레드우드 비행학교와 한인비행가양성소의 역사적 연계성

Abstract

This study examines the historical formation and operational development of the Korean Aviation School (KAS), an institution established and administered by the Korean American community in the United States, with a particular focus on its institutional and functional ties to the Redwood Aviation School (RAS), which served as its foundational platform. Far from being a mere civilian flight training facility, the KAS represented a symbolic nexus where aviation technology and the military strategies of the Korean Provisional Government intersected with the organizational capabilities of the Korean diaspora. To explore the institutional continuity and interrelation between the two schools, this study conducts a cross-analysis of diverse primary sources, including The New Korea (Sinhan Minbo), The Independent (Dongnip Sinmun), Willows Daily Journal, local English-language newspapers from California, archival documents from the Independence Hall of Korea, and digital collections held by the University of Southern California. The investigation proceeds along three thematic axes. First, it analyzes the operational structure and training curriculum of the RAS, founded in 1917 by Frank Bryant, and highlights the pedagogical role of his younger brother, Henry Bryant. Second, it traces the transfer of Korean trainees from RAS to KAS, examining their recruitment chronology, instructional roles, and contributions to the institutionalization of flight education. Third, it investigates the acquisition and commissioned deployment of Standard J-1 and Curtiss JN-4 aircraft financed by Kim Chong-lim, the symbolic repainting of these aircraft with Korean insignia, and the operational realities of flight training following the KAS’s formal inauguration in July 1920. The findings demonstrate that the RAS functioned not merely as a precursor but as a critical strategic outpost that provided Korean trainees with practical aviation skills. Even after the RAS ceased operations, Henry Bryant remained actively involved as an instructor at the KAS. The model of commissioning privately funded aircraft by Kim reflected a costconscious and efficiency-driven approach comparable to similar strategies employed by the Chinese American community in 1919. Ultimately, the KAS maintained and operated three aircraft for its training programs. This study argues that the structural and operational linkages between RAS and KAS represent a collaborative endeavor by the Korean American community and the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea to develop an aerial strategy for national independence. The KAS should thus be reinterpreted not only as part of Korea’s liberation movement but also within broader historical frameworks, including Korean American migration history, the early development of the Republic of Korea Air Force, and the participation of Asian actors in early American aviation history. Future research should further explore the KAS’s institutional ties with independence organizations such as the Korean National Association, its financial and logistical support structures, inter-organizational coordination mechanisms, and its broader strategic role within the transnational anti-colonial movement. This study offers an initial foundation for such interdisciplinary inquiries and contributes to the historical reconstruction of Korea’s aviation-based independence efforts.