This collection consists of the corporate records of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Included in the collection are technical and engineering reports of Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division's operations in St. Louis (Robertson), MO (1935-1945) and Buffalo, NY, (1932-1945), as well as AAS Material Division and AAF Air Technical Services Command memorandum reports collected by Curtiss-Wright's St. Louis and Buffalo technical reference libraries. The collection also contains the files of Curtiss-Wright's Patent Department, which hold records of patents filed by Curtiss-Wright and patent-infringement cases involving Curtiss-Wright. Also included in the collection are specifications issued by and photos commissioned by the Keystone Aircraft Corporation (Huff-Daland Airplanes, Inc. until March 1927), which had been acquired by Wright in 1928 along with Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corp., and formed the Keystone Division of Curtiss-Wright until 1932 when Keystone's Bristol, PA factory closed its doors. The collection also contains financial records of the Curtiss-Wright Airports Corporation, which was liquidated in 1936, as well as an extensive negative collection featuring Curtiss-Wright aircraft from the 1930s and 1940s, concentrated especially on the war years.
Scope and Contents:
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records collection contains approximately 212 cubic feet of material. The collection contains the following material:
Army Air Service Material Division & Army Air Force Technical Services Command Memo
Reports & Technical Reports which include testing of various Curtiss-Wright models of aircraft and/or various parts of aircraft
Technical & Engineering Reports from the St. Louis, MO plant [Robertson] & Buffalo, NY plant
Patents, Patent Dockets, Patent Serial numbers, Suits, License Agreements, Patents filed by Curtiss-Wright & Patent Infringement Cases [1800s to 1940s]
Miscellaneous Research Files
Corporate & Financial Records [1923 to 1972]
Correspondence
Blueprint Drawings
Advertisements from Newspapers & Magazines in Scrapbooks
Engine Decals
Photographs
Negatives & Glass Plates
Arrangement:
This collection was arranged into Series and Subseries:
Subseries I: Air Corps Materiel Division, Reports [ACMR]
Subseries II: Buffalo Reports
Subseries III: St. Louis
Series III: Glass Format Photography
Series IV: 1969 Accretion - Listing of Archival Material
Series V: Master Print Books [this part of the collection has not been processed]
Historical note:
An historic event in aviation occurred on June 26, 1929 when two major aircraft companies: the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company merged with the Wright Aeronautical Corporation to form the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. After this merger, the former Wright organization took over all of the engine and propeller manufacture while Curtiss concentrated on airplanes. This merger was completed by organizing two major divisions under their original names, but under the direction of a corporate headquarters located in New York City. However, there was a recognized separation of spirit as well as specialized facilities that was never completely resolved in succeeding years. The election of former Wright personnel to key corporate positions soon led to Wright becoming the dominant division. At the height of the Lindbergh Boom during the 1920s and 1930s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation was made up of the following identified organizations: The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company; The Curtiss-Caproni Corporation; The Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company; The Keystone Aircraft Corporation; The Moth Aircraft Corporation; The Travel Air Manufacturing Company; The Wright Aeronautical Corporation; Curtiss-Wright Flying Service; The Curtiss-Wright Sales
Corporation; The Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation. Curtiss-Wright was quickly becoming the 'General Motors of the Air' until the great depression in October 1929. Sales dropped and Curtiss-Wright was forced to close certain satellite plants and transfer some of their product lines to the St. Louis facility. It looked like even the Buffalo plants would also have to close when Curtiss-Wright received an order from Colombia, South America for Hawks and Falcons. This was the largest military order to Curtiss since the war. The Colombia sale saved the Curtiss-Wright organization at this low point in its history. This order kept the production lines going until new military and civil markets began to open up as the depression waned and the build-up for World War II began. During the U.S. military build-up prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, all existing Curtiss-Wright plants were expanded and new aircraft factories were built at Columbus, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. The dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan resulted in an unexpected early end to World War II. All of the major U.S. airplane builders including Curtiss-Wright were hit by massive contract cancellations because of the Japanese surrender. In 1946 Curtiss-Wright had only two experimental military models at hand for postwar delivery and no assurance of production orders. Curtiss-Wright was forced to shut down all airplane plants and transfer all units of the Aeroplane Division to their Columbus Plant. The eventual sale of the Airplane Division to North American included design rights to the former Curtiss-Wright airplanes. The Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division, which manufactured airframes, finally closed down in 1951.
Provenance:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation, gift, XXXX, 1969
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This donation consists of two Pan American World Airways passenger tickets issued to Margaret Hempenstall for roundtrip service on two of its post-war long-distance land-based airliner routes: one for New York to Shannon, Ireland (1951) and the other for New York to Bermuda (1952).
Scope and Contents:
This donation consists of two Pan American World Airways passenger tickets (form 0262-21) issued to Margaret Hempenstall for roundtrip service on two of its post-war long-distance land-based airliner routes: one for New York to Shannon, Ireland (1951) and the other for New York to Bermuda (1952).
The first item is a Pan American World Airways airline passenger ticket (number 022484) issued April 21, 1951, to Margaret Hempenstall for roundtrip service aboard a Boeing B-377 Stratoclipper from New York, USA, to Shannon, Ireland, on the airline's New York to London route: outbound flight PA120 departing May 20, 1951, at 10:00 AM; return flight PA103 departing June 30, 1951, 11:59 PM. Fare was $542.10, paid in cash. The ticket, issued by C. A. Hanssen & Bro. Inc. (Brooklyn, New York) and printed by Dennison & Sons, Inc. (New York) includes three baggage claim ticket stubs stapled to the inside front cover.
