August/September 2003

One hundred years ago, two brothers changed the world in just a few seconds. Orville and Wilbur Wright believed that a flat, windy beach in North Carolina was the best place to try to fly.

For Parents and Teachers:

As adults, many of us have people in our lives who remember when flying was new and unusual. For kids, however, flying is normal and commonplace. It is taken for granted because it has always been there in their lifetime. But flying had to be invented and then mastered to make it the useful tool it is today. This issue seeks to capture some of the adventure and excitement of these early years. Students will also learn about Kansas aviators who earned a place in history from their accomplishments, including Amelia Earhart, Clyde Cessna, A.K. Longren, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman. These aviators are listed in the Kansas history standards for fourth and eighth grades. For more learning activities on this topic, please visit our new online resource: Teacher Supplements at www.kshs.org/teacher/. This new teaching tool offers more ways to use this issue of Kaleidoscope with students by providing reproducible worksheets.

On the Cover

Navy pilot Charles Carpenter knew how kids dream of flying. In 1949, he formed an organization in Topeka to help youth achieve those dreams.

Up Starts

The Wright Brothers were the first in the world to succeed at building and flying an airplane. But they weren’t the first to try. Many Kansans were among those trying to get off the ground.

Aviation in Kansas began with the work—and daring—of Albin K. Longren. In a hay field near Topeka, Longren flew a plane he had built in secret called the Topeka I.

Crowd Pleasers and Thrill Seekers

One of the most popular stunt flyers to visit Kansas was Katherine Stinson. At the age of 20, she was the youngest woman at that time to receive a pilot's license.

Some pilots organized flying circuses as entertainment businesses. The Garver Fancy Flying Circus of Kansas was often called the best in the U.S. Members of the Garver family did loops, spins, rolls and other airplane piloting tricks.

Alvin Johnston was 11 years old when he watched an airplane make a surprise landing on a pasture near his home in Admire, Kansas. The pilot offered a free ride to the handful of people who gathered around his plane.

"Safari" became a common word in America in the 1920s, thanks to explorers Martin and Osa Johnson. The husband-and-wife adventure team made several trips from Chanute, Kansas, between 1917-1936.

How do pilots know where they are when they can’t see the ground and there aren’t signs pointing them in the right direction?

One of the most famous pilots in America was born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897. Amelia Earhart was a national celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s, and she continues to receive national attention today because of her mysterious disappearance.

Chris Hubbell of Topeka always dreamed of flying. He was only 16 years old when he began pilot training at Air Explorer Post 8 in Topeka.

Stunt flyers, test pilots and movie makers weren't the only Kansas workers in history ready for take off. In 1938, postal worker Nadine Ramsey of Wichita was one of the first two women in America to fly the airmail.

Teacher Supplement