Climbing Higher
A blog dedicated to the dawn of combat aviation
Hello, I'm Cole!
Welcome to my personal blog about all things World War I aviation!
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Arguably, there are few finer examples of courage in military history than that exhibited by World War I aviators. Day after day, week after week, these brave men strapped themselves to frail, experimental machines made of wood and wire and went to battle with one another in the skies. Many failed to return; few indeed survived the war.
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Also noteworthy about this time period was the lightening pace at which aviation innovation accelerated. A mere eleven years before the outbreak of World War I, heavier-than-air flight was the stuff of fantasies. Yet by the end of World War I, complicated flying machines had been invented that could fly for hours at speeds greater than 100mph.
Despite all this, when the average person thinks of a World War I pilot, their mind either immediately conjures up images of dusty, lifeless history books or brings up trivialized,cartoonish characters such as Snoopy the dog’s arch-enemy the Red Baron. To me, it's nothing less than a crying shame.
It's time to give World War I aviation the limelight it deserves in historical study. I aim to do this through providing well-researched posts on the subject and by continually broadening my knowledge. I welcome feedback on my posts, especially since I am always-learning as regards this fascinating epoch of history!
While I cannot promise to release posts on a rigorously-scheduled basis, I plan to release articles occasionally when I have the odd spare moment between work and real life.​ I'm excited to share this journey with you all!
About me
I am a born and bred South Dakotan with a passion for Jesus, literature, storytelling, and (of course!) World War I aviation. Since 2012, I have also been happily involved in the World War I flight simulator community.
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In May 2020, I was thrilled to graduate with honors from Liberty University Online, with a Bachelor's degree in History. Now that I've graduated, I have a continued passion for history, especially as regards the First and Second World Wars.