Beginning with a shot of a United Airlines DC-3 Mainliner, AMERICA LEARNS TO FLY was sponsored by the U.S. National Dairy Council. The film shows the burgeoning aviation industry of the 1930s with commercial and privately-owned planes transporting millions of passengers across the United States. It is primarily a film about health and physical fitness, that mentions the need for fitness as people prepare for careers in aviation. And of course it mentions dairy products throughout! There’s also shots of model planes at the 2:20 mark. The film also features a long segment with pilots going through physical fitness tests, having their vision and depth perception checked, and being advised what diet to undertake.
At the 5:26, the flying cadets of the U.S. Army Air Corps are shown, as well as those who make machinery and run the companies of the USA. At 7:00, students at Northwestern University who are studying civil aviation are seen. At the 8 minute mark, an aviatrix named Dorothy Ring is shown, she was a U. S. Civilian Flying Instructress at Sky Harbor, Northbrook, Illinois.
At the 9:00 mark, a flying cadet’s meal is shown, with emphasis on butter and milk and foods that provide vitality. The cadets are seen eating a meal at the 9:30 mark. At the 11:00 mark, joyful cadets are seen singing “We’re in the Air Corps Now” — quite charming!
At 12:00, early B-17 models are seen flying with the lines “in the world today, only the healthy are strong.”
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
