MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION HISTORY BENCH MARKS Brodie made hundreds of exhibition fl ights in the
Midwest and used the Farman at his aviation school in both Florida and Illinois. Along with him was “Shorty” Schroeder, mechanician. The Farman that Brodie fl ew under Schroeder’s care had no full throttle nor did it have brakes. The Gnome’s rpms were controlled by an instrument called a “blip switch” which shut off three out of the seven cylinders and decreased the power. A precision landing was achieved by backing off intermittently on engine power using the blip switch, and heading for a place where you could roll for several feet until you were dragged to a stop by the tail skid that dug into dirt and grass (or the occasional inanimate object.)
TOURING WITH KATHERINE Brodie lost control of his Farman during a routine test fl ight in 1913. The Gnome engine broke loose from the impact of the crash and crushed him to death. He was 25. Schroeder then hooked up with aviator Mickey McGuire,
who fl ew a Curtiss Pusher. Within a year, McGuire was also killed, leaving Schroeder to fi nish the exhibition season working for other fl iers who needed his expert help with repairs. He briefl y worked for Katherine Stinson, aff ectionately known as the “Schoolgirl of the Air.” She thrilled spectators with loops and night fl ights in both the U.S. and Japan. A fellow aviator described meeting Stinson and Schroeder in 1916, just before she made one of her famous night fl ights with lighted fl ares on her Wright biplane.
“Across the fi eld through the darkness … Katherine and her mechanic, Shorty Schroeder, were preparing for her fl ight. She appeared perfectly calm as she and her mechanic checked over the plane, revved up the motor to be sure it was running properly and making sure that the magnesium fl ares which were attached to the edge of the lower wings were secure. She could well feel confi dence in her capable mechanic because he was none other than Rudolph “Shorty” Schroeder. She was fortunate enough to be able to persuade him to be part of her team. He was all business as he tested wires, controls, etc. Soon a megaphone announced [her fl ight] ... Shorty spun the wooden propeller with one swing to start the motor and signaled Katherine away ...”
IN UNIFORM Schroeder learned to fl y amid the exhibition fl iers between 1910 and 1916. Many “early birds” lived long and relatively healthy lives. However, in addition to Brodie and McGuire, Cicero Field also lost popular local aviators Max Lillie and Andrew Brew during 1913. Exhibition fl ying did not fi ll the
ambitions of Schroeder, however, and he soon enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was eager to be among the fi rst reserve military aviators at the onset of WWI. At McCook Field near Dayton, OH, Schroeder (who
advanced to the rank of major within two years) was assigned as chief test pilot. Perhaps infl uenced by the deaths of fellow exhibition fl iers, Schroeder focused on safety features for aviators., favoring the new parachute designed by Floyd Smith. Schroeder was the fi rst military aviator to wear Smith’s parachute pack in 1919 and was the fi rst instructor to open a night-fl ying school for military instruction. In the summer of 1920, he fl ew the Air Service Corp’s Verville-Packard aeroplane in the Gordon Bennett Race at Paris. Forced down by an overheated engine, his team did not fi nish. When Schroeder stepped out of uniform, he went to
work in Detroit for Henry Ford who was developing the Ford Tri-Motor commercial passenger aircraft. Ford sponsored the “Ford Reliability Tour” in 1926 to demonstrate the safety of air travel and boost sales of his Tri-Motors. Twenty-three planes fl ew 2,500 miles over a predetermined circuit. Schroeder was chosen to command one of Ford’s Tri-Motors, but he was forced down and did not fi nish when he lost two of the three engines. A VIP on board later described the emergency landing in Nova, OH, as “gentle,” a testament to Schroeder’s steady nerve and skill. From Detroit, Schroeder returned to Chicago and was
employed by Curtiss-Wright. In 1937 was appointed Assistant Director of the Bureau of Air Commerce. He was described in a contemporary newspaper article as “one of the few Bureau men whom everybody admires.” From this time forward, Schroeder’s contribution to aviation was on the ground instead of in the air, developing airports, fl ying schools and supporting the design of safer aircraft and equipment for pilots. In 1940, he became vice president of safety for United Airlines. Just one year into the job, he had a stroke from which he never fully recovered. Infi rm, he continued to work on aviation projects from his bed. In 1945, Schroeder was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for experiments in high-altitude fl ying. The “serious-looking man” who cast a long shadow among pioneers in aviation heard the last music of an accordion during a party given in his honor at Chicago’s airport four months before he died in 1952.
Giacinta Bradley Koontz is an aviation historian, magazine columnist and author who has received the DAR History Medal and honorable mention from the New York Book Festival. She has appeared on the History Channel and in PBS documentaries. For more information, visit
www.GiaBKoontz.com.
04 2015 14
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