Wings #3- Leah Fry

4. How did the science of meteorology relate to aviation?

                  Aviation provided a practical application for meteorology and the funds for the fledgling science to transform from complicated theories to practice. Financial support for developing an airport weather service came from Western Air Express, one of the first commercial airline companies (pg 251).  The airline benefited from weather predictions in order to make sure that their planes didn’t fly if bad weather was expected. It was better for pilots to know that bad weather was expected, because in the past, they might not find out that bad weather was coming until the storm began in the sky. This was detrimental to the safety of the pilots, and the public’s perception of aviation as dangerous increased if plane crashes as a result of bad weather were publicized.

                  The fact that aviation led to the development of weather stations at airports shows that the invention of the airplane opened so many doors for new technologies in this country. Nowadays, being able to see the weather forecast allows us to make so many decisions: what to wear, what activities to expect, and even how much time to plan for our morning commute to work/school. If it had not been for WAE placing weather stations at each of their airports, the science of meteorology might have fallen by the wayside due to lack of practical application. What was once used as a mechanism to protect the safety of pilots and their planes has now evolved into a tool to prevent injuries during times of bad weather by encouraging people to stay indoors when bad weather is expected and delaying or closing school and businesses in accordance with the weather forecast. Although meteorology is seemingly unrelated to aviation, it is quite apparent that the development of aviation helped push meteorology along to become a useful science.

6. What influence did Charles Lindbergh have on aviation during his career?

As the first man to complete a transatlantic flight, completing a journey from New York to France on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh had the potential to affect the way that aviation was considered by the world at this time. He was a young man at 25, but he has managed to accomplish a feat no one else had been able to since the goal was established in 1919 (pg 254). Naturally, this sparked the nation and world’s interest in him. As he was idolized by pop culture of the time, becoming the center of many songs, he was very well known, and the public’s thirst for Lindbergh would not be satiated quickly.  All of these factors made Charles Lindbergh a fantastic spokesperson for increasing awareness in the developing business of aviation.

 When he started to travel the country in his famous plane Spirit of Saint Louis, stopping in every state at least once, he used the publicity that he had earned to encourage flight. He was a big promoter of building airports and designing planes to support commercial aviation, which is, in my opinion, the most practical application of aviation in modern times. He had a hand in developing two commercial airlines: Transcontinental Air Transport and Pan American World Airways (pg 262). After he met his wife flying to Mexico, national interest in the famous aviation couple increased. When his wife, Anne, learned how to fly and operate the radio as part of his crew, it caught the attention of females, as piloting and aviation was a male-dominated field at this time. Although he gained a lot of negative press during the World War II time period with his extreme anti-Semitic views, his footprint in pushing along aviation was already there. Up to this point where the tides of public opinion turned against him, he had been a huge influence on aviation history.

9. What opportunities existed for women and African Americans in aviation during this period?

                  Aviation began to become influential right around the time when women and African Americans alike were starting to gain more rights in our country.  In the times of Jim Crow segregation, African Americans had been forced to miss out on a lot of developing industries in this country such as motion pictures and radio (pg. 310). William J. Powell took it upon himself to ensure that aviation would not follow suit and exclude the African American population. He developed an aero club and founded an aviation school to teach himself to fly. He also spent a great deal of time developing a film, books, and literature to attract young black citizens to become pilots. Other famous names in the African American aviation industry included James Herman Banning and Thomas C. Allen, who completed a flight from L.A. to Long Island in 1932 (pg 310). Although many African Americans became involved in flight during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, white mainstream media did not release many stories about this, so the public was left mostly unaware.

                  Women were also breaking into the field of aviation. Amelia Earhart was the most well known female pilot of her time, accomplishing many feats such as being the first woman and second human to ever complete a solo cross-Atlantic flight (pg 282). She spearheaded the development of the first women’s flying derby, which showcased the talent of female pilots for the first time. Despite the doubts and skepticism that some men entertained about the ability of women to mentally handle the demands of flying, women proved themselves equally adept in the cockpit.

                  For both African Americans and women, flying provided the opportunity to rise above the restrictions placed on them on land. This is discussed particularly well on page 308, when the author includes a quote from Margery Brown that describes flying into the air as the symbolization of freedom for oppressed groups.