Barnstorming
Subject
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 2 Collections and/or Records:
Elrey B. Jeppesen Papers
Collection
Identifier: 1996-11-26
Abstract
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.
Dates:
1843-1996 ; Majority of material found within 1940-1979
Found in:
The Museum of Flight Archives
Alan Lonsdale Patterson Papers
Collection
Identifier: 2021-08-03-A
Overview
Alan Lonsdale Patterson worked extensively in the field of aviation from the 1920s to the 1980s. Throughout his career he worked as a barnstormer, pilot and established multiple companies that facilitated the sale of aircraft and aeronautical equipment, predominately between companies based in the United States and China. The collection represents both his professional and personal life through correspondence, photographs, business records, clippings and audiovisual materials, as well as...
Dates:
1876-2021; Majority of material found within 1920-1981
Found in:
The Museum of Flight Archives
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