Search Results

Creator:

Proctor, Elbert W.  Search this

Names:

National Air Transport  Search this

Transcontinental Air Transport  Search this

Extent:

1.09 Cubic feet ((1 records center box))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ephemera

Correspondence

Photographs

Clippings

Articles

Newsletters

Date:

1920-1963

bulk [ca.1920s]

Summary:

This collection contains documentation on TAT (Transcontinental Air Transport) and NAT (National Air Transport) as well as radio communication and general aviation themes. The following types of material are included: house newspapers/newsletters for both airlines; newspaper and magazine articles relating to Proctor, the airlines or aviation; photographs of both NAT and TAT, specifically dealing with radio; correspondence; and memorabilia relating to TAT and NAT.

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains documentation on TAT (Transcontinental Air Transport) and NAT (National Air Transport) as well as radio communication and general aviation themes. The following types of material are included: house newspapers/newsletters for both airlines; newspaper and magazine articles relating to Proctor, the airlines or aviation; photographs of both NAT and TAT, specifically dealing with radio; correspondence; and memorabilia relating to TAT and NAT.

Arrangement:

The Elbert W. Proctor Collection is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Elbert W. Proctor worked for both National Air Transport (NAT) and Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Airlines during the 1920s and early 1930s as a radio engineer. Proctor was in charge of communication for TAT.

General:

Additional Materials: Artifacts that accompanied this collection have been transferred to the National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Division.

NASMrev

Provenance:

Elbert W. Proctor, gift, 1993, 1993-0038, 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

Topic:

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautical instruments  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Radio in aeronautics  Search this

Radio  Search this

Genre/Form:

Ephemera

Correspondence

Photographs

Clippings

Articles

Newsletters

Citation:

Elbert W. Proctor Collection, Acc. NASM.1993.0038YEAR.####, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1993.0038

See more items in:

Elbert W. Proctor Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg26da7977a-6c38-48a0-b47e-006819fc3db5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1993-0038

Creator:

Seypelt, Albert Willibald, -1966  Search this

Names:

Fitzmaurice, James C., 1898-  Search this

Kern, George William  Search this

Seypelt, Albert Willibald, -1966  Search this

von Huenefeld, Guenther  Search this

Extent:

0.9 Cubic feet ((2 legal document boxes))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Certificates

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs

Clippings

Correspondence

Date:

1892-1941

Summary:

This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and motion picture film documenting the Seypelt-Kern flight. The material also includes Seypelt's aviation licenses and certificates, as well as photographs documenting his enlistment in the German army during World War I. The collection also contains material on the first westward transatlantic flight (1928), from Ireland to Labrador by 'Bremen', a Junkers W-33 monoplane piloted by Hermann Koehl, Baron Guenther von Huenefeld, and James Fitzmaurice. The collection also contains one 16mm film on the flight of the "Yankee Doodle."

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and motion picture film documenting the Seypelt-Kern flight. The material also includes Seypelt's aviation licenses and certificates, as well as photographs documenting his enlistment in the German army during World War I. The collection also contains material on the first westward transatlantic flight (1928), from Ireland to Labrador by 'Bremen', a Junkers W-33 monoplane piloted by Hermann Koehl, Baron Guenther von Huenefeld, and James Fitzmaurice.

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:

Arrangement: 1 - Correspondence; 2 - Newspaper clippings on the flight of the Yankee Doodle; 3 - Aviation certificates, licenses, and other memorabilia; 4 - Photographs; 5 - Clippings and photographs on the flight of the Bremen.

Biographical / Historical:

On October 21, 1927, Albert Willibald [William] Seypelt (d.1966) and George William Kern began a tour of Europe in a lightweight Klemm-Daimler L-20 dubbed the 'Yankee Doodle.' Leaving from Stuttgart, Germany, the duo travelled over 6,000 miles visiting Belgium, France, Italy and Austria before returing to Stuttgart on January 20, 1928.

General:

NASMrev

Provenance:

Gisela S. Enchelmayer, Gift, 1985, 1985-0011, 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

Topic:

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Klemm L-20 "Yankee Doodle"  Search this

Junkers W 33 Family  Search this

Junkers W 33b "Bremen"  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics -- Records  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Transatlantic flights  Search this

Genre/Form:

Certificates

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs

Clippings

Correspondence

Citation:

Albert Willibald Seypelt Collection, Acc. NASM.1985.0011####, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1985.0011

See more items in:

Albert Willibald Seypelt Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2935c1452-c34a-4c92-83f0-8d40a30ae578

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1985-0011

Creator:

Hill, David O.  Search this

Names:

Canadair  Search this

Federal Express Corporation  Search this

Flying Tiger Line  Search this

International Air Transport Association  Search this

John F. Kennedy International Airport  Search this

Seaboard & Western Airlines  Search this

United States. Air Force. Military Air Transport Service  Search this

Jackson, Richard M.  Search this

Norden, Arthur  Search this

Norden, Raymond  Search this

Extent:

1.09 Cubic feet ((1 record center box))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Manuals

Memoranda

Annual reports

Newsletters

Date:

undated

Summary:

This collection consists of the complete set of Seaboard & Western Airlines annual reports, from 1947-1979, as well as the following two Seaboard & Western technical manuals: Canadair CL-44 Operating Manual and a Lockheed Model 1049 Super Constellation Flight Manual. In the Lockheed 1049 manual, there is also a Lockheed 1049 exam (completed by Lawrence Nelson), a memo, and two issues of "Canadair Service News", one from October 1960 and one from September/October 1961.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of the complete set of Seaboard & Western Airlines annual reports, from 1947-1979, as well as the following two Seaboard & Western technical manuals: Canadair CL-44 Operating Manual and a Lockheed Model 1049 Super Constellation Flight Manual. In the Lockheed 1049 manual, there is also a Lockheed 1049 exam (completed by Lawrence Nelson), a memo, and two issues of Canadair Service News, one from October 1960 and one from September/October 1961.

