Learn More About Flight Attendants More Objects from Early Passenger Flight Overnight Flight Bag, 1934 The addition of female flight attendants fundamentally changed the flying experience-sometimes to the detriment of the female flight attendants themselves-and would continue to shape it for years to come. She convinced him that the presence of women nurses would help relieve the traveling public's fear of flying. So in 1930, she approached Steve Simpson at Boeing Air Transport with the novel idea of placing nurses aboard airliners. The first stewardess uniform was made of dark green wool with a matching green and gray wool cape.Ī nurse from Iowa, Ellen Church wanted to become an airline pilot but realized that was not possible for a woman in her day. Comment about the addition of stewardesses from an airline magazine, 1935 "There is still a newness about air travel, and, though statistics demonstrate its safety, the psychological effect of having a girl on board is enormous." The noise in a typical Ford Tri-Motor during takeoff was nearly 120 decibels, loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. To communicate with passengers, cabin crew often had to resort to speaking through small megaphones to be heard above the din of the engines and the wind. Still, only a tiny fraction of the traveling public flew. But despite the expense and discomforts, each year commercial aviation attracted thousands of new passengers willing to sample the advantages and adventure of flight. America's airline industry expanded rapidly, from carrying only 6,000 passengers in 1929 to more than 450,000 by 1934, to 1.2 million by 1938. A coast-to-coast round trip cost around $260, about half of the price of a new automobile. Only business travelers and the wealthy could afford to fly. Most people still rode trains or buses for intercity travel because flying was so expensive. This photo was probably used to promote air travel. Airlines provided many amenities to ease passenger stress, but air travel remained a rigorous adventure well into the 1940s. Airliners were not pressurized, so they flew at low altitudes and were often bounced about by wind and weather. It was expensive too.įlying was loud, cold, and unsettling. What does the letter predict will happen in the future of travel by plane? Read letterĭespite the airlines' cheerful advertising, early air travel continued to be far from comfortable. This letter was carried on the first scheduled air mail flight. Culver navigated between Philadelphia and Belmont Park, near New York City, during the first scheduled air mail flight, using this liquid-filled compass installed in his Curtiss Jenny. What problems did Edgerton have? How long did it take him to fly from Bustleton Field to Washington? Read logbook pages Compass Pilots wrote down their experiences so other pilots could learn from them. James Edgerton's logbook, with entries for May 14 and 15, 1918. Edgerton left the Army in 1919 and became the Chief of Flying for the U.S. He wore this helmet and coat during that flight. James Edgerton flew the mail from Philadelphia to Washington during the first scheduled air mail flight on May 15, 1918. Why would this be more useful than a folding map? View map record More Objects from Early Air Mail Flight Air Mail Pilot's Coat They would turn the knobs to scroll the map as they flew their route. Mortensen navigated the air mail route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Reno, Nevada, in 1920 using this scrolling map and knee board. This object is called a "knee board" because a pilot would strap it to their leg. Except for the occasional hop in the spare seat of a stunt preforming Curtiss Jenny for a joy ride, few Americans flew as passengers in planes, and even fewer used them as a means to travel. In this period, most airlines made their money by flying the mail for the federal government. Those that did catered to wealthy travelers who could afford the expensive ticket prices. Few passenger-carrying airlines existed, and none survived for very long. Most early airplanes could carry only a single extra person, if any. Aeromarine Airways flew for four years, from 1920-1924. The interior of an Aeromarine Airways airliner.
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