Summary: Something rare awaits you in this episode of The Delicious Story. We visit with aviation and urban historian Dr. Janet Bednarek, professor at the University of Dayton. <br><br>She takes us on a journey covering the historical highlights of aviation after WWI, including the evolution of the airport system, and the role of barnstormers in igniting the public’s interest for flight. You’ll also learn the surprising impact the United States Postal Service played in aviation development. <br><br>Prepare to be surprised and intrigued by the history that makes your travel by plane possible today. Seat backs up and buckle in. <br><br>LADIES IN AVIATION<br>Dr. Bednarek does stand apart in the aviation historian world. It turns out that female aviation historians are quite a rarity. She was the only one who appeared in my search, as a matter of fact, but she assures me there are other women in the field of study as well.<br><br>Dr. Bednarek and I connected to talk about the unique role of woman in aviation and how their involvement led to greater safety in the early days of flight. Those ladies were true trailblazers given they had to face the headwinds of inequality of opportunity, many of them active right around when women were finally given the right to vote. <br><br>My fascination with females in aviation started with the story of Bessie Coleman who was the first African American and Native American woman to earn her pilot’s license in the mid-20s. Her achievement was doubly notable as a woman of color. <br><br>Did you know that the history of aviation spans 3000 years? If you include all the ways humans have interacted with sending things aloft, it all began with the first kite invented in China in 1000 B.C.E. <br><br><br>Ever since then, ladies had to work extra-hard to make their way into the air, and yet they kept on taking every opportunity to do so. After the Wright brothers got the first plane airborne in 1903, Blanche Scott was permitted to taxi a plane and it became airborne making her the first female pilot. <br><br>A quick review of Scott’s bio reveals that she was known to be an adventurer, having completed a transcontinental automobile journey before she became a pilot. Her tour by car occurred in the early 1900s at a time there were no more than 218 miles of paved roads outside of cities across the U.S. <br><br>Blanche’s life spans a period of incredible changes in aviation, from when planes were invented to watching Glen Armstrong set foot on the moon. It was men and women who made the flight you can take today a reality. <br><br><br>BARNSTORMERS IMPACT FOR AVIATION<br>It’s easy to get sort of romantic about the courage (and craziness) of barnstormers who piloted temperamental planes made of wood, wire, and paper surrounding an engine. These men and some women would do nearly anything to fly, which is why so many of them turned to entertaining audiences. <br><br>Here is footage from the 1920s with a sampling of the types of air acrobatics these aviation daredevils would perform. <br><br>Dr. Bednarek explains the circumstances that led to the barnstormer phenomenon. You’ll also learn more about the state of the military after WWI, that led pilots to become entertainers. <br><br>It was the barnstormers who captured the imagination of the public. These flyers brought entertainment and aviation antics to the masses. Audiences found flight exciting, but the draw also might have been an appetite for watching death-defying tricks in case they turned for the worse. <br><br>Unfortunately, just like Bessie, many pilots didn’t live a very long life. And as to the influence they had on the public, Dr. Bednarek explains that their feats may have worked against those who were trying to make air travel more mainstream. <br><br><br>For some pilots, there were additional employment opportunities to consider. Dr. Bednarek explains how the United States Postal...