Arrangement:

The Seaboard & Western Airlines Collection is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Seaboard & Western Airlines was founded by Arthur and Raymond Norden. These brothers were both World War II veterans of the Army's Air Transport Command. Over a 33 year period the airline these men helped create established itself as the preeminent carrier of cargo on the world's richest trade routes. This airline was the first to fly an all-cargo flight across the Atlantic, the first to land and takeoff at Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy) Airport, the first to fly support for the Berlin Airlift, the first to fly a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) charter, the first to support Pacific Airlift for the Korean Conflict (with a planeload of Air Force fighter pilots), the first to order and operate the Lockheed 1049D Super Constellation, the first to order and operate the Douglas DC-8-55, the first to order and operate the DC-8-63 CF, the first to order and operate the Boeing 747F (first 747 built as a freighter from the beginning of its production), the first all-cargo airline to join the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the first airline in the world to equip its entire fleet with Inertial Navigation Systems. On April 4th, 1961 the company's name changed to Seaboard World Airlines after Richard M. Jackson was brought in as the new Chairman and President. On October 1, 1980 Seaboard World Airlines was absorbed by The Flying Tiger Line, Inc., and on December 16, 1988 The Flying Tiger Line, Inc., was absorbed by the Federal Express Corporation.

Provenance:

David O. Hill, Gift, 2002

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  Search this

Airlines  Search this

Cargo  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Airlift, Military  Search this

Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Aerial operations  Search this

Berlin (Germany) -- History -- Blockade, 1948-1949  Search this

Inertial navigation  Search this

Lockheed Model 1049D Super Constellation  Search this

Douglas DC-8-55  Search this

Douglas DC-8-63 (Super DC-8)  Search this

Canadair CL-44 (CC-106 Yukon)  Search this

Boeing 747 Family  Search this

Genre/Form:

Manuals

Memoranda

Annual reports -- 20th century

Newsletters

Citation:

Seaboard & Western Airlines Collection [Hill], Accession 2002-0041, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2002.0041

See more items in:

Seaboard & Western Airlines Collection [Hill]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ad213c63-c253-49c9-9f41-0a71770c4790

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2002-0041

Creator:

Seymour, Lester D., 1892-  Search this

Names:

American Airlines  Search this

National Air Transport  Search this

United Air Lines, Inc.  Search this

Seymour, Lester D., 1892-  Search this

Extent:

1.13 Cubic feet ((1 slim legal document box) (2 legal document boxes))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Manuals

Reports

Newsletters

Motion pictures (visual works)

Date:

1928-1934

Summary:

Major Lester D. Seymour (1892-1976) was involved in both the military and commercial sides of aviation. After service in World War I, Seymour served as Chief Engineer of National Air Transport, and later become NAT's Vice President and General Manager. From 1933-1934 Seymour was appointed President of American Airlines. The collection includes airline newsletters, annual reports, photographs, and manuals.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of the following: copies of the National Air Transport Inc. (NAT) newsletter, "NAT Flypaper", 1928 - 1933; "Survey of Projected Airmail Routes" 1926; annual reports for both NAT and American Airways (later American Airlines); NAT photographs; NAT Regulations; "A Study of Transportation by Airway as related to Competition with Rail Carriers in Continental United States", 1932; NAT Bulletin Board; and the American Airlines Procedures Manual for 1934. In June of 1999, six films were found in the Film Archives that were part of this donation. The films, evidently taken by Seymour during his airline travels, have the following titles: West (Part 1 and 2); Phoenix to Los Angles; Flying Across America with United Airlines in 28 Hours; Memphis to Phoenix; and American Airways: Chicago - New York.

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 Lester D. Seymour Collection is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Major Lester D. Seymour (1892-1976) was involved in both the military and commercial sides of aviation. Seymour rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, Aero Engineer-Officer, 85th Aero Squadron during World War I. After the war, he became involved in the Civilian Aero Engineer US Air Service and in the Air Corps Reserve. In 1926, Seymour became involved with the commercial airlines industry. He started as the Chief Engineer at National Air Transport, and later become NAT's Vice President and General Manager. He was also briefly the Vice President of United Air Lines after their 1933 takeover of NAT. From 1933-1934 Seymour was appointed President of American Airlines.

General:

NASMrev

Provenance:

Lester D. Seymour, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0455.

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 -- Passenger traffic  Search this

Air travel  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Airlines  Search this

Genre/Form:

Manuals

Reports

Newsletters

Motion pictures (visual works)

Citation:

Lester D. Seymour Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0455, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0455

See more items in:

Lester D. Seymour Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2c9896964-ecc3-49c8-9de6-c697e741a1d0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0455

Creator:

Republic Airlines  Search this

Names:

Air West  Search this

Bonanza Air Lines  Search this

Hughes Air West  Search this

North Central Airlines  Search this

Pacific Air Lines  Search this

Southern Airways  Search this

Southwest Airways  Search this

West Coast Airlines  Search this

Wisconsin Central Airlines  Search this

Extent:

7.63 Cubic feet ((7 records center boxes))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Press releases

Newsletters

Reports

Maps

Publications

Photographs

Correspondence

Date:

1945-1983

bulk [ca. 1950s-1960s]

Summary:

This collection consisted of miscellaneous material, including annual reports, for companies that were later acquired by Republic Airlines.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consisted of miscellaneous material, including annual reports for all companies that eventually came under Republic Airlines: route maps, photographs of various aircraft used, and publicity stickers, stamps, and notices. Press releases and newsletters are held for some of the companies. Much of the collection of press releases, progress reports, and information packets centers on the Boeing 727 series, the Boeing 747SP series, and the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series. This collection also includes Bonanza Air Lines negatives.

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:

This collection consist of various materials belonging to a group of airlines that eventually came under Republic Airlines. The product of mergers, this airline found its start in the small, postwar feeder airlines of the Mid- and Southwest. The nine small companies that became Republic include: West Coast Airlines, Wisconsin Central Airlines, North Central Airlines, Southwest Airways, Southern Airways, Bonanza Air Lines, Pacific Air Lines, Air West, and finally, Hughes Air West.

