Alberta's Aviation Heritage

In the first years after World War One, it wasn’t unusual for planes to buzz farms and small towns in rural Alberta.

People loved the spontaneity and excitement of this “barnstorming”.

Aviation historian Pat Myers notes the war had given flying a certain cache. Many of the flyers were local boys, they were war heroes, and their exploits had been written up in the newspaper. And this was real opportunity for people in out of the way places, not only to see an airplane for the first time, but also to meet some of these war heroes.

And I think the combination of the two was irresistible.

Using surplus war planes, the young pilots would first zoom over a town doing stunts to attract attention.

For example, George Groman and Pete Derbyshire of Edmonton did wing walking and parachute jumps in their barnstorming flights.

Pete was the daredevil. And he would climb from the cockpit out to the wing, He hook himself up to a parachute which was also hooked to the undercarriage of the plane. He’d leap off, dangle a bit, and then cut himself loose and inflate his parachute for the rest of the trip down. That be all accounts was an exciting show.

Buzzing the town usually brought business to a halt.

Then, when the barnstormers landed in a nearby field, they could sure some people would pay go for an exciting ride in the airplane.

As historian Pat Myers points out, the steep price didn’t seem to matter.

It was 10 to 15 dollars for a three, four, five for 3, 4, 5 minute in air. That was the price of a major household appliance, a major piece of furniture, so it was expensive. But it also shows that some people were will to pay that to experience this new technology.

Barnstorming pilots were high flyers until the early 1920’s when grain prices plummeted, and people could no longer pay for rides.



	Barnstorming In the first years after World War One, it wasn’t unusual for planes to buzz farms and small towns in rural Alberta. People loved the spontaneity and excitement of this “barnstorming”. Aviation historian Pat Myers notes the war had given flying a certain cache. Many of the flyers were local boys, they were war heroes, and their exploits had been written up in the newspaper. And this was real opportunity for people in out of the way places, not only to see an airplane for the first time, but also to meet some of these war heroes. And I think the combination of the two was irresistible. Using surplus war planes, the young pilots would first zoom over a town doing stunts to attract attention. For example, George Groman and Pete Derbyshire of Edmonton did wing walking and parachute jumps in their barnstorming flights. Pete was the daredevil. And he would climb from the cockpit out to the wing, He hook himself up to a parachute which was also hooked to the undercarriage of the plane. He’d leap off, dangle a bit, and then cut himself loose and inflate his parachute for the rest of the trip down. That be all accounts was an exciting show. Buzzing the town usually brought business to a halt. Then, when the barnstormers landed in a nearby field, they could sure some people would pay go for an exciting ride in the airplane. As historian Pat Myers points out, the steep price didn’t seem to matter. It was 10 to 15 dollars for a three, four, five for 3, 4, 5 minute in air. That was the price of a major household appliance, a major piece of furniture, so it was expensive. But it also shows that some people were will to pay that to experience this new technology. Barnstorming pilots were high flyers until the early 1920’s when grain prices plummeted, and people could no longer pay for rides.