The second item is a Pan American World Airways airline passenger ticket (number 326316) issued May 8, 1952, to Margaret Hempenstall for roundtrip service aboard a Douglas DC-4 from New York, USA, to Bermuda: outbound flight 132 departing May 24, 1952, at 9:30 AM; return flight 133 departing May 31, 1952, 3:30 PM. Fare was $97.75. The ticket, issued by the airline directly and printed by Rand McNally & Company, includes one baggage claim ticket stub stapled to the inside front cover. The front page of the ticket includes a Bermuda tax stamp (12 shillings and sixpence) with Bermuda customs and immigration overstamps.
Arrangement:
Items are arranged in chronological order.
Biographical / Historical:
Pan American World Airways was active in the airline industry from 1927, when it established a regular scheduled international service, to its bankruptcy in late 1991. Pan American was the first American airline to operate a permanent international air service. From its first route between Key West and Havana, Pan Am extended its routes into the rest of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. In 1936, Pan Am inaugurated passenger service in the Pacific, and began service in the Atlantic in 1939. The post-World War II era saw the introduction of long-distance land-based airliner service on its transatlantic routes, replacing earlier pre-war flying boat service. In 1945, Pan American Airways, which had provided flying boat service into Foynes, Ireland, on the Shannon River estuary, began service into the nearby and recently constructed Shannon Airport as part of its New York to London route. Farther south, Bermuda had long been an important stopping point on transatlantic flying boat routes. In 1946, Pan Am pulled off another "first" when it inaugurated commercial service into Kindley Field, Bermuda; the airfield had been constructed by US Army engineers during the war for use by both the US Army Air Forces and the Royal Air Force and until this point had been strictly a military field. Pan Am started around-the-world commercial air service in 1947. Besides setting many "firsts" with routes, Pan Am also established "firsts" in the aircraft technology they chose, such as being the first to use Boeing 747s in regular scheduled services.
Provenance:
John and Catherine Daly, gift, 2010, NASM.2010.0011. These tickets are donated in the memory of Margaret (Hempenstall) Daly.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Basil Lee Rowe (1896-1973) enjoyed a long and successful career in aviation, initially as a military exhibition pilot, barnstormer, air racer, charter operator, flight instructor, aircraft salesman, and rumrunner, before moving to the West Indies to start an airline, the short-lived West Indian Aerial Express, bought out by Pan American Airways in 1928. Rowe became a pioneering senior pilot for Pan Am, flying with them for 28 years before his retirement in 1956. This collection includes scrapbooks, photo albums, memorabilia, and first day covers, in addition to the draft manuscript for Rowe's 1956 autobiography, Under My Wings.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of Rowe's pilot's log books covering his career from 1927 to 1956, assorted periodicals, cartoons featuring Rowe, scrapbooks and photo albums assembled by Rowe (featuring newspaper clippings, photographs, and ephemera), several draft manuscripts of Rowe's 1956 autobiography Under My Wings, and first day air mail postal covers collected by Rowe.
Arrangement:
Materials in this collection are grouped into series by format. See individual series Scope and Content notes for details on arrangement within that series. Note that with the exception of the chronologically arranged flight log books, Rowe did not appear to organize his materials in any particular order.
Biographical / Historical:
Basil Lee Rowe, born February 10, 1896, grew up in the small town of Shandaken, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. He began his flying career in 1914 as an apprentice to aviator Turk Adams after seeing Adams fly at a local county fair. Impatient to become a military pilot, Rowe arranged to join the Royal Canadian Air Force, but was sidelined by a ruptured appendix before he could get to Canada. By the time Rowe had recovered, the United States had entered World War I and Rowe was able to join the Aviation Section of the U. S. Army Signal Corps; he was sent to Texas. During the Third Liberty Loan drive, Rowe was assigned to a group of fliers who were to give exhibition flights; after his discharge, he used his savings to buy a used Avro biplane and barnstormed around the East Central United States, using Hadley Field (New Brunswick, New Jersey) as his home field. Rowe soon bought a second aircraft, hired pilot William S. "Bill" Wade, and moved his base of operations to the Aeromarine Base at Keyport, near Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Rowe prospered through the early 1920s, and his troupe the "Rowe Fliers" (including at various times wingwalkers Bill Stacy and Marguerite L. "Peggy" Roome) toured the eastern US giving exhibition flights and passenger rides. In the winter, Rowe moved his operation to Florida, and, with a rebuilt Curtiss Seagull, ferried passengers eager to escape Prohibition from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas--with a bit of rumrunning on the side. Back in New Jersey, Rowe formed the Chamberlin-Rowe Aircraft Corporation with fellow aviator Clarence Chamberlin to buy and resell Army surplus aircraft; the short-lived business went bust in 1924 when the government finished selling off its aircraft. Rowe, a talented racing pilot, kept busy from 1924 through 1926 on the racing circuit, winning numerous prizes.
By the end of 1926, at the age of thirty, Rowe felt that he had reached a turning point in his life. Dismayed by the increase in US government regulation of aviation, Rowe moved his operations to the West Indies, settling in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. With Bill Wade, Rowe rapidly established a business flying charters around the country, with flights to neighboring Haiti and Puerto Rico. In June 1927, with financial backing provided by sugar industry businessmen and the government of the Dominican Republic, Rowe founded West Indian Aerial Express (abbreviated variously as WIAE or WIAX) to provide airline service between Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, hoping to be well positioned to bid on future US foreign air mail routes. With this in mind, Rowe returned to the Unites States and purchased a Fairchild FC-2W floatplane (christened "La Niña") and a larger Keystone K-47 Pathfinder trimotor (the former "American Legion," r/n NX179, rebuilt by the Keystone factory following a crash in April 1927 and rechristened as "Santa Maria"). To his dismay, Rowe was forced to acquired a US transport pilot license in order to be allowed to fly the "Santa Maria" back to Santo Domingo; he hired Canadian pilot Cy Caldwell to ferry "La Niña." On the way south in mid October 1927, Rowe found himself and his two aircraft in Florida just as Pan American Airways (PAA), which had been successful in obtaining a temporary contract to deliver mail from the US to Cuba, found itself without any aircraft able to fly out of their Key West, Florida, field to fulfill the contract before it expired. PAA struck a deal with Rowe to lease "La Niña" (piloted by Caldwell) to fly the first Pan American Airways flight on October 19, 1927.
