Barnstormers

Wilbur and Orville Wright struggled to find customers for their pioneering airplanes. The brothers formed an exhibition flying team in 1910 to earn money — the team charged audiences to watch performances — and to help promote their aircraft. The Wrights initially frowned on dangerous aerobatics but ultimately gave in to popular demand for risky stunts.

Curtiss's greatest pilot — arguably, the greatest pilot anywhere at the time — was Lincoln Beachey. The talented flyer mastered spins, loops, and spirals that thrilled spectators. Audiences especially enjoyed his steep dives, in which Beachey climbed high into the sky before plunging back toward the earth. He leveled off at the last possible moment — sometimes inches from the ground.

Beachey retired from flying in 1913 — but not for long. He soon teamed with auto racing driver Barney Oldfield to stage dramatic car v. airplane races. Unknown to audiences, the two daredevils took turns "winning." Beachey was flying a loop over San Francisco Bay in 1915 when the wings broke loose from his plane. He died in the resulting crash.

Self-trained pilot and aeronautical engineer Emil Matthew "Matty" Laird built this airplane — his third — in 1915, when he was not yet 21 years old. Its six-cylinder Anzani radial engine caused the vibrations that gave the plane its nickname: the "Boneshaker."

The golden age of barnstorming began after World War I. The war left the U.S. with newly trained pilots eager to keep flying, and a surplus of military aircraft sold at bargain prices. The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" training airplane was the quintessential barnstormer's plane — cheap, durable, and easy to operate. This "Canuck" is the Canadian-built version of the JN-4.

Philip "Jersey" Ringel hangs upside down from a Jenny's wing in this photo. Wing walkers performed any number of spectacular stunts. Some climbed from moving cars or trains onto airplanes. Some jumped — midair — from one plane to another. Some even played mock games of tennis, complete with rackets in hand and a net set up between the wings.

Lillian Boyer was working as a restaurant waitress in 1921 when two customers offered to take her up for an airplane ride. Four days later — on what was only her second flight — she tried climbing out onto the wing of the plane. With that brave step, Boyer began her career in aerobatics.

Charles Lindbergh went barnstorming early in his career. Stunt shows gave him more experience in the cockpit, and helped finance his further flying lessons. Lindbergh's showtime repertoire included wing walking and parachute jumping. He earned additional money taking paying passengers up for a quick flight — a common practice for barnstorming pilots.

Barnstormers couldn't fly forever. Their airplanes aged and decayed, their audiences grew harder to please, and too many performers pushed the limits too far — often with fatal results. At the same time, the aviation industry matured with the introduction of commercial airlines, improved airplanes, and increasing government regulations. The barnstorming era was all but over by 1930.