Aviation Chicago Timeline

The book explores Chicago's significant contributions to aviation history, highlighting its vibrant balloon community before the Wright Brothers and the influential work of Octave Chanute. During the 1910s, the city thrived with flight schools and airplane manufacturers, becoming a central hub for air mail and passenger travel by the 1920s. It also profiles key figures in aviation policy, such as Benjamin Lipsner, Daniel McCracken, and Samuel Skinner, who played vital roles in shaping the industry and its regulations in the United States.