With its two new aircraft, West Indian Aerial Express started regularly scheduled twice-weekly flights on December 1, 1927, between Cuba, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Puerto Rico, later extending the routes to St. Thomas and St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. On June 30, 1928, WIAX filed a bid with the US government for air mail service on the route from Key West to Puerto Rico, but was outmanuevered by the more politically-savvy Pan American Airways which won the contract. A final crippling blow was dealt to WIAX in September 1928 when a severe hurricane hit their base in San Juan, Puerto Rico, destroying "La Niña" and two older Waco biplanes. Rowe made his last flight in the "Santa Maria" on September 20, 1928, before turning the aircraft over to Pan American. On October 16, 1928, PAA purchased WIAX, with Rowe becoming PAA's senior pilot.
During his first ten years with Pan Am, Rowe flew a record number of hours and surveyed most of the new air routes through the Caribbean to Central and South America, several times flying with Charles Lindbergh. When the US entered World War II, Rowe was assigned to Pan Am's Africa and Orient Division to serve with the US Army Air Forces Air Transport Command on their supply route across the South Atlantic and Africa to India and China (the "Cannonball Run"). His wife, Florence May Sharp, whom Rowe had married in 1930, served as an aircraft spotter during the war. During the Korean Conflict, Rowe was once again pressed into service, and was transferred to Pan Am's Pacific Division to fly transpacific supply routes and medical evacuation flights. May's early death in 1943 left Rowe a widower at his retirement from Pan Am in 1956. At their Coral Gables, Florida, home he wrote his autobiography, Under My Wings (The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., New York, 1956) and remained active as a tennis instructor until his death on October 28, 1973.
Related Materials:
See related collection Basil Lee Rowe First Day Air Mail Covers, NASM.XXXX.0487.
Basil Lee Rowe air racing medals in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection:
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, Relay Race], A19690242000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, Relay Race], A19690243000.
Medal, Aviation [Dayton Air Race], A19690244000.
Medal, Third Annual Dayton Air Race Winner, A19690245000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [2nd Place, Free-For-All Race, 510 cu. in. Class], A19690246000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, First Elimination, 500 cu. in. Class], A19690247000.
Basil Lee Rowe air racing trophies in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection:
Trophy, Allen W. Hinkle, Basil L. Rowe, A19690238000 [Allen W. Hinkle Trophy for Two, Three, and Four Place Airplanes, 1924]
Trophy, Glenn H. Curtiss, Basil L. Rowe, A19690239000 [The Glenn H. Curtiss Trophy for Two Seater Low Horsepower Airplane, National Air Races, Mitchel Field L. I., 1925]
Plaque, B.B.T. Corporation, National Air Races 1926, A19690240000 [B.B.T. Corporation of America Relay Race for Commercial Planes won by Basil L. Rowe, Charles S. Jones, A. H. Kreider]
Plaque, 1926 National Air Races, Benjamin Franklin Trophy, A19690241000 [Benjamin Franklin Trophy donated by Joseph A. Steinmetz, Relay Race for Commercial Planes won by Basil L. Rowe, Charles S. Jones, A. H. Kreider]
Provenance:
Basil Lee Rowe, gift, 1969; United States Air Force Museum, transfer, 1973; NASM.XXXX.0019
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection includes twelve photograph albums and loose photographs covering Doolittle's varied aviation career.
Scope and Contents:
This collection includes twelve photograph albums and loose photographs covering Doolittle's varied aviation career, including images from Doolittle's trips to South America.
Arrangement:
There are two Series: Scrapbooks and Loose Photographs.
Dates, condition, and a brief description of item-level content are listed below.
Biographical/Historical note:
James H. Doolittle's (1896-1993) piloting career spanned military aviation history and his professional contributions to the aviation field, especially in the area of instrument flying, made a lasting impact. Doolittle became an Army aviator in 1917 and received a Doctor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering degree from MIT in 1925. During the 1920s and 1930s, Doolittle won many speed, cross-country and transcontinental records and trophies and is often referred to as the "Father of Instrument Flying," because he demonstrated "instrument only flight" in 1929. He left the military in 1930 to become manager of Shell Oil Company's aviation department, but returned to the Army during World War II. During World War II, Doolittle led the first raid on the Japanese mainland in 1942, and was later promoted to the commander of the 12th, 15th, and 8th Air Forces. He returned to civilian life in 1946 and served as a trustee of aviation and space companies and as a member of numerous organizational and government boards, panels, and committees.
Provenance:
Transfer from National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Division, 1973, NASM.XXXX.0501
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States Search this
Clement Melville Keys (1876-1952) was a financier and corporate organizer who promoted aviation through the post-World War I decade. In 1916 he came to the aid of the financially-troubled Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. and was made an unsalaried vice president. Keys accompanied the American Aviation Mission to Europe in 1919, returning to purchase a controlling interest in Curtiss in 1920. He remained president of Curtiss until the 1929 merger with Wright Aeronautical Corp. to form Curtiss-Wright Corporation, whereupon he became president of the new company. In 1931, however, Keys resigned as chairman of T&WA following a bitter struggle for control of the airline. Mental collapse followed and Keys surrendered all his remaining aviation interests and left Curtiss-Wright in 1933.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists primarily of Keys' business records and correspondence from the 1920s and early 1930s. The bulk of the material relates to the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company/Curtiss-Wright Corporation and related firms, as well as Transcontinental Air Transport. The material includes business (operating) correspondence and records relating to Keys' financial interests.
