4. How did the science of meteorology relate to aviation?
Carl-Gustaf Rossby, became the founder of modern meteorology in the U.S. while he was just a student. Some of his first meteorologist adventures, while he was studying in Sweden, include various oceanographic expeditions. When you think about it, aviation is completely dependent on meteorology. It amazes me to think of a time when pilots were traveling up into the sky, with almost no awareness of what was going on above, or what was to come. It brought a whole new level of danger to aviation.
Rossby originally came to the U.S. for a fellowship with the Weather Bureau, but left soon enough to establish the first weather-report system for airways, a project that was funded by Meyer Guggenheim. He successfully created such a system for Western Air Express, also known as WAE. WAE established these meteorology posts at all of their airports, which in turn prepared and radioed their forecasts to the various stations and aircrafts during flight. The U.S. Weather Bureau later inherited this system. At this point, pilots could at least be a little more safe if they knew what kind of conditions they were moving towards, or if they should avoid the air at all. The new meteorology methods allowed aviation to be much more safer.
6. What influence did Charles Lindbergh have on aviation during his career?
I think it is fair to say that Charles Lindbergh pretty much took the aviation crowd by storm. Lindbergh had an obvious passion for flight. He joined the army to learn and be able to fly greater machines than what he had access to, and at the young age of 25, did what so many other experienced pilots failed to accomplish. He was known as a shy boy, but he was always looking for a new challenge to take on.
Lindbergh was an underdog pilot, especially in the $25,000 contest of flying from New York to Paris. All he wanted was a single seat monoplane, with a single Wright J-5C engine. His plane, Spirit of St. Louis, was nothing special compared to the planes that other aviators were attempting to make the journey with. Other aviators, however, were unsuccessful. Most either crashed, and some even disappeared. When Lindbergh successfully made the journey, he instantly became famous and was thereafter probably the best known aviator in the 20th century. He used his celebrity status to promote aviation knowledge, and encourage the construction of local airports. Later on, he helped create 2 different airlines and also became a plane consultant/test pilot. He also taught combat pilots his "tricks of the trade."
11. Was aviation open to the average person? How did the aviation industry intend to put an “airplane in every garage”?
In the 1920-30's, I feel as if they tried to make it seem like aviation was open to everyone. Early on, private flight was beginning to be a business, as well as the creation of "flying clubs" that offered lessons on how to fly. These options became increasingly popular in Europe, but failed to take off in the U.S. (pun intended) due to cost limitations. It must be reminded that aviation was still a fairly new industry. As expense requirements became clear, private businesses finally came to the realization that they only had one crowd of people to advertise to. So, they aimed all their advertisements for wealthy men. The "sport" of flight was intended to replace a hobby like golf, tennis, etc.
Soon enough, around 1925, there were also hopes of jump-starting the industry of home built airplanes and kits. Both of which proved to be both dangerous, and difficult to pilot. These supposedly mass-produced "light aircrafts" were intended to be cheap (around $500-$1000), safe, and were meant to put an "airplane in every garage." These sorts of industries were halted due to the Great Depression, and eventually World War II.
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