Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the USA in the 1920s, and it also shaped the rest of the country's aviation history.
The original term barnstorming comes from an earlier American tradition of rural political campaigning.
The so-called Barnstormers were stunt pilots who, either individually or in groups, demonstrated particularly skillful or daring feats in the form of today's aerobatics with their aircraft . They were also flying showmen . The events mostly took place on agricultural land for a day or two. The Barnstomers also took the opportunity to sell planes to farmers and provide flight training. The barnstorming season ran from spring until after the harvest and fair season in autumn.
history
After World War II, the barnstorming movement emerged in the US in combination with the absence of laws to regulate the general aviation (Federal Aviation Regulations) and the fact that the United States government a considerable number of military aircraft, such as the Curtiss JN 4 (so-called Jennys) and other models for a fraction of the original price. This allowed many military pilots who were already familiar with the aircraft to buy their own aircraft.
Most barnstorming shows began with a pilot or in formations of several machines that circled over a small rural town the day before in order to attract the attention of the residents. After that, the pilots negotiated with an owner of the local farm to land on his property. So the fields became the temporary runway from which the air show took place. Leaflets were then distributed in the villages. After the show, the pilots were rewarded for their daring feats. On the day of the screening, all village life was often shut down and people flocked from town to see the show. A formation that is still known today, which originated in the time of the Barnstormers, is the Wingwalker stunts.
The Barnstorms offered more and more spectacular stunts, such as switching from one plane to another. There were so many fatalities in these stunts that the American Civil Aviation Administration was finally forced in 1936 to restrict the barnstorming shows. After that, shows only took place at approved airfields with corresponding rules.
literature
- Caidin, Martin - Barnstorming , Bantam Books, New York 1991
- Cleveland, Carl M. - Upside - Down, Pangborn: King of Barnstormers , Aviation Book Company, Glendale, Cal 1978
Web links
- Photo, two Barnstormers playing tennis on the upper wing (web archive)
