The Flying Ace

The Flying Ace (1926) is a black-and-white silent film with an all African-American, or "colored", cast.

This six-reel film, made by Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, features Laurence Criner as the fighter ace, Captain Billy Stokes, who returns to the United States after World War I, with Kathryn Boyd, as Ruth Sawtelle, his admirer and flying pilot. Her character is based on African American aviator Bessie Coleman. It is an inspiring film that is based on real people that fought in World War I.

Context

The basis of the movie is rooted to World War I when many Americans still thought the African Americans to be inferior. Blacks yearned for a figure head that would represent their willingness to serve the United States. This person was Captain Billy Stokes. He was a black fighter pilot and an inspiration when it came to breaking through racial barriers to serve the nation. Because he was such an inspiration, Richard Norman introduced a new light when he thought to make race movies to give different ethnic groups, especially blacks, hope in a segregated country. Although a white man, he wanted to reveal the strength of the blacks in America. Before launching his "race movie" industry, the Great Migration occurred in the early 1900s. He took advantage of the many blacks that emigrated to the North (in America) from the South by attracting them with such movies. Through developing race movies, Norman and his company became one of the three foremost names and producers in racial movies in America.

Flying ace

A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The few aces among combat aviators have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.Erich Hartmann is the ace of aces, the highest scoring ace of all time with a total of 352 confirmed victories.

History

World War I

World War I introduced the systematic use of true single-seat fighter aircraft, with enough speed and agility to catch and maintain contact with targets in the air, coupled with armament sufficiently powerful to destroy the targets. Aerial combat became a prominent feature with the Fokker Scourge, in the last half of 1915. This was also the beginning of a long-standing trend in warfare, showing statistically that approximately five percent of combat pilots account for the majority of air-to-air victories.

Flying Ace (disambiguation)

Flying Ace or Fighter Ace may refer to: