This paper examines how “air-mindedness,” the widespread public enthusiasm for aviation in 1920s America, was cultivated through institutional, cultural, and social practices. Rather than emphasizing technological innovation or achievements, it highlights the National Aeronautic Association (NAA)—the official U.S. representative to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)—and its collaboration with international, military, and local actors to achieve these goals. The NAA administered air sports by certifying records and coordinating races, while also seeking to embed aviation in everyday life through education and community engagement. While internationalist ideals coexisted with nationalist and imperial ambitions during interwar years, the NAA framed aviation progress as the outcome of fair international competition under the motto “America First in the Air.” The Association translated these ambitions into a form of cultural politics, mobilizing civic participation and creating public value for aviation across the country. Events such as the National Air Races not only attracted mass audiences and capital but also encouraged infrastructure development. By analyzing the NAA’s cultural strategies, this paper reinterprets the rise of American aviation during the interwar period as the product of associational politics linking international networks to domestic imperatives.