SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-barnstormers

Who were the barnstormers of the 1920s?

Pilots who flew from town to town giving rides and stunt shows.

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  1. Postal pilots who flew fixed mail routes
  2. Weather pilots who tracked major storms
  3. Pilots who gave rides and stunt shows in small towns ✔

Why: After World War I, many former military pilots bought cheap surplus planes. They landed in farm fields, sold rides and did stunts like wing walking. Many people saw an airplane up close for the first time.

Huh, didn't know that: The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" trainer became the favorite plane of barnstormers.

The dad joke
Why did the barnstormer land on the farm? He heard the cows were outstanding in their field.
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References

Answer: Pilots who gave rides and stunt shows in small towns. After World War I, many former military pilots bought cheap surplus planes. They landed in farm fields, sold rides and did stunts like wing walking. Many people saw an airplane up close for the first time.

  1. CAP Teacher's Guide for Aerospace: The Journey of Flight (lesson outlines) www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/2nd_edition_Teachers_Guide_5D3166D76F9B1.pdf
    Ex-military pilots who flew war-surplus planes. They flew over small towns, then landed on nearby farms, and took people for rides.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. FAA: 100 Years of Sustained Power Flight History www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/education/educators/curriculum/k12/K-12_One_Hundred_Years_of_Sustained_Flight.pdf
    which would become the airplane of choice for barnstormers & mail carriers after the war
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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