Technological Innovation and the Rise of Aviation, 1903-1941

This book provides an overview of American aviation from 1903 to 1941, covering major developments in aviation technology. It focuses on the role of the military and selected firms. Under the fiscal constraints imposed by the post-war military drawdown and the Great Depression, the US military sacrificed quantity aircraft procurement for gains in quality. Until foreign powers began huge rearmament programs, US military aircraft were some of the most advanced in the world. They held numerous international performance records before the US fell behind other powers that had gone on a war footing. It offers new insights into the contributions of immigrants and foreign technologies to American aviation, while examining the relationship between the government and the aviation industry. It also highlights factors that enabled America to field some of the war’s most advanced warplanes, which ultimately helped win the Second World War.