Proclaiming Airpower: Air Force Narratives and American Public Opinion from 1917 to 2014

This report examines the evolution and interaction of U.S. Air Force narratives and popular attitudes toward civil and military aviation over the past century. It draws on a historical review of the social currency of aviation and airpower, changes in Air Force narratives during the period, and the evolution of the American public’s attitudes toward the Air Force since 1935, as shown by polling data.