The Barnstormers
Chapter Overview
 The Barnstormers
 Flight Goes Mainstream
 Commercial Flight, Airmail, and
Helicopters
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Lesson Overview
 The barnstormers
 Major contributions of the
barnstormers
 How the barnstormers contributed
to public awareness of aviation
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Warm Up Questions
CPS Questions
(1-2)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
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Quick Write
If you’re trying to reach a goal, it helps to
have a supporter, as Bessie Coleman did—
someone who has confidence in you and
convinces you that you can achieve your
dream.
Describe an experience when you or someone
close to you got support in reaching a goal.
(Note to Instructor: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
The Barnstormers
 A barnstormer is a pilot who travels
around the country giving exhibits of
stunt flying and parachuting
 The term barnstorming comes from
the time pilots would fly over a small
rural town to attract attention, then
land at a local farm
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Stunt Flying
 In the 1920s the term
became attached to
stunt flying
 Historians give stunt
pilots like Bessie
Coleman credit for
sustaining the aviation
industry during its early
years
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA
Entertaining Spectators
 Barnstorming shows drew crowds of
spectators—people who come to see an
event or show—during and after WWI
 Some pilots worked in teams
 Their acts were called “flying circuses”
 Once the war was over, these pilots
became the public face of American
aviation
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
End of War
 On 14 November 1918, three days after the
war ended, the US government canceled
$100 million worth of airplane contracts
 Within three months, 175,000 workers in the
aircraft industry lost their jobs
 Aircraft production dropped by 85 percent
 The Army dumped its surplus warplanes
onto the market
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Former Army Pilots
 Many of the barnstormers were former
Army pilots
 Since military aviation had been cut
back, a large number lost their jobs
 They leaped at the opportunity to keep
flying
 These pilots enjoyed showing off the
skills they had mastered in combat
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Significant Barnstormers
 Bessie Coleman was
just one of several
Americans who
gained fame as
barnstormers
 They helped move
aviation into the
public eye
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Wright State University
Learning Check #1
CPS Questions
(3-4)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
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Flying Dangers
 For the barnstormers, flying was in some
ways less risky than it had been for combat
pilots
 No enemy guns fired on them
 But flying, especially stunt flying, was still
dangerous
 Many of the barnstormers died in air
accidents
 Among them were Bessie Coleman and
another pilot named Lincoln Beachey
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Lincoln Beachey
 Beachey (1887–1915)
was one of the top
barnstormers
 Orville Wright called
him “the greatest pilot
of all time”
 In his Curtiss biplane,
Beachey thrilled
crowds with his dives
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Hill Air Force Museum
Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie
 A number of women also were
taking to the skies—among them
was Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie
 She ran her own flying circus
 She was the first woman in the
United States to become a licensed
transport pilot
 In 1933 she also became the first
woman appointed to a federal
government job in aviation
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Hill Air Force Museum
Major Contributions
of the Barnstormers
 Historians call the years between 1919
and 1939 the “golden age of aviation”
 Pilots set one record after another
 They flew faster and attained greater
altitude—the height above Earth’s
surface
 They served as test pilots
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
How Airplanes Evolved
 Airplanes changed from slow-moving,
cloth-and-wood structures to faster
aircraft made of metal
 These planes were more
aerodynamic—designed with
rounded edges to reduce wind drag
 Engines became more reliable
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Learning Check #2
CPS Questions
(5-6)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
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Aviation Enthusiasts
 Wealthy aviation enthusiasts—strong
supporters or fans—began to offer prizes
for the first pilot to achieve a certain goal
 Newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst
offered $50,000 to the first pilot to fly across
the United States in 30 days or less
 Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 for the first
nonstop flight from New York to Paris
 Pilots competing for both prizes found their
engines weren’t up to the task
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Polar Exploration
 Within a few years,
engines had improved
enough to make
transatlantic flight
possible
 Some pilots then turned
to a new challenge:
polar exploration
Richard E. Byrd
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Hill Air Force Museum
Richard E. Byrd
 Trained as a flier, Rear Adm Richard
E. Byrd advanced both aviation and
polar exploration
 In 1926 he and his pilot were the first
to fly over the North Pole
 In 1929 Byrd flew to the South Pole
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Barnstormers Contributed to
Public Awareness of Aviation
 The barnstormers’ demonstrations didn’t do
away with people’s fears about flying
 After all, spectators sometimes saw
dreadful accidents
 But the barnstormers’ air shows certainly
created an interest in flight, even in rural
areas and small towns
 They publicized the airplane and brought
romance to flying
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Barnstormers Contributed to
Public Awareness of Aviation
 Some people
believe that
without the
barnstormers,
aviation might
have died
altogether in the
United States
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Smithsonian Institute
Learning Check #3
CPS Questions
(7-8)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Comstock Images
Review
A barnstormer is a pilot who travels
around the country giving exhibits of
stunt flying and parachuting
In the 1920s the term barnstorming
became attached to stunt flying
Barnstorming shows drew crowds of
spectators
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Review
 Many of the barnstormers were former Army
pilots who lost their jobs after WWI ended
 Many of the barnstormers, including Bessie
Coleman and another pilot named Lincoln
Beachey, died in air accidents
 Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie was the first woman
in the United States to become a licensed
transport pilot
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Review
Historians call the years between 1919
and 1939 the “golden age of aviation”
Trained as a flier, Rear Adm Richard E.
Byrd advanced both aviation and polar
exploration
Some people believe that without the
barnstormers, aviation might have died
altogether in the United States
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Review Questions
CPS Questions
(9-10)
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
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Summary
 The barnstormers
 Major contributions of the
barnstormers
 How the barnstormers contributed
to public awareness of aviation
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Next….
Done—the barnstormers
Next—flight goes mainstream
Chapter 3, Lesson 1
Courtesy of the Library of Congress