Barnstormers, Businessmen, and V-12s: Bloomsburg's Romance with Aviation

Abstract

This article examines the factors that fostered the growth of aviation in Bloomsburg, a small Pennsylvania town, from the 1920s to the 1950s. The author argues that air-mindedness motivated key members of the community’s elite to push for the construction of an airport to enhance the town’s status and economic standing. This development shares important similarities with large urban municipalities, as well as crucial differences. Detroit, Tampa, and Tucson are used to compare and contrast this process.