

•What happened to military pilots and planes after the war?

•Who were the barnstormers?▫How did they help aviation?

Flying the Atlantic• 1st attempt made by Cmdr. Read (Navy)

▫May 16, 1919▫From Trepassey, Newfoundland to Lisbon

Portugal▫Arrived May 20, 1919▫Total time 26 hours 45 minutes▫First transatlantic crossing

• First nonstop only 2 weeks later▫16 hours 12 minutes, June 14th to 15th

▫Newfoundland to Ireland▫Capt. Alcock and Lt. Brown

After the War

•Airplane numbers at end of war▫France 67,982▫Germany 47,637▫Italy 20,000▫America 15,000

•British production, during war, from 20/month to 3,500/month

•At the end, 177,000 aircraft in service

•3 days after war ends, US Government cancels $100 million in airplane contracts

•175,000 workers laid off•Industry production dropped 85%•Surplus airplanes sold to the public,

cheap•Military aviation cut 95%•Closed most airbases•Now, lots of trained people with tons of

time and lots of cheap cutting edge (for the era) equipment

Barnstormers

•Mostly ex-military•Flying war surplus aircraft

▫Like the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny•Flew from town to town giving rides

▫About $5 a ride•May have joined a carnival or traveling

fair•Sometimes groups of pilots would join

together and form a “flying circus”

•Wing-walkers▫Pilot flew, they would get out and walk on

wing•First licensed black female pilot

▫Bessie Coleman▫Died in plane crash

•Barnstormers brought aviation to the masses and created a greater interest▫Helped keep aviation alive between wars

Military Air Power Develops

•Gen. “Billy” Mitchell still campaigning for separate and equal “Air Force” branch▫Believes that future of warfare lies with

offensive aircraft▫Wanted to upstage the Navy▫Asked to be allowed to bomb ship to

demonstrate superiority▫Congress offers captured German ship

Thought to be unsinkable

•The Bomb Run▫First day, light bombs, little damage▫Second day, 1000 pounders, still minimal

damage▫Day three, 2000 pounders, ship sinks in 30

min.•Lesson lost on everyone

▫Mitchells requests refused•This does convince the Navy of the future

of the airplane, first aircraft carrier built early 1922

Flight Around the World

•1924, 4 Douglas airplanes left Seattle•The aircraft

▫Boston, down between England & Iceland▫Chicago, made it▫Seattle, crashed in Alaska▫New Orleans, made it

•Took 175 days, only 2 planes made it back

•Route:▫Seattle, Alaska, Japan, China, Indochina,

Burma, India, Syria, Austria, France, England, Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, Newfoundland, Seattle

Further Accomplishments

•1923, first airborne refueling▫Stayed aloft for 37 hours 15 min

•1924, first coast to coast flight within 24 hours▫Took 21 hours 47 min▫Demonstrated that anyone could be

anywhere in the country within a day•1929, first use of paratroops

▫18 men, weapons and supplies jumped at 3000 feet

Discussion

•Why were Americas airplane numbers so low at the end of the war?

•What did the end of the war mean for aviation?▫Examples?

•What was the most important thing barnstormers did?

Exit Slip

•5 min▫Index card▫Name▫Draw a picture of a typical barnstormer

airplane•5 min

▫Share with neighbor

Preview Questions

•Has anyone heard of air races?▫Famous modern air race?

•What industry might have been opposed to the air mail service?▫Why?

•Who was Charles Lindbergh?•Who was Amelia Earhart?

