Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974 Search this
Extent:
0.35 Cubic feet (7 folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Ephemera
Date:
1907-1977
Summary:
This collection consists of approximately 0.35 cubic feet of banquet programs, menus, and similar items from aviation-themed events.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 0.35 cubic feet of banquet programs, menus, and similar items from aviation-themed events. Some are from events honoring individual pilots such as Charles Lindbergh, Richard Byrd, the Wright Brothers, and Amelia Earhart, and some are from events held by organizations including the Aero Club of America, the Early Birds of Aviation, the Manufacturers Aircraft Association, and the 31st Division Air Corps of the Alabama National Guard. Additional programs relate to specific events including the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, various air racing events and record setting flights, memorial dedications, and air route inaugurations.
Arrangement:
Items in this collection have been organized by topic with a miscellaneous folder at the end. Folders are arranged alphabetically by organization name or by last name when the topic is a particular person. Within each folder, items are arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
During the early flight period, World War I, and on into the 1920s and 1930s, numerous famous flights by pioneering pilots represented the cultural acceptance of the airplane from an entertaining novelty into an instrument of commerce, a weapon of war, and a vehicle for spectacle. In response, there emerged a new form of technological enthusiasm called "air-mindedness." To be airminded meant the zealous support of aviation to bring about the next great era in human civilization, which many people called the "Air Age." With such a great interest in aviation, many of the pilots during this era were treated as celebrities whose activities were followed with interest by the press as well as the public. Pilots making trailblazing flights were often fĂȘted with parades, banquets,and other events in order to celebrate their achievements, and many aviation events were similarly celebrated. Also during this time period, numerous aviation-related societies and clubs were formed and their members would meet for dinners and other social occasions.
General:
In cases where identical duplicate items exist in the collection, only one representative version was scanned to appear in the slideshow. In cases where duplicate items had differences (such as signatures on the cover or an enclosure not present in the other versions), only the parts that differ were scanned.
Provenance:
Unknown, Material found in collection is likely from various donors, NASM.XXXX.0116.
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.
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Manufacturers' Aircraft Association (MAA) (USA) [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Manufacturers' Aircraft Association (MAA) (USA) [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Manufacturers' Aircraft Association (MAA) (USA) [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Manufacturers' Aircraft Association (MAA) (USA) [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Manufacturers' Aircraft Association (MAA) (USA) [Oversize]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Folder Containing: black and white photograph of very large group of people at Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, 12th Annual Meeting, somewhere in the US, circa 1940s; black and white group photograph of Manufacturers Aircraft Association Dinner. Waldorf-Astoria, New York, January 7, 1919 (badly damaged; cracked into two pieces).
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
The years before World War I were spent in patent litigation for aviation pioneers Glenn Curtiss and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Scope and Contents:
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation Archives - Patent Files collection consists primarily of materials relating to patents issued to and maintained by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation and its subsidiaries from the 1910s to the 1950s, though the bulk of the materials pre-date World War II. The majority of the collection is original patent certificates. Other materials include records of litigation proceedings, correspondence, memoranda, aircraft drawings and blueprints, reports, sales brochures, meeting minutes, and annual reports.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in four series: Patents, Patent File Wrappers, Patent Litigation, and Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records. Series I contains original patents and related materials issued or assigned to the Curtiss-Wright Corporation and related organizations. Covering the years between 1911 and 1939, the series is further divided into two subseries: United States Patents and International Patents. Series II consists of file wrappers prepared by the United States Patent Office, containing a complete record of the patent's history. The third series includes materials from Curtiss-Wright's numerous litigation proceedings in defense of its patents. The fourth series contains business records created by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation including photocopies of historic patent and stock documents, division minutes, and reports for the U.S. Navy Department.
Series I - Patents, 1911-1939
Subseries I - United States Patents, 1911-1939
Subseries II - International Patents, 1916-1935
Series II - Patent File Wrappers, 1916-1930
Series III - Patent Litigation, 1916-1947
Series IV - Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records, 1906-1945
Historical Note:
The years before World War I were spent in patent litigation for aviation pioneers Glenn Curtiss and Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Wright brothers claimed wing warping patents and sought to prevent Curtiss and others from manufacturing and selling aircraft and products based on these patents. During World War I, the aircraft manufacturing industry set up the Manufacturer's Aircraft Association, a patent pool in which all participants were allowed to use any patents to build aircraft for the war effort. After the war, Wright Aeronautical Corporation and the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company continued to be major players in the aircraft industry, long after Curtiss and the Wrights ended association with their namesakes.
In 1929, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company merged with the Wright Aeronautical Corporation to form the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. After the merger, responsibility for engine and propeller manufacture was consolidated under the Wright name while Curtiss concentrated on airplanes. Although the two companies were merged by name and under the direction of a corporate headquarters located in New York City, the separation and specialization of the two divisions continued to cause problems for the company. The election of former Wright personnel to key corporate positions soon led to Wright becoming the dominant division. The Great Depression and the collapse of the market for commercial aviation revealed how reliant the aviation industry was on military production. Sales dropped and Curtiss-Wright was forced to close certain satellite plants and transfer some of their product lines to the St. Louis facility.