General:

NASMrev

Provenance:

Minnesota Historical Society, Gift, 1989, 1989-0134, 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

Topic:

Boeing 727 Family  Search this

Douglas DC-9 Family  Search this

Boeing 747SP (747-100SP)  Search this

Local service airlines  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Airlines  Search this

Air travel  Search this

Periodicals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Press releases

Newsletters

Reports

Maps

Publications

Photographs

Correspondence

Citation:

Republic Feeder Airlines Collection, Acc. NASM.1999.0134, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1989.0134

See more items in:

Republic Feeder Airlines Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2d78e4be3-de69-49f7-8976-3fef264b33df

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1989-0134

Creator:

Beatty, George W., -1955  Search this

Names:

Early Birds of Aviation (Organization).  Search this

Wright Flying School  Search this

Beatty, George W., -1955  Search this

Page, Handley  Search this

Wright, Orville, 1871-1948  Search this

Extent:

0.63 Linear feet

0.68 Cubic feet (1 legal document box; 1 20 x 24 x 3 flatbox; 1 slim legal document box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Publications

Correspondence

Photographs

Drawings

Date:

1910-1955

bulk 1910-1912

Summary:

George W. Beatty (-1955) was an Early Bird, aviator, and instructor.

Scope and Contents:

The George W. Beatty Collection (accessions 1989-0013 and 1991-0069) contains approximately one cubic foot of material relating to the career of this pioneering aviator. The bulk of the material dates from 1910 to 1912 and includes an Early Birds plaque, several small banners from flying meets, and a 1928 letter from Orville Wright. The collection also includes correspondence, a great deal of photographic material, and scrapbooks.

Arrangement note:

Original order, when identified, has been maintained.

SERIES Series in the collection are as follows:

Series I: Documentary Material Series II: Photographic Material Series III: Oversized Materials

Biographical/Historical note:

Born in 1887 or 1888 in Whitehouse, New Jersey, George W. Beatty was employed as a young man as a linotype operator. He was shortly to enter the field that would define much of his life. In June of 1911 he enrolled at the Wright School at Nassau to be taught by Al Welsh. Soloing on July 23 of that year, he set a new two-man American altitude record on the same day. Throughout that summer, Beatty would set several more records, in altitude, weight-carrying and duration. On August 6, 1911, Beatty obtained license number 41 and subsequently attended meets where he was to break several American and world records. Also in that year, he would become the first to fly a plane in which air to ground communication was maintained throughout the flight.

Early in 1912, Beatty established a school on Long Island. Its proximity to New York allowed Beatty to become the first person to land on Manhattan when he flew over the city and into Central Park. He would soon need to take his skills elsewhere, however. After the unfortunate death of Al Welsh, Beatty took the place of his former instructor at College Park, Maryland, testing aircraft for the government.

The next year, Beatty shipped his Wright plane to England. The aircraft had by now been equipped with a GYRO seven-cylinder rotary motor. He formed a partnership with Handly-Page to establish a flying school at the Hendon Aerodrome, outside of London. This venture was highly successful and was to produce over one thousand fliers for the Royal Air Force. After the war, Beatty worked for a Parisian motorcycle manufacturer and remained in Europe for nineteen years.

In later life, Beatty was to return to the field of his youth, working for the Hughes Printing Company. On February 21, 1955, George W. Beatty, a member of the Early Birds and an outstanding figure in early aviation, passed away at 67.

George W. Beatty (-1955) was an Early Bird, aviator and instructor. After finishing school, Beatty became a mechanic and linotype operator. In 1909 he became interested in a New York gliding club and assisted in the construction of an unsuccessful home-built Santos-Dumont Demoiselle. In 1911 he entered the Wright Flying School and received his license in July of that year. He spent much of the remaining years before World War I carrying passengers, flying exhibitions, and instructing, both in England and the United States. In February 1914 he established a flying school at Hendon, near London, in cooperation with Handley Page and instructed military pilots during the war. Following the war he returned to the US and became superintendent of the Hughes Printing Company, where he remained until his death.

General note:

Other materials: Artifacts from this collection were transferred to the NASM Aeronautics Division; books were transferred to the NASM branch Library.

Provenance:

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) received these materials in 1988, a donation from Louise Beatty.

Louise Beatty, gift, 1988, 1991, 1989-0013, 1991-0069, 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 and Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Flight training  Search this

Aeronautics -- 1903-1916  Search this

Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

Genre/Form:

Publications

Correspondence

Photographs

Drawings

Citation:

George W. Beatty Collection, Acc. 1989-0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1989.0013

See more items in:

George W. Beatty Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29e11cf8b-c309-432c-a2f5-d3adc3dc43a9

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1989-0013

Creator:

Powers, Francis Gary, 1929-1977  Search this

Names:

Lockheed Aircraft Corp  Search this

Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeevich, 1894-1971  Search this

Powers, Francis Gary, 1929-1977  Search this

Extent:

1.53 Cubic feet (2 legal document boxes, 1 flat box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Clippings

Diaries

Correspondence

Telegrams

Photographs

Logs (records)

Date:

1929-1986

bulk 1952-1977

Summary:

This collection consists of material relating to Francis Gary Powers's flying career in the Air Force, Central Intelligence Agency, and later pursuits. The majority of the documents deal with the May 1960 U-2 incident, in which Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union during a reconnaisance mission and imprisoned. Materials include: logbooks; flight records from his military and civilian careers; a pocket diary and journal he kept during his Soviet imprisonment; letters to his parents; materials collected by his parents as his father attempted to visit him including a telegram from Nikita Khrushchev and a New Testament given to Powers by his mother during his Soviet trial; Congressional hearing material; newspaper articles; Life magazine; and several photographs of Powers.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of documents relating to Francis Gary Powers and his aviation career, particularly the 1960 U-2 incident with the Soviet Union. Materials include: logbooks; flight records from his military and civilian careers; a pocket diary and journal he kept during his Soviet imprisonment; letters to his parents; materials collected by his parents as his father attempted to visit him including a telegram from Nikita Khrushchev and a New Testament given to Powers by his mother during his Soviet trial; Congressional hearing material; newspaper articles; Life magazine; and several photographs of Powers.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into three series: Early Career, the U-2 Incident, and Post U-2 Incident Life and Career.

