In the aftermath of World War Ⅰ, aviation matured swiftly. The military effectiveness of the airplane had been demonstrated decisively during that conflict, but the commercial potential of aeronautics still was largely an unproven concept. By 1920 there were a few brave entrepreneurs who attempted to operate scheduled and charter air service for the public. Tickets were expensive and flying was considered an activity reserved only for the privileged. But thanks to the flood of war-surplus aircraft, coupled with a supply of trained ex-military aviators, by the early 1920s the age of the barnstormer made it possible for the common citizen to experience the thrill of flight.
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