Lincoln Beachey Stunt Flying over San Francisco, California, circa 1915
THF123643 / Lincoln Beachey Stunt Flying over San Francisco, California, circa 1915
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Artifact Overview
Lincoln Beachey is remembered as America's first great stunt flyer. He perfected a series of aerobatic maneuvers -- including spins, dives, spirals, and loops -- and earned fame and fortune by staging heart-stopping exhibition flights for audiences across the country. Beachey died when the wings broke loose from his airplane during a stunt flight over San Francisco Bay in 1915.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
circa 1915
Creators
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
81.121.31.11
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 11.125 in
Width: 14 in
Inscriptions
caption:
ONCE TOO OFTEN / Lincoln Beachy, late King of the Air, is shown in picture to the left; while his machine "Doing the Loop" is shown in the large picture. Everybody liked Lincoln Beachy and shudders to think that such real fellows take such chances with certain death. The accident happened at the California Fair and was caused by the breaking of the plane while doing his famous dip. He fell in shallow water of the bay and died entangled in the wreck of his machine.
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SetBarnstormers
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Barnstorming aerial performers thrilled audiences in the 1920s with death-defying "aerobatic" stunts. Equipped with war-surplus airplanes and steely nerves, they toured the country giving many Americans their first in-person experiences with aviation. Most barnstormers barely eked out a living, but a few found wealth and fame. By decade's end, aging aircraft, fading novelty, and growing government regulation largely ended the barnstorming era.