Series 1 contains materials relating to Francis Gary Power's early career with the United States Air Force before resigning to join the CIA, including his birth certificate, military orders and forms, and his individual flight records.

Series 2 contains materials relating to the U-2 incident, in which Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union and imprisoned. The first set of materials relates to Powers' imprisonment, including his prison journal, pocket diary, New Testament, correspondence, and the subsequent congressional hearing. The second set of materials relates to the Powers family during the incident, including correspondence and telegrams with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and the United States government and Oliver Powers' passport. The third set of materials relates to the media reactions to the incident, including complete newspapers, article clippings, a television script, and artwork.

The Soviet Prison Journal and Soviet Prison Pocket Diary were on display in the Looking at Earth Gallery when the collection was digitized. The photocopies were scanned for digital access.

Series 3 contains materials from Powers' life and career after his return to the United States, including logbooks, public relations documents, flight training and insurance records, an employment application, and memorial items.

Documents with personally identifiable information (PII) have been redacted or not digitized.

Biographical/Historical note:

Francis Gary Powers (1929 -1977) learned to fly during high school. He enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduating from Milligan College in 1950. In 1956, he resigned from the Air Force to become a "civilian employee" of Lockheed on loan to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, authorized to fly Air Force aircraft. In reality, he was a covert employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), training for Operation Overflight—U-2 reconnaissance missions.

Powers was captured and imprisoned after his U-2 was shot down over the Soviet Union during an aerial reconnaissance mission on May 1, 1960. Powers was placed on trial and exchanged nearly two years later for Rudolf Abel, a Soviet agent. After his return to the United States, Powers continued to work for the CIA, but then left to work at Lockheed. Powers was working for NBC's Los Angeles affiliate KGIL in 1977, when his helicopter ran out of fuel and crashed, causing his death.

Provenance:

Claudia Sue Powers, Gift, 1994, NASM.1994.0010.

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:

United States -- Foreign relations -- Soviet Union  Search this

Periodicals  Search this

Lockheed U-2 Family  Search this

Cold War  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Air pilots  Search this

Aerial reconnaissance  Search this

Photographic reconnaissance systems  Search this

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics and state  Search this

Genre/Form:

Clippings

Diaries

Correspondence

Telegrams

Photographs

Logs (records)

Citation:

Francis Gary Powers Collection, Acc. 1994.0010, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1994.0010

See more items in:

Francis Gary Powers Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg23d356979-d406-49f8-a356-8e743a0490de

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1994-0010

Creator:

Herrick, Gerard Post, 1873-1955  Search this

Names:

Convertoplane Corp  Search this

Herrick, Gerard Post, 1873-1955  Search this

Extent:

17.68 Cubic feet (2 records center boxes; 5 drawers)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Clippings

Black-and-white negatives

Publications

Motion pictures (visual works)

Correspondence

Drawings

Date:

1909-1963

bulk 1909-1921

Summary:

This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, handwritten technical notes, drawings, photographs, reports, and affidavits in support of historical statements. Also included are several hundred black-and-white negatives and three reels of motion-picture film of the Herrick Vertoplane.

Scope and Contents:

The material in this collection was donated to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in December 1958 and relates to Herrick, the Herrick Balanced Rotary Engine, and the Herrick Vertoplane/Convertoplane series. The material consists primarily of correspondence, news clippings, and engineering drawings or sketches. Portions of the collection were discovered in the Paul E. Garber Papers (NASM Archives Accession 1991-0063) during the preliminary processing of that collection and were returned to the Herrick Collection at that time. Only the materials that now make up the bulk of Series I (Patent Related Material) and Series II (Technical Material) were found in their original enclosures (mostly envelopes) and were organized based on those enclosures. Series III (Miscellaneous Material) was created during processing primarily from loose, unorganized materials. Series IV (Engineering Drawings) consists of oversized materials and engineering drawings which had been stored rolled or folded.

A collection of negatives donated with the accession are currently housed in the curatorial files of the NASM Aeronautics Department. Some photographs from the collection were included in the NASM Archives Videodisc project; such photographs and others from the collection are housed in the NASM Archives Technical Reference Files. Three motion picture films from the collection were transferred to the NASM Film Archives in January 1995.

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 has been divided into four series. The first series contains patent-related material. The second pertains to technical materials. The third series, created during processing primarily from loose, unorganized materials, consists of miscellaneous material. The fourth series contains engineering drawings and oversized material which had been stored rolled or folded.

A collection of negatives are currently housed in the curatorial files of the NASM Aeronautics Department. Some photographs from the collection were included in the NASM Archives Videodisc project; such photographs and others from the collection are housed in the NASM Archives Technical Reference Files. Three motion picture films from the collection were transferred to the NASM Film Archives in January 1995.

SERIES I: Patent-Related Material

SERIES II: Technical Material

SERIES III: Miscellaneous Material

SERIES IV: Engineering Drawings and Oversized Material

Biographical / Historical:

Gerard Post Herrick (1873-1955) was a lawyer and engineer who is known as the inventor of the convertible aircraft. In 1911 Herrick, a graduate of Princeton (A.B.1895) and the New York Law School (L.L.B.1897), founded the Herrick Engine Co. to market his "balanced rotary engine" concept. During World War I, he served as a captain in the Army Air Service (1918-19). After the war, Herrick developed the concept of the convertible aircraft, which could operate both as a fixed-wing airplane and as a giroplane. In late 1930, Herrick engaged F. E. Seiler, ex-chief engineer of Kellett Aircraft Corp, to assist in the design of a full-scale Vertoplane, as Herrick called his invention. After delivering a number of drawings and reports to Herrick, Seiler began work at Heath Aircraft Co. and, before his death in mid-1931, pedaled the convertible aircraft concept and the data from his work with Herrick to C. L. Stauffer, a promoter and Heath dealer. In the meantime, Ralph H. McClarren, who had met Herrick in the late 1920s at the Guggenheim School of Aeronautics and had been Seiler's assistant at Kellett, left Kellett to join Heath, where he uncovered Seiler's and Stauffer's activities.

