Amelia Earhart was a passenger on another Fokker record breaking flight when the Fokker "Friendship" piloted by Wilmer "Bill" Schultz and Louis "Slim" Gordon landed at Port Burry, South Wales, England on, June 28, 1928. The 20 hour flight earned Earhart the distinction of having been the first women to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. The flight sparked Earhart's interest in aviation and changed her life forever. Four years later, on June 1, 1932, the anniversary of Lindbergh's epic solo flight from New York to Paris, Earhart, flew her Lockheed Vega from New York to Europe, becoming the second person and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

The passage of the Air Mail Act of 1925 took mail delivery out of the hands of the post office and put it under the leadership of private commercial companies. At this time mail contracts were given to commercial transport and passenger companies and the romantic air mail pilots faded into the sunset. All these factors, along with increasing passenger and freight service, helped to created a new market for larger aircraft. This marked another turning point in the history of aviation.

All forms of aviation continued to slowly grow during most of the 1920s. Daring pilots, both male and female, continued to make record breaking flights across the world. However, the influence of Charles Lindbergh's flight on May 21, 1927, where he become the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, had an immediate and profound effect, on not only the aviation industry and the people of the United States, but on the entire world.

When Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, 33 hours and 30 minutes after he left New York, in his Ryan, named The Spirit of St. Louis, he not only captured the $25,000 prize put up by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig, but he became an instant hero all over the world. For the quiet, shy, tall, handsome former air mail pilot, life would never be the same, and neither would aviation.

Interest in aviation skyrocketed, aircraft stock rose in value, and airplanes became in demand in every arenas, from private ownership to flying passengers and freight. It also renewed interest in airplanes races, air shows and exhibits. America's romance with aviation was off and running again, and would gain momentum as air racing and flying events grew during the 1930s.

Competitions were offered with cash prizes and trophies for speed, distance and attitude. World records were set and broken daily, often by women competing not just against each other but against men as well. Air racing was a integral part of aviation in these earlier years. Beside the fun, romance, and adventure of air racing, another reason for racing, was to promote aviation. In the early years of air racing, many of the races had very large money prizes, some as much as $50,000, which was a huge sum of money in the 20s and 30s.

Another important reason for air racing was to promote aviation safety. It was difficult to get the public to use and accept airplanes when many pilots were dying in airplane crashes on a regular basis.