The collection is divided into three series. The first series consists of materials dated through Keys' withdrawal from his aviation interests in 1932, followed by a second series of materials post-dating 1932. The final series consists of a small number of legal-sized documents not marked by Keys or his secretary and not otherwise placeable in either of the first two series. Because of the small amount of legal-sized material in the collection, the bulk of the collection has been stored in letter-sized containers; all legal-size documents have been placed in legal-sized containers at the end of the collection (Boxes 29-31) and a cross-reference note entered in the appropriate place in basic folder list. Larger materials have been placed in a single oversized box (Box 32) with cross-references in the folder list as appropriate.
Note: The digital images shown for this collection were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product which did not reproduce all materials found in this collection; some items have not been scanned.
Arrangement:
The processing of the Keys papers began as an intern project. The intern, however, was unable to complete the work before the end of the intemship period and I was assigned to rebox the materials that had been left unprocessed so that higher priority activities could continue. The long-term plan was that I would finish processing the collection when other projects had been completed. At this time I discovered two things: first, many of the documents had been marked for filing, apparently by Keys or Mr. Swan, his confidential secretary; second, much of the material was no longer in this order. When my work load allowed me to return to the processing of the Keys Papers, I surveyed the collection. The remaining original folder labels and cross-reference sheets appeared to confirm my first discovery - many of the documents had been marked for filing.
Most of my work since has been directed at undoing the mishandling from the initial work, most of which occurred in the files relating to the Curtiss group of companies. Almost all of the items dating from mid-1928 onwards carry some sort of filing marks: these items have been reorganized into the indicated filing units (see folder list, below). Unfortunately, enclosures often were not marked: some of these were refiled in 1987 and their provenance is, therefore, lost. A close textual analysis of the collection would be necessary to reunite enclosures with their cover letters; current work load and staff levels preclude this labor-intensive operation.
Almost all of the items dating from mid-1928 onwards carry some sort of filing marks: these items have been reorganized into the indicated filing units (see folder list). Unfortunately, enclosures often were not marked: some of these were refiled in 1987 and their provenance is, therefore, lost. A close textual
analysis of the collection would be necessary to reunite enclosures with their cover letters; current work load and staff levels preclude this labor-intensive operation.
Materials pre-dating mid-1928 or otherwise unmarked have been filed by "best guess" from the correspondents and subject of the letters. Some materials doubtless remain misfiled. Researchers should examine folders that seem even marginally related to their topic for unmarked but related documents.
Titles appearing in brackets [ ] are the archivist's.
Series 1
Materials through 1932
Series 2
Post-1932 Material
Series 3
Miscellaneous Materials
Biographical / Historical:
Clement Melville Keys (1876-1952) was a financier and corporate organizer who promoted aviation through the post Word War I decade. Canadian-born, Keys graduated from Toronto University (B.A. 1897) and taught classics before coming to the United States in 1901 (naturalized, 1924). He went to work for the Wall Street Journal, first as a reporter (1901-1903), then as railroad editor (1903-1905) before becoming financial editor for World's Work (1905-1911). In 1911 he founded C. M. Keys & Co., an investment counseling firm and bond dealer. In 1916 he came to the aid of the financially-troubled Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. and was made an unsalaried Vice President. Keys accompanied the American Aviation Mission to Europe in 1919, returning to purchase a controlling interest in Curtiss in 1920. He remained president of Curtiss until the 1929 merger with Wright Aeronautical Corp. to form Curtiss-Wright Corporation, whereupon he became president of the new company. During his tenure as president of Curtiss (1920-1929) and its successor, Curtiss-Wright Corp. (1929-1933), Keys brought the company from the brink of bankruptcy to a position as one of the leading aircraft manufacturers in the world. Curtiss also became the center of a group of aviation-related companies which served to market and operate Curtiss aircraft. At the same time, Keys expanded his own holdings until he was at the head of twenty-six corporations, including aviation holdings companies, such as North American Aviation and National Aviation Corp., as well as the first American transcontinental air service, Transcontinental Air Transport (later Transcontinental & Western Airline). In January 1932, Keys withdrew from all his aviation interests, citing ill health. He remained connected with C. M. Keys & Co., concentrating mainly on financial and real estate interests. Upon retiring from Keys & Co. in 1942, he started a new company, C. M. Keys Aircraft Service Co. and, after World War II, helped organize Peruvian International Airways, which began operating in South America in 1947.
Provenance:
Donated by Elizabeth Keys Stoney.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at
Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of Stanton's personal papers. The material includes correspondence, photographs, news clippings and articles, reunion memorabilia and records, and personal and professional writings over the course of his aeronautical career.
Scope and Contents:
This collection of the papers of Charles Ingram Stanton contains work-related photographs, personal writings on his career, periodicals, programs, financial records, published materials, maps, charts, plans, scrapbooks and audiotapes. At the time of processing, no attempt was made to transcribe the audiotapes. Please contact the Archives for information about duplication.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as follows:
Series I, Professional Life
Subseries I: Military Career
Subseries II: Civilian Career
Series II, Personal Life
Series III, Miscellaneous Oversize Material
Biographical/Historical note:
Charles Ingram Stanton was born on July 28, 1893, in Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from high school in Revere, Massachusetts in 1911; and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts College in 1917. After graduation, he joined the United States Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps. Upon graduation from the Corps flight school, Stanton was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Although he served in the Air Service during World War I, he was never assigned overseas, but remained in the United States conducting research regarding radios and their effects in aircraft. In December of 1918, Stanton was formally discharged from the Army.