By this time Herrick had established the Vertoplane Development Corp. of New York to finance his aircraft. Herrick contracted with Heath for the actual construction of the craft, the design of which fell to McClarren. The first aircraft, the HV-1, was ready on November 6, 1931. The test pilot, Merrill Lambert, made several successful test flights in both fixed- and rotating-wing mode, but when he attempted an in-flight transition between the two, the aircraft fell out of control and crashed. Lambert bailed out of the aircraft, but was killed when his parachute failed to open.

Post-crash analysis found no fault with the basic convertible aircraft concept and Herrick continued development work with McClarren remaining as consulting engineer. The new aircraft, the HV-2, was flight tested beginning October 31, 1936 with George Townson as test pilot. Although the aircraft flew in both fixed- and rotating-wing mode, vibrations in the rotating wing delayed the first in-flight conversion until July 30, 1937.

Herrick continued to develop the convertible airplane concept with McClarren and others, including designs with both powered and unpowered rotors, as well as a variety of configurations and power plants. In the immediate post-World War II years, he changed the company name to Convertoplane Corp. and unsuccessfully lobbied financial interests and the government for support. He remained the president of Covertoplane and stayed active in the development process until his death in 1955.

Provenance:

Gerard P. Herrick, gift, 1958, NASM.XXXX.0097, unknown.

Restrictions:

Please see NASM Archives for restrictions.

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  Search this

Autogiros  Search this

Herrick Vertaplane Family  Search this

Herrick rotary engine  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Clippings

Black-and-white negatives

Publications

Motion pictures (visual works)

Correspondence

Drawings

Citation:

Gerard Post Herrick Papers, NASM.XXXX.0097, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0097

See more items in:

Gerard Post Herrick Papers

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg24479c400-d2bd-4bad-bd8e-783821ae7b19

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0097

Creator:

Pullman, Henry W.  Search this

Names:

Pullman, Henry W.  Search this

Extent:

0.23 Cubic feet ((1 slim legal document box))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Date:

1928-1956

bulk [ca. 1930s-1940s]

Summary:

This collection consists of the following ephemeral items documenting Pullman's travels: photographs and postcards, including three images of Wolfgang von Gronau's Dornier Wal; certificates - one "Jupiter Rex," for crossing the equator and one "Clipper Club," for flying around the world; and a red 10x13" scrapbook containing baggage labels, postcards, menus, guest lists, hotel and travel literature, decals, and tickets and napkins which were souvenirs from events and places he visited during his travels. A technical manual for Air-Ground Communication, December 2, 1941, was also donated as was a souvenir edition of "Plane News: Air Service Paper of the A.E.F.", January 25, 1919; a roster and photograph of the Ordnance Detachment, A.F. in G., Metternich, Germany, distributed on the occasion of a Thanksgiving Dinner, November 25, 1925; five July, 1938 images relating to Pan Am Philippine Clipper trip number 222; four World War I era images and one portrait of a young pilot in parachute harness.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of the following ephemeral items documenting Pullman's travels: photographs and postcards, including three images of Wolfgang von Gronau's Dornier Wal; certificates - one "Jupiter Rex," for crossing the equator and one "Clipper Club," for flying around the world; and a red 10x13" scrapbook containing baggage labels, postcards, menus, guest lists, hotel and travel literature, decals, and tickets and napkins which were souvenirs from events and places he visited during his travels. A technical manual for Air-Ground Communication, December 2, 1941, was also donated as was a souvenir edition of "Plane News: Air Service Paper of the A.E.F.", January 25, 1919; a roster and photograph of the Ordnance Detachment, A.F. in G., Metternich, Germany, distributed on the occasion of a Thanksgiving Dinner, November 25, 1925; five July, 1938 images relating to Pan Am Philippine Clipper trip number 222; four World War I era images and one portrait of a young pilot in parachute harness.

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 Airline Ephemera Collection [Pullman]-- is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Henry W. Pullman's job as the export manager for a major oil tool company required him to travel extensively from the late 1920s to the 1950s. Pullman used the following airlines in his travels: Trans World Airlines (TWA); Pan American Airways; Royal Dutch Air Lines (KLM); Royal Netherlands Indies Airways; and American Airlines.

General:

NASMrev

Provenance:

Henry Pullman, gift, 1993, NASM.1993.0018

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:

Dornier Do J Wal (Whale)(Do 16)  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Airline Ephemera Collection [Pullman], Acc. NASM.1993.0018, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1993.0018

See more items in:

Airline Ephemera Collection [Pullman]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2eb0d92c5-a32c-433b-8458-d3989184f34b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1993-0018

Creator:

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company  Search this

Names:

Aerial Experiment Association  Search this

Curtiss-Wright Corporation  Search this

Herring-Curtiss Co.  Search this

Bell, Alexander Graham, 1847-1922  Search this

Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, 1878-1930  Search this

Herring, Augustus Moore, 1867-1926  Search this

Extent:

9 Cubic feet (18 document boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Financial records

Drawings

Date:

1906-1947

Summary:

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.