During the U.S. military build-up prior to World War II, existing Curtiss-Wright plants were expanded and new aircraft factories were built to meet the growing production demand. The company failed, however, to plan for the future after the war. In 1946, Curtiss-Wright had only two experimental military models at hand for postwar delivery and no assurance of production orders. Wright Aeronautical continued to build engines, but was no longer at the forefront of development. 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.
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation still exists in the 21st century, but has become a diversified technology corporation in various markets, including aviation and defense.
Provenance:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation, gift, 1987.
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.
Topics: Air shows. George "Buck" Weaver's Aviation Activities. Progress of Waco Aircraft Company (advertisements). Letters. Travels. Personalities (including Katherine Stinson).
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Memo, clippings, by-laws and amendment to agreement
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred Victor Verville Papers, Acc. XXXX-0173, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Citation:
Thomas DeWitt Milling Collection, NASM.XXXX.0133, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Citation:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records, Acc. XXXX-0067, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
James Vernon Martin (1885-1956) was an aviator and inventor during the early days of aviation. This collection consists of material documenting the life of James Vernon Martin. The material includes letters, photos, and documents relating to his Merchant Marine career and his aircraft and aeronautical inventions. Also included are documents pertaining to his conspiracy charges against the government and aircraft industry, as well as his attempts to revive Augustus M. Herring's patents. There are also documents regarding Lily Irvine, his wife, and her career as a pilot.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of material documenting the life of James Vernon Martin. The material includes letters, photos, and documents relating to his Merchant Marine career and his aircraft and aeronautical inventions. Also included are documents pertaining to his conspiracy charges against the government and aircraft industry, as well as his attempts to revive Augustus M. Herring's patents. There are also documents regarding Lily Irvine, his wife, and her career as a pilot.
The majority of materials were donated by Edna Jahn, Martin's friend. But there are also materials from other National Air and Space Museum Archives collections that were incorporated later into the Martin Collection. Collections include: Wright Field Technical Documents (NASM.XXXX.0428) and National Air Museum Photography Collection (NASM.XXXX.0572). When possible, these materials were placed in folders designated as "NASM Generated." There are also curatorial documents generated by the Smithsonian Institution regarding the acquisition of Martin artifacts Martin K.III Kitten (A19250004000); Model, Tractor Biplane (A19350061000) and Medal, Order of St. Stanislaus First Class (A19880024000).
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:
Materials are arranged into five series: Biographical Material, Martin Aircraft and Automobiles, Patents and Litigation, Photographs, and Newspapers and Magazines. Within each series materials are arranged roughly chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
James Vernon Martin (1885-1956) was an aviator and inventor during the early days of aviation. He joined the Merchant Marine (1900) before attending the University of Virginia and Harvard (graduate degree, 1912). While at Harvard he organized the Harvard Aeronautical Society (1910), served as its first director, and, through the Society, organized the first international air meet in the United States (1910). He traveled to England in January 1911 for flight training and received Royal Aero Club F.A.I. Certificate #55.
While in England, Martin met and married Lily Irvine. Born in South Africa to Scottish parents, Irvine learned to fly from Martin, making her first successful flight at Hendon in 1911. In July 1914, with Tony Jannus as her mechanic, Irvine completed one of the largest flights across water from Sandusky, Ohio, to Euclid over Lake Erie, breaking a speed record set by Glenn Curtiss in 1910.
After returning to the U.S. in June 1911, Martin traveled the exhibition circuit for several years. He made the first flights in Alaska in 1913, accompanied by Irvine. During 1915 he flew test flights for the Aeromarine Company. In 1917, he formed the Martin Aeroplane Company in Elyria, OH on the strength of nine aeronautical patents, including his automatic stabilizer (1916) and retractable landing gear (1916). He joined the Merchant Marine and became Master of the SS Lake Fray in May 1919, earning the Order of St. Stanislaus from Russia in appreciation for assistance rendered to the Russian North-Western Army. In 1920 he moved the company to Dayton, OH as Martin Enterprises and offered free use of his patents to the American aeronautical industry, though evaluations of the efficacy of his inventions were mixed. He moved to Garden City (Long Island), NY in 1922, renaming the company as the Martin Aeroplane Factory.
In 1924, Martin sued the United States government and the Manufacturers Aeronautical Association, claiming that they conspired to monopolize the aviation industry. The suit was dismissed in 1926, but Martin continued to press his claims of collusion through the 1930s. Martin also became the assignee for aviation pioneer Augustus M. Herring and attempted to revive claims on Herring's early patents.
During World War II, he worked for the Office of Research and Development before returning to the U.S. Maritime Service in 1944, serving as first mate on a ship and then commanding a troop transport in the Pacific. After he left the service in 1946, he tried to raise interest in a large catamaran flying boat, the Martin "Oceanplane," but failed in the face of the growth in commercial trans-ocean service by conventional aircraft.
Provenance:
Edna Jahn, gift, 1964, NASM.XXXX.0162. Also NASM Generated.
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
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.
Collection Citation:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation Archives - Patent Files, Acc. 1987-0029, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Citation:
Clement Melville Keys Papers, Accession XXXX-0091, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Citation:
Clement Melville Keys Papers, Accession XXXX-0091, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.