This collection contains Hall's personal and professional papers. The material consists of his correspondence, photos, and scrapbooks, as well as patent and patent infringement files.
Biographical / Historical:
Randolph Fordham Hall (1896- ) was an aeronautical engineer and inventor. He began work as a draftsman at the Thomas Brothers Airplane Co (1915-16) and moved to Standard Aeronautical Corp as an engineer (1917) when World War I interrupted. He enlisted in the United States Air Service Technical Service (1917-19), advancing to the rank of Sergeant First Class. During this time he attended the American Expeditionary Forces University in Dijon, France, where he earned degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering. He returned to the United States, taking a position as assistant engineer at the Thomas Morse Aircraft Corp (1920-28) before joining Francis E. Cunningham and James C. Dryer to form Cunningham-Hall Aircraft Corp (1928-32, 1933-41). He left Cunningham-Hall to join Bell Aircraft Corp (1941-59) where he remained until he retired. Hall received over forty patents during his career, including a patent for a High Lift Wing which flew on Cunningham-Hall's entry in the Guggenheim Safe Airplane Competition of 1929.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Theodore A. Hall, gift, unknown, XXXX-0169, 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
