Barnstorming
Subject Source: Local sources
Scope Note: Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed aerial acrobatics, such as the barrel roll and loop the loops. Some barnstormers specialized as aerialists, performing daredevil feats while aloft. Such feats included wing-walking, mid-air plane transfers, and stunt parachuting, among others. Barnstormers performed both individually or in groups called flying circuses. Barnstorming was unique in that it was not just male or white. In fact, many women and people of color gained fame, including Bessie Coleman, Katherine Stinson, and the Five Blackbirds (an all-Black stunt pilot group). It was most popular during most of the 1920s, prior to safety regulations passed in 1927. Many notable pilots were barnstormers, including Tex Johnston, Charles Lindbergh, and Harriet Quimby.Found in 9 Collections and/or Records:
Air Show and Air Race Collection
Halden H. Emrick Pilot Collection
The collection contains materials relating to Halden H. Emrick's personal life and varied aviation career as a pilot's instructor during World War I, chief pilot for Curtiss-Wright and other aircraft companies, and a stunt pilot during the heyday of barnstorming in the 1920s and 1930s.
Elrey B. Jeppesen Papers
The Elrey B. Jeppesen Papers documents the career and personal life of aviator and aerial navigation pioneer Elrey B. Jeppesen. This collection is comprised of textual, visual, and audiovisual materials created and collected by EBJ and his wife and business partner, Nadine Audrey (Liscomb) Jeppesen. The documents date from 1843-1996, with the bulk of the material dating from 1940-1979.
Clyde Pangborn Pilot Collection
Clyde Edward Pangborn (circa 1890s-1958) was born in Bridgeport, Washington and was a military pilot and barnstormer. The collection contains photographs and illustrations, correspondence, advertisements, newspaper clippings, a date book, military service records, and ephemera related to the Pangborn's personal life, military service, and barnstorming career from approximately 1912 to 1981.
Alan Lonsdale Patterson Papers
Robert W. Radoll Early Aviation Collection
Charles E. Selge Pilot Collection
The Charles E. Selge Pilot Collection is a small collection of textual and photographic materials dating from 1932-2021. The materials are related to Selge’s pilot career, most notably his time as an early aerobatic pilot with the Art (Arthur) Davis School of Aviation, Lansing, Michigan. In addition, there are a small number of documents illustrating Selge's continued intrest in planes and his aircraft restoration projets.
Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Pilot Collection
Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel (1910-1991) was born in Ardenwald, Oregon and learned to fly in the late 1920s. Stenzel then gained fame for stunt flying and broke several records through the mid-1930s. The collection contains seven scrapbooks and assorted textual materials and photographs that document Stenzel's career as one of the first female stunt pilots.