1917 Curtiss JN-4D "Canuck" Biplane

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.

The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was the U.S. Army's primary training aircraft in the World War I era. After the war, surplus Jennys formed the core of America's barnstorming fleet. The JN-4D variation employed a control stick rather than the wheel used in the standard version. The JN-4D originally was built for the Canadian market, explaining its "Canuck" nickname.

In 1907, inventor Alexander Graham Bell assembled a small team of talented young men in the Aerial Experiment Association to try to solve the problem of flight.