Air Races

•Played a part in aviation popularity•Ralph Pulitzer offered a trophy to advance

high-speed flight▫American airplanes were slow compared to

European planes•First Pulitzer air race in NY 1920

▫Winner Capt. Mosley at 156 mph•Last Pulitzer air race in 1925

▫Won by Lt. Bellis at 248 mph

•Red Bull Air Races▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=YUHMkGacFD8▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=XZeBE9ttUzY

Air Mail•Service began May 15, 1918•Aircraft and pilots borrowed from Army•3 months later Post Office Dept. hired its

own pilots and bought its own planes•Some of the first routes:

▫DC to NY▫NY to Chicago via Cleveland▫Chicago to San Francisco

•Truly regular service did not start until July 1, 1924

•Railroads opposed to airmail•Air Mail Act 1925

▫Authorized PO Dept to issue contracts to carry mail

▫Made aviation profitable•Regulation began on May 20 1926 with

the passage of the Air Commerce Act▫Established Aeronautics Branch within

Dept of Commerce▫Responsible for licensing pilots, planes and

airports as well as air traffic rules navigational facilities and publications

Charles Lindbergh

•Barnstormer, air mail pilot and Capt. in Missouri National Guard

•Decided to attempt non-stop NY to Paris flight

•Ordered plane from Ryan Aircraft co.•Named plane Spirit of St. Louis•May 20, 1927 left NY•Arrived in Paris 33.5 hour later•Became instant hero and promoter of

aviation

Amelia Earhart•Most famous female pilot•Licensed in 1923•First solo woman flight across Atlantic

1932▫20 hrs 40 min

•Active in air derby•First president of “Ninety-Nines”

▫International organization of women pilots•Disappeared in 1937 during a round the

world flight▫Plane went down over the Pacific

•Lindbergh Clip▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bMEbcFBdRsA

•Earhart Clip▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bMEbcFBdRsA

Discussion

•What was the purpose of air races?•Why did Pulitzer sponsor an air race?•Why would the rail industry oppose air

mail?•Why was the Air Mail Act of 1925 so

important to the aviation industry?•What did the Air Commerce Act

accomplish?•Why was Charles Lindbergh so significant?

Exit Slip

•5 min▫Index card▫Name▫Who was a more significant role model,

Lindbergh or Earhart? Back up your answer

•5 min▫Share with neighbor

Preview Questions•Who are 2 of the most famous light airplane

builders? (companies)•What is high wing and low wing?•When you hear “Sikorsky” what comes to

mind?•Which airplane became the standard for

most airlines?•Pan Am cornered what market of aviation?•Most famous Zeppelin?•Tuskegee Airmen?

Growth

•1920s, growing market for private aircraft•Many small companies formed to meet

demand•Travel Air Manufacturing Company

▫Wichita KS▫Lloyd Stearman, Clyde Cessna, Walter

Beech▫Built biplanes

•Cessna believed a monoplane would be more successful

•The other 2 partners did not agree•1927 Cessna left and started Cessna

Aircraft Company•Later the last 2 partners started their own

companies▫Beech Aircraft Co., 1932▫Stearman Aircraft Co., 1933

•All 3 stayed in Wichita KS▫Area referred to as the light aircraft capitol

of the world

•GC Taylor, building aircraft in PA▫Went bankrupt in 1929▫William Piper bought company for $600▫Renamed it Piper Aircraft Company

Piper J-3 Cub

•1915, Pres. Wilson formed NACA▫National Advisory Committee for

Aeronautics▫“supervise and direct scientific study of the

problems of flight, with a view of their practical solutions”

•1926, Daniel Guggenheim▫NY philanthropist▫Founded School of Aeronautics at NYU▫Established $2.5 million “Daniel

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics” Supplied grants and scholarships to student

across the country

Improvements

•Monoplane adopted•More efficient wing shapes•Cowling covers•Retractable landing gear•Pressurized cabins•Air cooled engines•Wing flaps•Ice control

Flight Instruments

•Lt. Doolittle did much research•Enable safer flight at night and in bad

weather•September 24 1929, Doolittle made first

successful “blind” takeoff and landing•Took off made a 180 degree turn and

landed all without looking outside of the airplane

•As a result, instruments and radio navigation equipment installed in aircraft

Rotorcraft

•Little progress made during WWI•1923, Juan de la Cierva built first autogiro•Autogiro not as effective as helicopter•Designs led to the modern helicopter