Topic:

Patent suits  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Aircraft industry  Search this

Genre/Form:

Financial records

Drawings

Citation:

Curtiss-Wright Corporation Archives - Patent Files, Acc. 1987-0029, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1987.0029

See more items in:

Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records - Patent Files

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2856fe9ac-89f2-4f30-ae6f-ec8eebb8ae47

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1987-0029

Creator:

Rowe, Basil Lee  Search this

Names:

Pan American World Airways, Inc.  Search this

West Indian Aerial Express  Search this

Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974  Search this

Rowe, Basil Lee  Search this

Extent:

5.35 Cubic feet (5 document boxes, 4 flat boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Logs (records)

Scrapbooks

Publications

Date:

1917-1973

bulk 1930-1968

Summary:

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

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this

Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this

Air pilots  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Periodicals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Logs (records)

Scrapbooks

Publications

Citation:

Basil Lee Rowe Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0019, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0019

See more items in:

Basil Lee Rowe Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2c0b71733-3bcc-46b0-97a0-8e876ec77ef4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0019

Creator:

Doolittle, James Harold, 1896-1993  Search this

Names:

Shell Oil Company. Aviation Dept.  Search this

United States. Air Force. 12th Air Force  Search this

United States. Air Force. 15th Air Force  Search this

United States. Air Force. 8th Air Force  Search this

Doolittle, James Harold, 1896-1993  Search this

Extent:

10 Cubic feet (10 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Date:

1903-1969

bulk 1920-1950

Summary:

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

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Citation:

James H. Doolittle Scrapbooks, NASM.XXXX.0501, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0501

See more items in:

James H. Doolittle Scrapbooks

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ae77cce5-7b71-4310-9db1-9cd6c5089398

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0501

Creator:

Weick, Fred E., 1899-1993  Search this

Names:

Beech Aircraft Corp  Search this

Erco (Engineering and Research Corporation)  Search this

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)  Search this

Weick, Fred E., 1899-1993  Search this

Extent:

0.3 Cubic feet (1 legal document box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Correspondence

Manuscripts

Date:

1899-1984

bulk 1949-1957

Summary:

Aeronautical engineer Fred E. Weick (1899-1993) had a profound effect on light aircraft development. He was responsible for the development of NACA's low-drag cowling for radial engines, introduced the concept of "fifty foot obstacle clearance" as a measure of aircraft take-off performance, and was instrumental in the development of several aircraft, including the Piper Pawnee and Piper Cherokee.

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of transcripts of Weick's dictation for this autobiography, published as From the Ground Up: Autobiography of an Aeronautical Engineer (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988). A copy of this book can be found in the Smithsonian Library at the National Air and Space Museum.

Biographical/Historical note:

Aeronautical engineer Fred E. Weick (1899-1993) had a profound effect on light aircraft development. While working for the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) he developed the NACA low-drag cowling for radial engines (1928) and built a low landing speed aircraft as an independent project sparked by a series of light aircraft design seminars at NACA's Langley Research Center (1931). He introduced the concept of "fifty foot obstacle clearance" as a measure of aircraft take-off performance, which remains a standard measure today. In 1936 he joined Henry Berliner at the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO) to develop and market a commercial version of Weick's aircraft. Although the resulting Ercoupe faded in the general aviation slump following World War II, Weick moved to Texas A&M (1948-56) where he developed a series of agricultural aircraft which evolved into the Piper Pawnee series. He remained at Piper until he retired (1956 to c. 1970) and developed the Piper Cherokee with John Thorpe and Karl Bergey. After retirement, Weick remained active in aeronautics, assisting in design studies for Beech Aircraft as well as undertaking private projects in aircraft trim and control.

Provenance:

Fred E. Weick, gift, 1984, XXXX-0425

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  Search this

Piper PA-25 Pawnee Family  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Beech Aircraft Family  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Correspondence

Manuscripts

Citation:

Fred E. Weick Autobiographical Transcripts, Acc. XXXX-0425, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0425

See more items in:

Fred E. Weick Autobiographical Transcripts

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2cade1a27-b1ca-48c2-a593-0bcf632a18d9

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0425

Creator:

Gorrell, Edgar S. (Edgar Staley), 1891-1945  Search this

Names:

Air Transport Association of America  Search this

United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces  Search this

Gorrell, Edgar S. (Edgar Staley), 1891-1945  Search this

Extent:

3.95 Cubic feet (9 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Correspondence

Publications

Date:

1893-1943

Summary:

This collection contains documents relating mainly to Gorrell's activities as president of the Air Transportation Association of America. The materials include copies of Gorrell's addresses and Congressional testimony, as well as press clippings concerning Gorrell's activities. The collection also includes albums of World War I vintage photographs collected by or presented to Gorrell.

Scope and Contents:

The Edgar S. Gorrell Collection is largely comprised of material relating to Gorrell's career as president of the Air Transport Association of America. The material includes his correspondence and speeches, the Congressional hearings and reports for the bills he advocated, and publications and newspaper articles about him and his career. Also in the collection are several photographs and photograph albums from World War I and other miscellaneous material.

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:

Arranged into two series:

Series 1: GENERAL. This series contains correspondence, addresses delivered by E.S. Gorrell, and publications and newspaper articles, some written by Gorrell. There are also Congressional hearings and reports, and some miscellaneous material. The documents are arranged in chronological order.

Series 2: PHOTOGRAPHS/ALBUMS. This series contains photographs and photo albums. Many of these are aerial photographs of trenches taken c. 1916 --1918, but there are also many photographs of aerial and land transport equipment.

Biographical/Historical note:

Colonel Edgar S. Gorrell (1891-1945) was a pilot and an advocate for aviation safety. He graduated from West Point in 1912 and then spent two years as an infantryman in Alaska before transferring to the Signal Corps, where he joined the 1st Aero Squadron, serving under Gen. John J. Pershing in Mexico. On one of his flying missions in Mexico, Gorrell ran out of gas and was stranded in the desert for several days before being rescued. Upon returning to his unit, he began to criticize the poor equipment US pilots were forced to use, both in terms of actual aircraft components and the signals and communication equipment used on land. In 1917 he was promoted to Captain, and in World War I he became the Chief Engineering Officer for the Air Service, and eventually the Chief of Staff for the Air Service, with the rank of Colonel. After the war, Gorrell remained in Europe representing the US at conferences and peace talks.

