While large numbers of aeroplanes had been produced In America for the
war effort overseas at the Western Front, it was found that that the
British, French and Germans were far ahead of them when it came to
flight technology, which led to a huge surplus of aeroplanes in the
United States. The government’s solution to recover some of the
money was to sell the surplus stock off for as little as $200 dollars
each. With no licence being required to fly a plane, the offer
attracted many ex-fighter pilots as well as civilians, who developed a
new American pastime known as barnstorming. Part entertainers, part
thrill-seekers, the barnstormers made their way across the country as
solo acts and in groups called 'Flying Circuses'. The American flier
Ormer Locklear wowed the crowds by climbing out of his aeroplane and
walk along the wing, and it wasn’t long before flying circuses held
less appeal for spectators if it didn’t have a wing-walking act.
Handstands, jumps across planes, and even the odd game of tennis were
attempted by barnstormers to attract larger paying audiences. In 1936,
the US Government banned wing-walking under 1,500 ft, which doomed
aerial stunting, and while a few wing-walking teams operated in the
1970s, it wasn’t until barnstormer Vic Norman founded his famous
AeroSuperBatics wing-walking team in the early 1980s that the sight of
daredevils hand-standing and flying upside down on the wing was seen
in Europe. Several teams around the world subsequently formed using
aeroplanes such as the Boeing Stearman or the Curtiss 'Jenny' biplanes
to wow crowds as a part of regular air displays, and their appeal has
continued to rise since the 2000s.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781526794192
Publisert
2022
Utgiver
Vendor
Air World
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter