Race and Flying: "it is only the Nordic type who finds pleasure in danger and pleasure in struggle"

[ranierean]

Flying, which demands more clarity of thought and presence of mind than other types of sport and occupations, and more often than not involves ticklish situations–there is not a pilot who has not experienced an emergency landing–is proving itself to be a form of sport and kind of occupation which is preferred to a considerable extent by unmistakably Nordic type of individuals.
The Nordic individual is drawn to flying, as indeed to every sport, by sheer pleasure. He is seeking, and finds, recuperation and relaxation in it, although this relaxation does involve him in using all of his powers again. But it is that which provides pleasure to the Nordic type. In this respect he stands in marked contrast to those who pursue sport professionally.

It is really not surprising that among the flying aces one finds such a high percentage of pronounced Nordic types. Pilots who have become well-known in war and peace reflect predominant Nordic characteristics. Richthofen, Bolcke, Immelmann, to name just the most famous German war aces, were blond and blue-eyed.

The pioneers of flying, the Americans Orville and Wilbur Wright, were tall, had long skulls, large noses, and were also blue-eyed. Otto Lilienthal, the father of German aviation, who was fatally injured in one of his experiments, was of the Nordic type. ‘Sacrifices have to be made' were his last words. Otto Lilienthal came from the Swedish aristocratic Liljedal family, and was not a Jew, as one occasionally reads and hears asserted.

Vikings of the modern age have become the oceanic flyers in recent years, who put their life at risk due to their personal courage. At stake was finding an air route from America to Europe and vice versa. Lindbergh, of Swedish stock, led off these modern Vikings. He was a little over twenty years old when he became the first to succeed in crossing the Atlantic Ocean. That achievement made him an American national hero...

- Race and Flying, Völkische Beobachter, No. 287, 14 October 1931