Prior to his military discharge, Stanton accepted a position with the United States Post Office Department of Aerial Mail, and began work as a test pilot. On September 15, 1920, Stanton was promoted to Superintendent of Operations, United States Air Mail Service. He later resigned from the Post Office and went to work for the National Aeronautic Association (NAA). His tenure there was terminated for unknown reasons in 1923; he then went to work for the U.S. Engineer Corp as a surveyman. From 1925 through 1926, he was employed as a civil engineer in Miami, Florida. On January 17, 1927 Stanton returned to government service as an airplane and engine inspector for the United States Department of Commerce. He was named the Chief of Airways Engineering Division, Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) on May 4, 1937. While working there, he obtained patent number 2,147,679 for an illuminating system for runways. On June 29, 1940 Stanton was named Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of Federal Airways. Stanton served as Administrator for the CAA from 1942 to 1944 before returning to his previous position as Deputy Administrator. During his tenure with the CAA, Stanton attended several conferences and important meetings for the establishment of international airways. Stanton was instrumental in establishing the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization. In 1944 he received an honorary doctorate from Tufts College for his contribution to the field of civil aeronautics.
On March 8, 1948 Stanton retired from the United States Government and took a teaching position at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics of Brazil as Professor of Air Navigation, and Chief of Airway Division. Upon returning to the United States in 1952, Stanton went to work for Bell Telephone Laboratories. He returned to work for the CAA in 1957, where he remained until his retirement in 1962.
Charles Ingram Stanton's love of flying did not end with his work. He remained an active member in the OX-5 Club, the Society of Air Mail Pioneers, Society of Airway Pioneers, and the Washington Air Derby Association. In addition to flying clubs, Stanton was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Charles Ingram Stanton passed away in 1986.
Timeline:
1893 July 28 -- Born in Medford Massachusetts
1911 -- Graduated from Revere High School
1917 -- Graduated from Tufts College
1917 December 8 -- Joined United States Army
1918 December 12 -- Joined United States Post Office Department of Aerial Mail
1918 December 18 -- Discharged from the United States Army
1920 September 15 -- Appointed Superintendent of Operations, Air Mail Service
1923 November 13 -- Terminated from National Aeronautic Association
1924 -- Worked for United States Engineer Corp as Surveyman
1925 -- Worked as a Civil Engineer in Miami
1927 January 17 -- Worked for U.S. Department of Commerce as an Airplane Inspector
1937 May 4 -- Selected as Chief of Airways Engineering Division, Civil Aeronautics Authority
1939 June 1 -- Granted U.S. Department of Justice Patent Number 2,147,679
1940 June 29 -- Appointed Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau of Federal Airways, Civil Aeronautics Authority
1942 July 20 -- Appointed Administrator of Civil Aeronautics, Civil Aeronautics Administration
1944 June 18 -- Received Honorary Degree from Tufts College
1944 September 23 -- Resigned as Administrator to return to former position as Deputy Administrator, Civil Aeronautics Administration.
1948 March 8 -- Took leave of absence to serve as head of Department of Airways Engineering, Aeronautical Technical Institute of Brazil.
1952 -- Returned to America to work for Bell Laboratories
1956 November 16 -- Left Bell Laboratories
1957 January 23 -- Worked for the Air Navigation Development Board, Civil Aeronautics Administration
1957 November 6 -- Worked as Electrical Engineer (Gen.) of Airways Modernization Board Civil Aeronautics Administration
1957 -- Worked as Chief of Airports Division, Civil Aeronautics Administration
1962 -- Retired from the Federal Aviation Agency
1986 January 1 -- Passed away
Provenance:
Charles I. Stanton, Jr., gift, 1987, NASM.1987.0076
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of the records of the Waco Aircraft Company. The material includes office files of the company, marketing and sales information, and design data. Also included are original engineering drawings and report files.
Scope and Contents note:
In 1920 Clayton J. Bruckner, Elwood "Sam" Junkin and George "Buck" Weaver formed Weaver Aircraft Co. In April of 1923, they renamed the company Advanced Aircraft Co. and, in May of 1929, Waco Aircraft Co. By the 1930s the company was a leader in the design of wood and fabric aircraft. At their most widespread use, Waco aircraft were operated by public, private, military and corporate owners in thirty-five countries. During World War II, Waco devoted itself entirely to war production, manufacturing large numbers of troop- and cargo-carrying gliders. Following the war Waco attempted to market a wholly new design, but the post- war slump in the private aviation market and the high development costs of the aircraft forced Waco to withdraw from aircraft manufacture in June 1947. During its twenty-seven year existence Waco produced sixty-two different aircraft models and led all its competitors in the number of aircraft registered.
The Waco collection is divided into two parts. Part One comprises 24,855 drawings. The locations and descriptive information of these drawings are listed on an electronic database entitled the Waco Aircraft Engineering Drawings Data Base. The drawings vary greatly in size from small drawings of 4x5" to large sheets of over 150" in length. The majority of the drawings included in Part One are numbered, but many of the drawings are unnumbered. These drawings span most of the Company's existence and depict many of its powered and glider aircraft. There are several smaller sets of drawings which include layout drawings, tool drawings and stress analyses. Production charts and data charts are also among these drawings.
Part Two includes the business records of the Waco Aircraft Company. These documents can be generally divided between the engineering and sales departments. Most of the drawings within Part Two are from sub-contractors and U.S. Government agencies.
Waco aircraft company designations are confusing. Many variations exist regarding the practice of assigning model designations. Despite these exceptions, some basic rules serve as a guideline. Prior to 1930, Waco models were designated by a single number, 1 through 10. The last aircraft designated in this manner, the Waco 10, became the Waco Model O under the new scheme of designation.
Waco early models were additionally referred to by their horsepower. This may have been a practice of distributors and salesmen.
Since 1930, The Waco Aircraft Company used a combination of three letters with which to name its models. An example would be the Model ASO. The letters are best read from right to left. The letter on the right represents the fuselage, i.e. Model O. The middle letter represents a modification to the basic model, i.e. CSO for straight wing or CTO for tapered wing. The letter on the left represents the engine, i.e. CSO for Wright J-6, 225 horse power engine. Additionally, Waco models were often followed by a number indicating the year in which the aircraft was built. A YPF-6, for example, was manufactured in 1936.
