The story behind the collection 'Death from Above'.

At Volstead our collections are created by things that have influenced us in a massive way. 

The 'Death From Above' collection is inspired by 1930s aviation!

So why did we choose 1930s aviation?

The 1930s was a revolutionary time for aviation. It was glamorous, gritty and unforgiving all at the same time, and with some of the first commercial flights taking place in the early 1930s, it wasn't for the faint hearted. This was due to planes switching from wood planes to metal planes, an engineering triumph which had the world in awe.

Even with this switch, air travel was still treacherous and incredibly dangerous. During the summer it was boiling hot and freezing cold in Winter, which made for unbearable conditions most of the time. It was a certainly a challenge for all those involved and only for the brave.

Testing new aircrafts was also incredibly perilous and many people died risking their lives to fly aircraft never seen before and with no idea whether they would be successful or not.

Pilots generally did what they did it out of passion, love and with more than a dash of insanity. Engineers never gave up striving for perfection, even when they repeatedly watched their creations crash and burn.

Aircrafts were incredibly unpredictable during wartime; Running out of fuel, being shot down, and the plane breaking down, were all regular occurrences. However, the courage of those people paved the way for aviation and made it something we all take for granted. It was a feat man had dreamed of for centuries.

We've come a long way from the 1930s (thankfully) where a flight from London to Singapore ( which would take 15hrs non stop today) would take 8 Days and 22 separate layovers. It was still a very exciting and revolutionary time that opened up the world and eventually made the world accessible to everyone. We don't think twice about hopping on a flight today, and that's something we should thank the Ladies and Gents that paved the way for aviation.

The 1930s brought the world some of the most inspirational pilots, engineers and aviation pioneers. Here are just a small selection of some of the people who strived for greatness in testing times and against all odds:

Sir Frank Whittle 

Inventor of the Turbojet Engine.  

Being commended for single handedly creating the Turbo Jet engine and doing so with so many financial and technical constraints,  we think Frank would wear our Warbird ring. Frank never gave up on his ideas and dreams. 

Howard Hughes 

Quite the famous pilot who broke speed records time and time again.

In reality, there wasn't much Howard didn't make a success of in life. He was a business magnate, a Hollywood film director that always showcased a love for aviation. He spent much of the 1930s and much of the 1940s setting multiple world air speed records and building the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 Hercules (the Spruce Goose)

Bessie Coleman 

Although not from the 1930s she was an inspiration in her own right and inspired many. She was the first woman of African-American and Native American descent to earn an aviation pilot's license.

Bessie never gave up and pushed the boundaries of everything she did, she strived to be the best and was a pioneer in aviation in her own right and died doing what she loved. The perfect ring of her would be the 'Until Death' ring as the only thing that would keep her from her passion was death.

Amelia Earhart

Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

 Each one of these pioneers never took no for an answer, never went unheard, and were true to themselves. 1930s and its aviation heroes, Volstead salutes you. 

In celebration of our heroes, you can use code 'Wings15' for 15% off jewellery from the 'Death from Above' collection.