Life in the 1920s » Aviation

The Beginning of Commercial Aviation 1926

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:49:28 +0000

The indications are that the time has almost arrived when a beginning of commercial aviation will be successfully made in the United States. Postmaster-General Harry S. New has declared that the Government-operated air mail routes should very shortly become carriers of passengers and express parcels. The air mail, he says, can never be put on a sel... continued here

Graf Zeppelin Visit 1929

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:28:06 +0000

The visit of Graf Zeppelin to the U.S. invites comparison with ocean liners and despite successful aspects of the flight it is predicted that Zeppelins are no immediate threat to existing transport systems. Continue reading →

Diesel Engined Plane

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:11:37 +0000

Diesel-engined airplane QUITE A FLURRY appears to have been caused at Langley Field, Virginia, at a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics when a Diesel-engined airplane owned by the Packard Motor Company of Detroit descended after a 650 mile flight. The Diesel engine is not a new development—hundreds of merchant ships, even ocea... continued here

Air Rivalry

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:37:08 +0000

THE FORD-GENERAL MOTORS rivalry has gone abroad. It has even ascended into the clouds. Let General Motors announce that its new automobile plant near Antwerp, Belgium, is nearly completed; Ford buys a site at Edgewater, N. J., at which to assemble Ford parts and load ships for the export trade, and his son Edsel bends a silver ceremonial spade in h... continued here

The First All-Metal Airplanes 1927

admin — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:17:26 +0000

This 1927 discussion on the use of metal in airplanes is extremely interesting in that it also predicts with uncanny accurracy how air travel would progress, and how modern aircraft would be constructed. LONG-DISTANCE records will be held in future by high-flyers in all-metal airplanes. So at least predicts Albert Lapoule, in an article contributed... continued here

Supermarine sets seaplane Speed Record in 1927

admin — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:58:21 +0000

HURTLING THROUGH THE AIR at the rate of almost five miles a minute, a twenty-seven-year-old British flight lieutenant won the coveted Schneider trophy for seaplanes at Venice on September 26. Only two planes of the six competing were able to finish the 217-mile triangular course, and both were English entries. All three Italian competitors, includi... continued here

Dirigible Crashes 1900 – 1925

admin — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 11:19:33 +0000

The first quarter of the 20th Century saw Dirigibles become a major force in aviation. However, the fiery crash of the Hindenberg captured on movie film was a setback that the dirigible industry never recovered from. Prior to the Hindenberg there had been many other crashes, but they were not filmed, and so had less effect on the public. Here are a... continued here