Waco World War II gliders, designed for the U.S.A.A.F, were designated by an alpha-numeric combination. The four unpowered gliders produced shared the same letter prefixes of CG, which stood for cargo glider. The numeric suffix distinguishes the aircraft. They were the Models CG-3A, CG-4A, CG-13A and CG-15A. An X preceding the designation denotes experimental, i.e. XCG-4A. An addition of two letters denotes the manufacturer, i.e. CG-4A- TI for Timm Aircraft Co. Many of the Waco designed gliders were constructed by various companies. Powered versions of the gliders were referred to by the prefix PG for powered gliders.
Arrangement note:
Series 1: Numbered Engineering Reports
Series 2: Model Engineering Reports
Series 3: Engineering Documents
Series 4: Government Contracts
Series 5: Contractor Reports
Series 6: Correspondence
Series 7: Publications
Series 8: Sales
Series 9: Blueprints & Drawings
Series 10: Drawings Lists
Series 11: Model Indexes
Series 12: Contractor Drawings
Biographical/Historical note:
In 1920 Clayton J. Bruckner, Elmwood "Sam" Junkin, and Buck Weaver formed an aircraft company known as the Weaver Aircraft Company in Troy, OH. By the 1930s the company, known as Waco Aircraft Co. since 1929, was a leader in the design of wood and fabric aircraft, with Waco aircraft being operated by public, private, and corporate owners in thirty-five countries. During World War II Waco devoted itself entirely to war production, manufacturing large numbers of troop- and cargo-carrying gliders. Following the war Waco attempted to market a wholly new design but the postwar slump in the private aviation market and the high development costs of the aircraft forced Waco to withdraw from aircraft manufacture in June 1947. During its twenty-eight year existence Waco produced sixty-two different aircraft models and led all its competitors in number of aircraft registered.
Related Archival Materials note:
Other collections within the Archives Division of the National Air and Space Museum which are relevant to Waco are as follows:
The Hattie Meyers Junkin Papers(1906-1982), Accession #XXXX-0171. Junkin was married first to George Weaver and later to Elwood Junkin, both founders of the Waco Aircraft Company.
The A. Francis Arcier(1890-1969) Collection, Accession #XXX-0072. Arcier was one of the leading engineers with the Waco Aircraft Company.
The National Air and Space Museum Archival Video Discs. Included in this collection are three blocks of Waco Aircraft photographs; prints listed by model type under the Company name in the Aircraft Finding Aid, prints listed under "Glider Aircraft" in the U.S. Air Force Collection finding aid and prints listed under the Company name in the "General Subjects" of the U.S. Air Force Collection Finding Aid.
The NASM Archives Technical Files. The documents filed under "Waco" include mostly photographs and newspaper articles. Information about some of the individual Waco employees, including Hattie Junkin and George Weaver, can be found filed under the individual's name in the biographical section of the Technical Files.
0.07 Cubic feet (2 folders, One 16 x 20 inch black and white print photograph, 59 color slides (35 mm color transparencies))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Photographs
Place:
Bahamas
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Jamaica
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
United Kingdom -- England
Date:
1930-1965
bulk 1946-1955
Summary:
This collection consists of 59 Pan American Airways (Pan Am) promotional 35 mm color slides from Howard V. Norton, a Pan Am Sales Representative in Washington, D.C., from 1942-1965 where his duties included promoting Pan Am to travel agents and organizing round the world tour groups. Collection also includes an oversized print of Pan American International Airport in Miami, Florida, taken in 1930.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 59 color slides used in Pan American Airways (Pan Am) promotional presentations, and one 16 x 20 inch black and white aerial photograph of Pan American International Airport in Miami, Florida taken in 1930. The slides include Pan Am route maps and in-flight, group, and interior views of Pan Am aircraft including Curtiss C-46, Douglas DC-4, Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas, and Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser airliners. Specific themed groups promote tourist travel via Pan Am to the Caribbean (Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Jamaica) circa 1946-1950 (22 slides in Pan Am mounts), travel on the Stratocruiser circa 1949-1955, and tourist travel to England (UK) in the same period. The collection also includes three color slides of photographs taken by Howard V. Norton of various travel groups posed with Pan Am Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas airliners (circa 1956-1965).
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by content type. Oversized photograph and slides are housed and stored separately. Slides are grouped by thematic content.
Biographical / Historical:
Pan American Airways (Pan Am) was active in the airline industry from 1927, when it established a regular scheduled international service, to its bankruptcy in late 1991. Pan Am was the first American airline to operate a permanent international air service. From its first route between Key West and Havana, Pan Am extended its routes into the rest of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. In 1936, Pan Am inaugurated passenger service in the Pacific, and began service in the Atlantic in 1939. Pan Am started around-the-world commercial air service in 1947. Besides setting many "firsts" with routes, Pan Am also established "firsts" in the aircraft technology they chose, such as being the first to use Boeing Model 747s in regular scheduled services. Howard V. Norton was a Pan Am Sales Representative in Washington, D.C. from 1942-1965 where his duties included promoting Pan Am to travel agents and organizing round the world tour groups.