•Real progress made in Spain, France and Germany during the 1930s

•Cierva’s hinged rotor and autorotation features contributed to helicopter design

•First helicopter with complete controllability▫Focke-Achgelis (FA-61)▫Built in Germany in 1937 by Dr. Heinrich

Focke

Igor Sikorsky

•Developed first practical helicopter•VS-300, later R-4 (military)•Used during WWII

Commercial Aviation•McNary-Watres Act

▫Amendment to Air Mail Act 1925▫Contractors now paid by available space▫Bonus for multiengine and instruments▫Incentive to build larger better airplanes

•Initially 1 airmail route▫North Route (NY-Chicago-San Francisco)

•2 more routes opened, Central and Southern▫Central (NY-Kansas City-LA)▫Southern (Atlanta-LA)

•Northern Route belonged to United Airlines

•Central belonged to TWA▫Transcontinental and Western Airlines

•Southern was American Airlines•United contracted with Boeing, in 1933,

to build new modern aircraft, 247, 10 passengers 400 lbs of cargo

•TWA contracted with Douglas Aircraft▫Wanted an airplane “better than the 247”▫Douglas Commercial One DC-1▫Soon gave way to the DC-2 in 1934

14 passengers and thousands of pounds of cargo

•American wanted a different plane from Douglas▫1935, DC-3 24 passengers 5000 pounds

cargo▫Most successful airplane of the time▫Adopted by civil and military aviation

worldwide

Seaplanes Carry Mail

•Pan American Airways▫Began in 1927 to fly mail between Key

West and Cuba▫Extended to rest of Caribbean and Eastern

South America▫Igor Sikorsky built 4 engine S-40 flying

boat Next, S-42 the Clipper 1934, switched to Martin 130 China Clipper 1938, Pan Am bought 6 Boeing 314

•Pan Am History▫http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=MNlqnjKk3o0&playnext=1&list=PLF98175531BEDA176

What about Dirigibles?

•Between WWI and WWII dirigibles and other rigid airships rose to the peak of their success and completely disappeared

•1926, Treaty of Versailles allowed Germany to begin construction of Zeppelins

•3 built▫Graf Zeppelin▫Hindenburg, exploded in NJ 1937▫Graf Zeppelin II

Interwar Military Developments

•Military aviation viewed as a defensive weapon▫Though developments were made in

bombers and fighters▫B-17

•Boeing entered Army bidding process for a “multi-engine” airplane▫Other companies took that to mean 2

engines▫Boeing only company to go with 4 engines

•Boeing 299▫Military designation B-17▫Could out-fly any fighter of the time

•Now saw need for new fighter, Curtiss P-36

War on the Horizon

•Civilian Pilot Training Programs (CPTP)▫Authorized in 1939 by CAA▫Created reserve supply of pilots incase of

emergency▫99th pursuit squadron, first all black unit▫1941 at Tuskegee Sub Depot, AL

Discussion• Why is Wichita KS considered the light aircraft

capitol of the world?• What improvements were made to aircraft

during this era?• What was Lt. Doolittle’s contribution?• What type of aircraft led to the modern

helicopter?• What provided ample incentive to develop larger

multiengine aircraft?• How did Boeing win the Army contract to build

the B-17?

Quiz1. Where did the 1st nonstop transatlantic flight originate and terminate?2. Describe the aviation industry post WWI.3. what 2 conditions led to the “Barnstormer” era in aviation after WWI?4. Who was the biggest military aviation advocate?5. Why were air races so important to Ralph Pulitzer?6. What year did air mail service begin?7. What allowed the government to issue contracts to private companies

to carry air mail?8. Who completed the first nonstop flight from NY to Paris?9. What 3 aircraft companies eventually formed from Travel Air

Manufacturing Company?10. Where is the light aircraft capitol of the world?11. What were 3 improvements made to airplane design during this time?12. Who developed the first practical helicopter?13. What are the names and routes of the airmail routes established be the

McNary-Watres Act?14. What airplane built by Douglas was the most successful of its time?