In March 1920, he resigned his commission in the Army and joined the automobile business. He served as the vice president of Marmon Motor Car Company until 1925. Then he became vice president, director, and general manager, and later president, of the Stutz Motor Car company of America. In January 1936, Gorrell again switched fields when he was elected the first president of the Air Transport Association of America, shortly after its conception. It was with this organization that he was known for his role in promoting safety in civil aeronautics. He was a strong advocate for the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 which provided government control and regulation of civil aeronautics, and he provided testimony before congressional committees several times. Gorrell continued to support civil aeronautics, especially through his role as president of the Air Transport Association of America, until his death, in 1945.

Provenance:

No donor information, gift, unknown, XXXX-0057

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  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Periodicals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Correspondence

Publications

Citation:

Edgar S. Gorrell Collection, Acc. XXXX-0057, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0057

See more items in:

Edgar S. Gorrell Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b349b1ab-7afc-4f23-b45c-ec7f551c4c57

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0057

Collection Creator:

Milling, Thomas DeWitt, 1887-1960  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 7

Type:

Archival materials

Text

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:

Thomas DeWitt Milling Collection, NASM.XXXX.0133, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Thomas DeWitt Milling Collection

Thomas DeWitt Milling Collection / Series 3: Reports and Manuscripts

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg25adac42d-339a-4eaf-8585-facc13335339

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0133-ref33

Creator:

Keys, Clement Melville, 1876-1952  Search this

Names:

Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America  Search this

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company  Search this

Curtiss-Wright Corporation  Search this

Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc.  Search this

Keys, Clement Melville, 1876-1952  Search this

Extent:

16.3 Cubic feet (32 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Financial records

Drawings

Date:

1916-1952

bulk 1928-1931

Summary:

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.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Financial records

Drawings

Citation:

Clement Melville Keys Papers, Accession XXXX-0091, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0091

See more items in:

Clement Melville Keys Papers

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg28e00e54d-1905-41ce-8b49-47f970892346

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0091

Creator:

Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, 1878-1930  Search this

Names:

Aerial Experiment Association  Search this

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company  Search this

Curtiss-Wright Corporation  Search this

Herring-Curtiss Co.  Search this

Bell, Alexander Graham, 1847-1922  Search this

Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, 1878-1930  Search this

Herring, Augustus Moore, 1867-1926  Search this

Extent:

2.7 Cubic feet (6 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Financial records

Date:

1905-1931

bulk 1911-1930

Summary:

This collection consists of documents and memorabilia relating to Curtiss during the years of his active aviation pursuits. The bulk of the material relates to patent suits, including Wright v. Curtiss, Herring v. Curtiss, and Curtiss v. Janin.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of the personal papers of Glenn H. Curtiss. These papers relate to his career as an aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturing business owner. This collection also includes a small amount of personal correspondence. Moreover, materials pertaining to patents filed by Curtiss and the Wright brothers, as well as legal documents and testimony, are found in this collection.

Arrangement:

Series 1: Professional materials

Subseries 1.1: Corporate correspondence

Subseries 1.2: Personal correspondence

Subseries 1.3: Miscellaneous corporate materials

Subseries 1.4: Patent materials

Subseries 1.5: Reports

Subseries 1.6: Photographs

Subseries 1.7: Menus, programs and tributes

Subseries 1.8: Books, journals, newsletters, and miscellaneous materials

Subseries 1.9: Newspaper clippings and articles

Series 2: Legal materials

Subseries 2.1: Curtiss versus Herring

Subseries 2.2: Curtiss versus Wright Brothers

Subseries 2.3: Lena P. Curtiss versus Herring

Biographical/Historical note:

Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1878-1930) is best known as an aviation pioneer and inventor and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. Initially a bicycle repairman and designer, by 1902 Curtiss had begun to manufacture motorcycles using a lightweight internal combustion engine of his own design and founded the Curtiss Manufacturing Co. By 1904 Curtiss' engine had been co-opted by Thomas Baldwin for his airship experiments. This activity led to a connection between Curtiss and Alexander Graham Bell and, in 1907, to the foundation of the Aerial Experiment Association. In 1909 Curtiss joined with Augustus M. Herring to form the Herring-Curtiss Co to manufacture powered vehicles, but Herring's unsubstantiated claims to priority over the Wright Brother's aeronautical patents led to the Wright and Curtiss patent suits which continued until the merger of Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor with Wright Aeronautical in 1929. Curtiss and Herring split after the Wright's filed suit and Herring sued Curtiss, claiming that Curtiss had failed to turn his air race winnings over to the company. Despite these, and other, suits, Curtiss continued to advance the cause and technology of aviation, founding the first public flying school (1910) and later a chain of schools across the US, inventing the aileron (1909), the dual-control trainer (1911) and the hydroaeroplane (1911). In 1920 Curtiss retired from active aviation pursuits. After Curtiss died, his wife continued the legal fight on her husband's behalf until a judge decided in Herring's favor (1931).

Provenance:

Glenn H. Curtiss, Jr., gift, 1963, XXXX-0053

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Permissions Requests

Topic:

Patent suits  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Aircraft industry  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Financial records

Citation:

Glenn H. Curtiss Collection, Acc. XXXX-0053, National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Inst.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.0053

See more items in:

Glenn H. Curtiss Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg241da46ce-3f1e-4ec7-af81-133ce026131c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0053

Creator:

Hassett, Pat  Search this

Names:

Eastern Airlines, Inc.  Search this

Extent:

2.01 Cubic feet (4 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1966-1990

Summary:

This collection deocuments Pat Hassett's long career in both military and civil aviation.