Provenance:
Robert H. Norton, Gift, 2009, NASM.2009.0013
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of 125 black and white photographs that Cecil Tucker collected during his tenure at the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The photographs include the following Curtiss-Wright aircraft: the Curtiss-Wright Robin, including "Wrong-Way" Corrigan's aircraft; the Curtiss-Wright Kingbird, built for the Marine Corps; the Curtiss-Wright Condor, including images of the Condor T-32 built for the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, the two Condors modified for the Navy for use by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as the Condors sold to Eastern Airlines, Switzerland, and Argentina; and the Curtiss-Wright AT-9, CW-19R, and CW-22B. Famous individuals pictured include: Amelia Earhart, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lowell Thomas, the famous radio broadcaster. Also of interest are severala few images of aircraft with Latin and South American insignia.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 125 black and white photographs that Tucker collected during his tenure at Curtiss-Wright. The photographs include the following Curtiss-Wright aircraft: the Curtiss-Wright Robin, including "Wrong-Way" Corrigan's aircraft; the Curtiss-Wright Kingbird, built for the Marine Corps; the Curtiss-Wright Condor, including images of the Condor T-32 built for the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, the two Condors modified for the Navy for use by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as the Condors sold to Eastern Airlines, Switzerland, and Argentina; and the Curtiss-Wright AT-9, CW-19R, and CW-22B. Famous individuals pictured include: Amelia Earhart, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lowell Thomas, the famous radio broadcaster. Also of interest are a few images of aircraft with Latin and South American insignia.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
The Curtiss-Wright Photography [Tucker] Collection is arranged by subject.
Biographical / Historical:
Cecil Tucker worked for Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri,from 1928 until 1945. Tucker started as a wire man and worked his way up to the Assistant Superintendent of Factory Administration for the St. Louis plant.
Provenance:
Paul B. Tucker, gift, 2000, 2000-0033
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
William John Eck: First Pan American Airlines Transatlantic Flight Scrapbook
Extent:
0.33 Cubic feet (1 scrapbook)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Azores
New York, New York
Date:
June 12, 1939, through April 22, 1940
bulk June 28, 1939, through July 4, 1939
Summary:
This collection consists of a scrapbook, "To Europe By Air," assembled by railroad executive William J. Eck to document his trip June 28 to July 4, 1939, on Pan American Airways' (PAA) first transatlantic passenger flight on the Boeing Model 314 Clipper "Dixie Clipper" flying boat and containing information on its crew, passengers, and ports of call.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a scrapbook, "To Europe By Air," assembled by William J. Eck to document his trip on Pan American Airways' (PAA) first transatlantic passenger flight, and containing information on the Boeing Model 314 Clipper "Dixie Clipper" (r/n NC-18605) flying boat and its crew, passengers, and ports of call. The scrapbook is particularly rich in ephemera, with many illustrations trimmed from brochures used to embellish the black paper album pages. Contents include ephemera from the Pennsylvania Railroad (on which Eck started and ended his trip from his home in Washington, D. C.), Pan American Airways (PAA), Air France, Hotel Aviz (Lisbon), Splendide Hotel (Marseille), Hotel Plaza-Athenée (Paris), and various tourist sites; photographs; telegrams; greeting cards; maps; menus; post cards; postage stamps; a first day cover; newspaper clippings (predominantly in English, but also in Portuguese and French); PAA receipts and press releases; copy photographs of Eck's PAA tickets, ticket folder, and baggage claim check; photographs of commemorative cigarette cases presented to Eck and PAA pilot R. O. D. Sullivan; and clippings and ephemera relating fellow passengers' stories: Russell Sabor, James McVittie (who continued on to Chicago immediately after landing in New York on the return trip), Gwladys Whitney (Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney), Anne Lyon Haight (Mrs. Sherman Post Haight, who also flew aboard the Clipper that inaugurated the mail route between North and South America in 1931). Also included is a transcript of interviews with the passengers recorded on board the "Dixie Clipper" during the eastbound flight: Russell Sabor, William J. Eck, Mrs. Sherman Haight, Captain Torkild Rieber, Clara Adams, C. V. Whitney, Mrs. Juan Trippe, Mr. and Mrs. Graham B. Grosvenor, Mr. and Mrs. E. O. McDonnell, Roger Lapham, James McVittie, and Louis Gimbel; and on the westbound flight: J. Carroll Cone (Manager of the Atlantic Division of Pan American Airways Company).
Arrangement:
The scrapbook is arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
William John Eck (1876-1957) graduated from Iowa State University in 1895 with a degree in electrical engineering and went to work in the telephone industry. In 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Eck joined the United States Army and was sent to the Philippines; after a year Eck transferred to the U.S. Quartermaster Department and spent his next three years at sea, eventually making a trip around the world. After leaving the Army, Eck switched to the railroad business, joining the Southern Railway in 1905. Over time, travel—particularly air travel—became a serious hobby for Eck, and by the early 1930s, he had become a pioneer passenger on several early airline routes. In 1931, after chatting to Pan American Airways (PAA) pilots on a flight to Santiago, Chile, Eck contacted PAA to apply for a ticket on PAA's first transatlantic passenger flight, whenever that might occur. Eight years later, Eck was delighted to be contacted by PAA with the news that he had been designated Passenger No. 1 on the historic flight, departing Port Washington, New York, on Wednesday, June 28, 1939, aboard the Boeing Model 314 "Dixie Clipper." The flight, carrying 22 passengers, was made via Horta, Azores, with an overnight stay at Lisbon, Portugal, on June 29, finishing at Marseille, France, on June 30. Eck continued on to Paris via a land-based Air France flight. Eck and many of the outbound passengers were also on the return flight of the "Dixie Clipper," departing Marseilles on Sunday, July 2, and following the same route to return to New York on Tuesday, July 4, 1939. At the time of the flight Eck, a resident of Washington, D. C., was Assistant to the Vice President, Southern Railway Company. The newspapers noted that Eck, a widower who had recently married his second wife, Emily Magdalene Kleb, three months earlier on March 20, 1939, was unable to take her along on the flight as he had only the single ticket bought well before their marriage.
Provenance:
Unknown gift, circa 1940-1967.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of three scrapbooks contain a detailed log of Robert Bricker Swope's South American travels. Objects include photographs, some from the air (some of the 1946 photos are in color), plane tickets, plane schedules, plane routes, airline brochures, correspondence from airlines (Pan American, Eastern, Panagra, SCADTA), hotel reservations and correspondence, travel brochures, maps, business cards, passport, itineraries, postcards, and telegrams.
