Technological Innovation and the Rise of Aviation, 1903-1941

This book provides an overview of American aviation from 1903 to 1945, covering major developments in American military aviation technology from the creation of the airplane through to the USA’s entry into the Second World War. The author focuses on the role of the armed forces and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), two of the most significant drivers of technological progress in American aviation prior to the Second World War. 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 major powers that had gone on a war footing. Split into five chapters, this book offers new insights into the contributions of immigrant workers and foreign technological innovation to American aviation, whilst also examining the close relationship between the US government and the aviation industry. Ultimately, the author seeks to show what factors set the stage for the nation’s remarkably rapid mobilization of resources and industrial production needed to fight and win the Second World War.