The Barnstormers pages 82-91 A. Define, Describe, or Identify: 1. Mentor 2. Barnstormer 3. Spectator 4. Altitude 5. Aerodynamic 6. Enthusiast 7. Amphibian plane 1
B. Matching: Match the definition in Column A with the name in Column B. You may use each name only once. Column A Column B 1. This Chicago editor advised a young woman that Europe would be accepting of her. 2. This Dutch aircraft manufacturer encouraged an aspiring pilot from Chicago. 3. This person was the first licensed black woman aviator in the world. 4. At one point Orville Wright called this stunt flier the greatest pilot of all time. 5. He went on to even bigger things, but this famous American pilot started as a barnstormer. 6. The air markers this pilot developed showed aviators which way was north. 7. This barnstormer once wrote, When I see an airplane flying, I just ache all over to be up there. 8. He offered $50,000 to the first pilot who could fly across the United States in 30 days or less. 9. This Navy aviator, born to a famous Virginia family, explored the North and South Poles. 10. In 1929 he was the pilot on a historic trip to the South Pole. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. Lincoln Beachey Charles A. Lindbergh Robert S. Abbott Bessie Coleman Richard E. Byrd Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie William Randolph Hearst Anthony Fokker Bernt Balchen Margery Brown 2
C. True/False: Put a T in the blank if the sentence is true and an F if it is false. 1. Bessie Coleman s exploits were all the more remarkable given that she had left school after the sixth grade. 2. In the days before television and theme parks, daredevil pilots would entertain crowds with their flying circuses. 3. American aviators returned from World War I feeling so far behind the Europeans that they successfully pushed the US government to offer major funding and contracts for aircraft. 4. Aviation advanced so far during World War I that by 1918 most Americans had seen an airplane and a good many had been up in one. 5. For barnstormers, flying was less risky than it had been for combat pilots, but still dangerous. 6. Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie ran a flying circus and then went to work for the government agency that eventually became NASA. 7. Airplane engines became more reliable during the golden age of aviation. 8. During the golden age, wealthy enthusiasts advanced aviation by offering prizes to pilots who reached certain goals. 9. Richard E. Byrd was a brilliant aviator but he was so shy and had so much trouble meeting people that he held back both aviation and polar exploration. 10. Some people believe that without the barnstormers, aviation might have died altogether in the United States after World War I. 3
D. Fill in the Blanks: 1. Bessie Coleman had met Robert S. Abbott because his newspaper had sponsored a contest to find the best in black Chicago. She won that contest. 2. To prepare to learn to fly in Europe, Coleman learned at night school. 3. On 14 November 1918, three days after World War I ended, the US government canceled $100 million worth of. 4. In this period after the war, there was no commercial and private and most people traveled from city to city by. 5. Stunt pilot Lincoln Beachey could snatch a or a off the ground using the. 6. At the flying circuses of this period, wing-walking was a favorite stunt. To give spectators an extra thrill, some wing-walkers would. 7. Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie s air markers were painted in 12-foot letters all across the country. 8. During the golden age of aviation, pilots attained, and served as. 9. In his 1929 trip to the South Pole, Richard E. Byrd and his team carried out scientific research on,,, and. 10. Spectators at the barnstormers shows sometimes saw, but the aviators certainly created in flight. 4
1. How did Bessie Coleman learn about aviation? 2. Why did Robert Abbott suggest that she go to Europe? 3. Why did aircraft manufacturers have a hard time after WW I ended? 4. What background did many barnstorming pilots share? 5. What was Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie s air marker system? 5
6. What did wealthy aviation enthusiasts offer that advanced progress in flight? 7. What technical improvements in aircraft made possible Richard Byrd s polar flights? 8. How did barnstormers air shows contribute to public awareness? 6