Scope and Contents:
The three scrapbooks contain a detailed log of Mr. Swope's South American travels. Objects include: many photos, some from the air (some of the 1946 photos are in color); plane tickets; plane schedules; plane routes; airline brochures; correspondence from airlines ( Pan American, Eastern, Panagra, Scadta); hotel reservations and correspondence; travel brochures; maps; business cards; passport; itineraries; postcards; and telegrams.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Bricker Swope was born in 1888 and worked as an executive in Washington D.C. Mr. Swope took two trips by plane to South America, and was accompanied by his wife Lydia L. Swope on the second trip.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Keith R. Bailey, Gift, 1991, 1991-0064, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of airport reports and plans, mostly written by Posey, for the following countries: Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, Trinidad, British Guiana, Spain, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
Biographical / Historical:
The Regional Aviation Assistance Group, an organizational unit of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (later the Federal Aviation Administration), issued many status reports and development plans relating to airports and aviation facilities around the world. Carl A. Posey was an airport engineer with this group.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Carl A. Posey, Jr., Gift, 2000, NASM.2000.0023, Public Domain
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of photographs of aircraft and personnel of the Naviera Colombiana, along with photographs of seaplanes taken by Emil Tkachick. The following aircraft are represented: Consolidated PB2Y-3R 'Coronado' at Miami, FL; Northrop Gamma 2D, TWA; and Martin PBM-5 Mariner; Kawanishi H8K2 'Emily'; and the Dornier DO-335A-O 'Pfeil'. There are also prints of a tractor used to pull the Naviera Colombiana's Martin PBM-5 Mariners; of Don Carmichael, director of the Colombian freight operation Naviera Colombiana's Division; of Charles E. Stevenson, Chief of Inspection for Colombiana freight operation Naviera Colombiana; and of Emil Tkachick, in sea anchor cowling-up the engine of one of the Naviera Colombiana's Martin PBM-5s.
Biographical / Historical:
The Naviera Colombiana was a short lived (1938-1949?) flying boat freight operation, operating out of Barranquille, Columbia.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Emil Tkachick, Gift, 1990, 1990-0057, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
2.63 Cubic feet ((1 legal document box) (2 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures (visual works)
Slides (photographs)
Audiotapes
Date:
1958-1980
bulk [ca. 1960s-1970s]
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 25 16 mm films, four tape/slide sets on travel, seven individual slides and a tape of Pan American 'Theme' music. The film footage includes the history of the company; promotional films for travel and services; television commercials; introduction to Boeing 747 service; and training films for employees.
Biographical / Historical:
Pan American World Airways was active in the airline industry from 1927, when it established a regular scheduled international service, to its bankruptcy in late 1991. Pan American was the first American airline to operate a permanent international air service. From its first route between Key West and Havana, Pan Am extended its routes into the rest of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. In 1936, Pan Am inaugurated passenger service in the Pacific, and began service in the Atlantic in 1939. Pan Am started around-the-world commercial air service in 1947. Besides setting many 'firsts' with routes, Pan Am also established 'firsts' in the aircraft technology they chose, such as being the first to use Boeing 747s in regular scheduled services.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Pan American World Airways, Inc., gift, 1992, 1992-0027, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of menus from the following airlines: Air France, ANA, Braniff International, British Airways, British Caledonian, CAAC, Cathay Pacific, Concorde, Continental, Delta, Eastern, Finnair, Japan Air Lines, KLM, Lan Chile (visit of Pope), Lufthansa, Mexicana, Pan American, Philippine Airlines, Saudia, Swissair, TWA (visit of Pope), Varig, Virgin Atlantic and United.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Ron Davies and Marty Aronson, gift, 1993, 1993-0056
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States Search this
This collection is composed of paper documents which are related to Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regulations pertinent to Pan American's operation, including CAB Economic Regulations, CAB Legislative History of Regulations, and CAB Air Mail Rates.
Biographical / Historical:
Pan American World Airways was active in the airline industry from 1927, when it established a regular scheduled international service, to its bankruptcy in late 1991. Pan American was the first American airline to operate a permanent international air service. From its first route between Key West and Havana, Pan Am extended its routes into the rest of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. In 1936, Pan Am inaugurated passenger service in the Pacific, and began service in the Atlantic in 1939. Pan Am started around-the-world commercial air service in 1947. Besides setting many 'firsts' with routes, Pan Am also established 'firsts' in the aircraft technology they chose, such as being the first to use Boeing 747s in regular scheduled services.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Pan American, unknown, 1998, 1998-0045, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Curtiss Flying School -- Newport News, VA Search this
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet ((1 folder))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Date:
1916-1923
bulk 1919-1923
Scope and Contents:
This scrapbook consists of clippings relating to Lawrence's early years, particularly his activities in South America between 1919 and 1923. Most of the clipping are from South American newspapers and are in Spanish and Portuguese. That material in the Biographical Files consists of larger format newspaper articles and copies of several letters of recommendation.
Biographical / Historical:
Lawrence Leon (1889-1965) immigrated from his native Italy in 1913, and three years later received FAI Airplane Pilot Certificate #589 at Curtiss Field, Buffalo, NY. He served as flight instructor at the Curtiss School, Newport News, VA from Jan-Aug 1917, and as civilian instructor at various military schools until the end of World War I. In 1919 he traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina as the representative for Curtiss Airplane Export Corporation and spent 13 years in South America as business representative and flight instructor for Curtiss. Following his return from South America, he continued with Curtiss until 1940 when he left to pursue unspecified business activities.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Lucy Leon, gift, unknown, XXXX-0293, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
![view Regional Aviation Assistance Group Reports [Posey] digital asset: Finding aid](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/findingaid.gif "Finding aid")