The Doomed Amelia Earhart (Pathfinder Magazine, 1937)
Published one month before her disappearance, this is one of the last interviews Amelia Earhart was to give.
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Aviation History
Find archive articles on Aviation. Our site has great information from old magazine newspaper articles about Aviation history.
Wilbur Wright, R.I.P. (Collier’s, 1912)
The Collier’s Magazine obituary for Wilbur Wright (1867 – 1912) was written by the aviator and journalist Henry Woodhouse (born Mario Terenzio Casalengo, 1884 – 1970).
The Brothers Wright gave flying instructions to a young boy who would later become one of the first U.S. Air Force generals – you can read about him here…
Click here to read about a much admired American aviator who was attracted to the fascist way of thinking…
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Amelia Earhart: Hawaii to California (Literary Digest, 1935)
All well’, Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937) radioed repeatedly during her 2,400-mile flight from Hawaii to California last week. ‘Alls well that ends well,’ she might have said as she set her monoplane down at Oakland Airport Saturday afternoon, eighteen hours and sixteen minutes after she took off from Wheeler Field, Honolulu. What she actually said was, ‘I’m tired’
Thus she has become the first woman to fly the Pacific from Hawaii to California, and the first person of either sex to fly it alone. Her record has been studded with ‘firsts’ ever since she learned to fly in 1918.
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The Earliest Mid-Flight Refueling (Time Magazine, 1923)
A quartet of Army officers succeeded in passing a fresh supply of gasoline from one plane to another flying forty feet below at the same speed of 90 miles per hour.
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‘The Lady and the Plane” (Vanity Fair, 1919)
In the June, 1920 issue of British Vogue, an anonymous correspondent tried her hand at prophecy:
As surely as the woman of yesterday was born to ride in a limousine, the woman of today was born to fly an aeroplane.
-that said, we have higher hopes for the women of the 21st Century – however, a year earlier, the Vanity Fair writer charged with covering all aspects of motoring, both horizontal and vertical, penned this enthusiastic article and filled it with the names of many of the women aviators who were at that time, striving to make new records in aviation history; it must have been a very exciting time in history to experience (except for the dental care).
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Charles Lindbergh: American Hero (Literary Digest, 1927)
Truth is stranger than fiction’ is an old writer’s saw that the pen plodders know and the general reader doubts. But that truth and fiction may be one and the same thing in comes to light in the story of Charles Lindbergh’s flight. No fiction writer could have contrived a story more perfect and right in it’s details…In a few short days an unknown lad has become the hero of the world. His name is on the lips of more people than any under the sun. His face etched in more minds than any living human. The narrative question of the story, ‘Will he make it?’ is on everybody’s lips, from President to beggars.
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Unpopular Charles Lindbergh (Pageant Magazine,1952)
Written twenty years after the event, this article recalls that period when the Lindberghs returned to America after living in Europe for three years. While abroad, Americans were disturbed to read in the press that he chose to keep company with the Fascists of Germany and Italy; after a while American editors found his behavior so unimpressive, they chose not to write about him any longer. Upon his return, prior to the World War II, Lindbergh joined an isolationist movement called the America First Committee. It was at these functions when he began to make assorted racist comments in his speeches – remarks that the press corps could no longer ignore.
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Enrico Forlanini and His Dirigible (New York Times, 1918)
A New York Times photograph and report on the military dirigible designed by Italian Senator Enrico Forlanini (1848 – 1930). A concise account of the differences between Forlanini’s dirigible and the German Zeppelin are listed as well as the speed, altitude and various offensive capabilities. Enrico Forlanini is is best remembered today for his ground breaking work on steam-powered helicopters, hydrofoils and various other aircrafts, such as his 1909 dirigible, Leonardo Da Vinci.
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The Loss of the Macon and It’s Aftermath (Literary Digest, 1935)
Just before dark, the $2,450,000 Macon had lurched crazily and inexplicably skyward, then had settled stern first into the sea. All but the chief radio operator and a Filipino mess-boy among the eighty-three officers and men aboard had taken to rubber life boats and had been picked up by war ships on Maneuvers.
All Congress needs to do is announce its refusal to condemn more American seamen to death; to declare that no more funds of American taxpayers will be squandered on these useless gas-bags.
Click here to read about a much admired American aviator who was attracted to the fascist way of thinking…
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