The First Trans-African Flight (and the Modern Temper)

The first trans-African flight, which took place between February 4^th and March 20^th 1920, was one of the many feats aviation innovations during the early 1900s. Advancement in technology form the first World War are one of the reasons a long-distance flight such as this was even possible. This impressive achievement was piloted by aviators General Sir Helperus Andreas van Ryeveld (also known as Pierre van Ryneveld) and by Air Vice Marshal Sir Christopher Jospsh Brand (aka Flossie), the pair were decorated war vets and by the time they retired they earned several medals of honor including The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, The Most Honorable Order, Distinguishable Service Order, The Military Cross, and several others. The flight was planned in part due to a challenge put out by The Times paper, promising a sum of over £10,000, Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa quickly set out to put a team together for the journey, and of course he assembled a team of South African men, who were also in excellent standing with the British Military, these men were a shining beacon of hope and representation for South Africa. After a nearly 45-day journey, and three different aircrafts, the duo completed their journey in late March. The reactions from the public demonstrate vast responses.

              The responses from the public made clear that the technological innovations of the time enforced the identity of some, whilst also releasing the identities caused by some innovations. The completion of the flight was an important ideal for white settlers in South Affrica, they saw the flight as an example of the superiority of western technology. However it also revealed many of their racial anxieties, fearing that the natives and black people of the community would rebel against such innovations, thus reinforcing their control over British territories. Native and black people of South Africa were very hesitant of their acceptance of the flight, since it meant it brought them closer to the British Empire. Public fascination with the journey transformed aviation into a spectacle, reinforcing Dumenil’s argument that modern societies increasingly sought meaning and satisfaction not in work itself, but in the prestige, and excitement made possible by modern production. At the same time, the flight reflects the “acids of modernity” discussed in Chapter IV, as it symbolized growing confidence in science, engineering, and human mastery over nature.

Although the completion of the flight was greatly celebrated, it also causes some civil and social unrest due to the racial divides it unintentionally enforced. As rapid technological change deepened the sense that the modern world was breaking irreversibly from the past. In this way, the trans‑African flight encapsulated both the optimism and the anxiety of the 1920s. As  a whole this flight is the perfect example of the negative impacts that incredible technological innovations have had on culture and society. Due to the media sensation that became of the flight the divide that came as a result was blatant. And such divide only emphasizes several negative themes that are so often brushed over when discussing the 1920s.

Citations:

Dumenil, Lynn. The Modern Temper. Hill and Wang, 30 June 1995, Chp6.