Minnesota Aviation History 1857-1945

This account of the growth and development of aviation in Minnesota embraces 88 years of Minnesota aviation history, from the time when Minnesotans flew in balloons, four years before the Civil War. Minnesota's first powered, controllable, heavier-than-air flight took place in 1910, the year from which the authors have chronicled a detailed commentary essentially focused on the feats and failures of the earliest aviators, citing the dates and places of their performances. Every aspect of the slow but gradual growth of Minnesota aviation is set out, including the names of air show entrepreneurs, pilots and participants, one of whom was a shy Minnesota lad named Charles Lindbergh. The authors detail the financial and political problems involved in the creation and operation of early airfields and airports, and write about the people who created the support systems on those airfields, a new level of business called "fixed base operations," which provided operational support for airplanes: fuel, repairs and maintenance, aircraft sales, storage, parking; they were, and still are, marinas of the sky. The who-what-when-where-how-and-why approach has infused the accounts of early aerial thrill-shows, and famous aviators, and the development of the aviation industry in Minnesota, including the feats of air mail pilots and the routes they flew, which later developed into the route structures of the early airlines. There is a listing of Who's Who in Minnesota Aviation from the beginning - all real people, who influenced and contributed to the development of the first 90 years of Minnesota's aviation tradition. This is a monumental work of historical research, organization and creation, a glowing history of a continuing story of the brave men and women of Minnesota who made it happen. It is valuable, not only for technical or historical research, but because it captures the flavor of aviation's romance and adventure as Minnesota aviation has developed up to 1945.