{"product_id":"black-aviator-the-story-of-william-j-powell-smithsonian-history-of-aviation-and-spaceflight-series-9781560983415","title":"Black Aviator: The Story of William J. Powell (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series)","description":"\u003cp\u003eDuring the 1930s a prominent black entrepreneur and pilot named William J. Powell urged blacks to acquire the skills to become pilots  mechanics  and aviation business leaders  so that they could attain economic power in the air age and break down the barriers of racism. Powell shared his vision of black advancement in his thinly disguised 1934 autobiography  Black Wings  now reissued as Black Aviator after six decades of obscurity. Containing new photographs and historical information on Powells life and times (1899-1942)  the book chronicles the formative part of Powells career in aviation through the fictional personality of \"Bill Brown.\" The narrative begins with Powells first airplane ride in Paris in 1927 (three months after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic) and then moves to Los Angeles  where he pursued his career in aviation full time. Powell worked tirelessly to promote black awareness of aviation  recruiting Duke Ellington  Joe Louis  and other prominent figures as sponsors. Black Aviator recounts how he founded the Bessie Coleman Aero Club to promote flying within the black community  sponsored record-breaking flights  and organized air shows. Powell provides vivid portrayals of early black pilots such as Hubert Fauntleroy Julian  James Herman Banning  and C. Alfred Anderson. Based on real events and individuals  Bill Browns story describes how black pilots first broke into aviation in the Depression years. An introductory essay by Von Hardesty places Powells life and work in the larger context of American social history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651521699893,"sku":"ByrdShop_1560983418","price":83.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781560983415.jpg?v=1781835385","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/black-aviator-the-story-of-william-j-powell-smithsonian-history-of-aviation-and-spaceflight-series-9781560983415","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}