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains material from Mr. Hassett's career in aviation, first in the armed services, and later with the airlines. It consists mainly of manuals and charts, including: a number of map books containing maps of the southeastern United States, U.S. Army pilot checklists for Hughes TH-55A, Beech U-21A Ute, Boeing-Vertol CH-47A Chinook, and Bell OH-58A Kiowa, material from Eastern Air Lines, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 technical information.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by category, and then chronologically within each category.

Biographical / Historical:

Pat Hassett had a long career in both military and civil aviation.

Provenance:

Gift, Mr. Pat Hassett, 1991

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  Search this

Citation:

Pat Hassett Collection, Acc. 1991-0044, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1991.0044

See more items in:

Pat Hassett Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29df1c205-ee41-47a7-8587-4ec04ebcc231

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1991-0044

Creator:

Cooke, Weldon B., 1884-1914  Search this

Names:

Weldon B. Cooke Aeroplane Co.  Search this

Cooke, Weldon B., 1884-1914  Search this

Extent:

0.45 Cubic feet ((1 legal document box))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Publications

Photographs

Date:

1911-1948

bulk 1911-1914

Summary:

The Weldon B. Cooke Collection consists of newspaper articles and photographs relating to Cooke and the various aircraft he built or flew, including the Diamond, Wiseman-Cook, Sandusky Tractor, and Aeromaid aircraft. There are also severala few broadsides from events Cooke participated in, along with a program and ticket from the "3rd International Aviation Meet, 1912."

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of newspaper articles and photographs relating to Cooke and the various aircraft he built or flew, including the Diamond, Wiseman-Cook, Sandusky Tractor, and Aeromaid aircraft. There are also a few broadsides from events Cooke participated in, along with a program and ticket from the "3rd International Aviation Meet, 1912."

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 Weldon B. Cooke Collection is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Weldon B. Cooke (1884-1914) was a flying pioneer involved in aviation as a pilot, mechanic, and builder. Cooke graduated from the California School of Mechanical Arts and the College of Electrical Engineering, University of California. In 1910, he built a Montgomery-type glider, and during the summer of 1911 he taught himself to fly in a Curtiss-type biplane: the Diamond. In this aircraft, Cooke became involved with exhibition flying and participated in several air meets, including the 1912 Los Angeles meet. Cooke soon become involved in building aircraft, beginning with his rework of an aircraft which had been built by Ben Noonan, Don Prentiss, and Fred Wiseman: the "Wiseman-Cooke." In this aircraft, Cooke participated in exhibition flying and carried the first official mail at Eureka, CA in 1912. Late in 1912, he left the exhibition flying business to form the Weldon B. Cooke Aeroplane Company in Sandusky, Ohio, where he built a Tractor Biplane Flying Boat. He left Ohio to assist with the operation of the Benoist Company's early St. Petersburg-Tampa passenger air-boat line. He returned to his Sandusky company in 1914, but the company soon became bankrupt. Cooke then returned to California, where he become involved with Silas Christofferson's airline between Oakland and San Francisco, piloting the Christofferson Flying Boat, Aeromaid. Following his time with Christofferson, Cooke returned to exhibition flying, and died in 1914 during an exhibition flight held at the Pueblo Colorado Fair Grounds.

General:

NASMrev

Provenance:

Almarose Cooke Worden, gift, 1997, 1998-0001.

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:

Diamond mines and mining  Search this

Cooke Aircraft Family  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this

Air mail service  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this

Christofferson Aircraft Family  Search this

Wiseman-Peters #2 Biplane  Search this

Genre/Form:

Publications

Photographs

Citation:

Weldon B. Cooke Collection, Acc. 1998.0001, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1998.0001

See more items in:

Weldon B. Cooke Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg240bb2da3-c073-4b47-aabd-3a8ca942cda4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1998-0001

Creator:

Kenyon, Cecil (Teddy), 1905-1985  Search this

Names:

Colonial Airlines  Search this

Grumman Aerospace Corporation  Search this

Ninety-Nines (Organization)  Search this

United States. Civil Air Patrol  Search this

Gillies, Betty  Search this

Gillies, Bud  Search this

Kenyon, Cecil (Teddy), 1905-1985  Search this

Kenyon, Ted  Search this

Extent:

1.29 Cubic feet ((1 shoebox) (11 film cans))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Color slides

Motion pictures (visual works)

Date:

[ca. 1930s-1970s]

bulk [ca. 1940s-1960s]

Summary:

This collection consists of both color and black and white images of Ted and Teddy Kenyon and their aviation careers. There are also a number of images of Bud and Betty Gillies. This collection also contains eleven 16mm films of Teddy Kenyon.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of both color and black and white images of Ted and Teddy Kenyon and their aviation careers. There are also a number of images of Bud and Betty Gillies. This collection also contains eleven 16mm films of Teddy Kenyon.

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 Ted and Cecil "Teddy" Kenyon Collection is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical:

Cecil (Teddy) Kenyon (1905-1985) was taught to fly by her husband, Ted Kenyon, a pilot for Colonial Airlines, in 1929. Teddy received her pilot license after 10 hours of instruction. After receiving her license, Teddy became a charter member of the "99s" and in 1933 she won the National Sportswomen Flying Championship at Roosevelt Field, New York. During the late 1930s Teddy flew for the Civil Air Patrol, and became a test pilot for Grumman during World War II. In her position at Grumman she had opportunity to fly the following types of Grumman aircraft as they came off the production line: F4F Wildcats; F6F Hellcats; and TBF Avengers. Teddy received her helicopter license in 1960 and remained an active pilot well into her seventies.

Provenance:

Donald W. MacGlashan, gift, 1999, 1999-0013, 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

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Women in aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this

Aeronautics, Military  Search this

Test pilots  Search this

Grumman Aircraft Family  Search this

Women test pilots  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Color slides

Motion pictures (visual works)

Citation:

Ted and Cecil "Teddy" Kenyon Collection, Acc. NASM.1999.0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1999.0013

See more items in:

Ted and Cecil "Teddy" Kenyon Collection

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg23afbb5ae-f76f-4b6d-8a86-8c2ff063c483

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1999-0013