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.
Events, 1908, International Balloon Race, St Paul, MN [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.
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.
1927 Detroit, MI, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race, National Air Tour, Detroit News Balloon Race
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.
1927 Detroit, MI, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race, National Air Tour, Detroit News Balloon Race [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.
1908 Berlin, International Balloon Race [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.
1927 Detroit, MI, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race, National Air Tour, Detroit News Balloon Race [Photos]
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.
1910 Indianapolis, 1st National Aviation Meet, International Balloon Race
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.
1910 Indianapolis, 1st National Aviation Meet, International Balloon Race [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.
1910 Saint Louis, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race
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.
1910 Saint Louis, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race [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.
1927 Detroit, MI, Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race, National Air Tour, Detroit News Balloon Race [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.
Frank Purdy Lahm (1877--1963) was the first balloon pilot, the first airship pilot, and the first airplane pilot in the US Army. Lahm was born in Mansfield, Ohio and on September 9, 1967, the airport there was renamed in his honor and dedicated as the Mansfield Lahm Airport. This collection consists of a scrapbook documenting the dedication ceremony for Mansfield Lahm Airport held on September 9, 1967.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a scrapbook documenting the dedication ceremony for Mansfield Lahm Airport held on September 9, 1967. The scrapbook includes 8 by 10 inch black and white photographs of the day's events as well as some ephemera, including a souvenir program. Speakers and other participants in the event that are pictured in the scrapbook include Paul E. Garber; Robert A. "Bob" Hoover; Royal D. Frey; Martin F. "Mike" Scanlon; William C. "Bill" Diehl; Ernest Craft Hall; Glenn E. Messer; Errol H. Zistel; William Austin Denehie; Stanley I. Vaughn; George A. Page, Jr; Emil Matthew Laird; George Henry Scragg; Claude W. Pound; and Fred W. Haise, Jr. Some of the photographs also show aircraft that participated in the day's aircraft display and air show including the Northrop T-38A Talon, McDonnell F-4D Phantom II, Cessna T-37 (Cessna 318B), Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Breezy RLU1 (Roloff-Liposky-Unger), North American P-51 Mustang, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, as well as a Quail Decoy Missile (ADM-20, GAM-72) and a Hounddog Missile (AGM-28, GAM-77). Also shown on the ground and in flight are the US Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.
Paul E. Garber, Gift, date unknown, NASM.XXXX.0268.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists articles, correspondence, photographs, logs and scrapbooks chronicling Tex Settles' historic balloon flights.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the official National Aeronautics Association (NAA) log of the 1933 Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race in which T. G. W. Settle, flying with C. H. Kendall, placed second; correspondence with the NAA regarding records set by Settle; two articles by Settle, "Winning a Balloon Race" and "The Gordon Bennett Race, 1932;" a binder of Settle Flight Reports, 1927-1933; thirteen black and white photographs of Settle, his family, officers of the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), Roland Mayer, Dr. Karl Arnstein, Wilfred Bushnell, and Ward T. Van Orman at such events as the 1932 and 1933 Gordon Bennett Races and Settle's flight, in a Lippisch Prüfling (Examination) glider, from the USS Los Angeles to Anacostia, Washington, DC. Also included are several photocopies relating to Settle's illustrious career, part of an article on the 1998 Naval Aviation Hall of Honor inductees (of which Settle was one); an article by J. Gordon Vaeth entitled, "When the Race for Space Began;" and two green 16 by 11.5 inch scrapbooks, entitled Stratosphere Flight Scrapbook, First and Second Campaign, that contain newspaper articles, correspondence, photographs and telegrams relating to Settle's historic stratospheric balloon flight.
Arrangement:
Arrangement by type.
Biographical / Historical:
Vice Admiral Thomas Greenhow Williams "Tex" Settle, US Navy, became world famous in the Golden Age of Flight (the nineteen twenties and thirties) after becoming the first person of his time qualified to pilot a free balloon, blimp, glider, and airplane, and to command a rigid airship. Winner of many races and holder of a number of aeronautical records in endurance and altitude, he was also the first American to fly a pressurized cabin into the stratosphere. He served aboard both the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) and the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3). Tex Settle twice received the Harmon Trophy for Aeronautics and, for his service in World War II, was awarded the Navy Cross, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.
Provenance:
J. Gordon Vaeth, Gift, 2006, NASM.2006.0014
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
Early Birds of Aviation (Organization). Search this
Wiseman-Peters (Fred Wiseman and J. W. Peters) (Aircraft manufacturer) Search this
Extent:
0.59 Cubic feet (1 flatbox)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Tickets
Correspondence
Clippings
Date:
1909-1968
bulk [ca. 1910s, 1950s]
Summary:
Fred Wiseman, along with J. W. Peters and D.C. Prentiss, built a biplane named the Wiseman-Peters. During July 1910, both Peters and Wiseman flew the Wiseman-Peters and the following year Wiseman entered the 1911 Aviation Meet at Selfridge Field, Michigan. On February 17, 1911, Wiseman made the first airplane-carried mail flight officially sanctioned by any local U.S. post office and made available to the public when he carried mail, a bundle of newspapers and a sack of groceries from Petaluma, CA, to Santa Rosa, CA. After the 1911 season, Wiseman gave up flying.
This collection consists of a large scrapbook. Inside the scrapbook are newspaper clippings, correspondence, 1st Day Covers, race tickets, and photographs chronicling both Wiseman's automobile and aviation careers.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a large scrapbook. Inside the scrapbook are newspaper clippings, correspondence, 1st Day Covers, race tickets, and photographs chronicling both Wiseman's automobile and aviation careers.
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 in the order the donor attached them to the scrapbook. Correspondence is often located within the envelope that is attached to the scrapbook. Some materials are loose and have been left in the arrangement in which they were found, unless a portion of a newspaper article could be matched to its other parts.
Biographical / Historical:
Fred Wiseman (1875-1961) was born in Santa Rosa, California, and after attending local schools he engaged in both the bicycle and automotive businesses. Wiseman won considerable fame racing Stoddard-Dayton cars on the West Coast as well as in the Chicago area. He became interested in aviation after attending the Wright brothers' homecoming celebration in 1909 and the first Los Angeles aviation meet at Dominguez Field in 1910.
After these two events, Wiseman was convinced he wanted to learn to fly and so he returned to his home in Santa Rosa and persuaded Ben Noonan to put up $10,000 to build a plane. Wiseman, along with J. W. Peters and D.C. Prentiss, built a biplane named the Wiseman-Peters. During July 1910, both Peters and Wiseman flew the Wiseman-Peters and the following year Wiseman entered the 1911 Aviation Meet at Selfridge Field, Michigan.
On February 17, 1911, Wiseman made the first airplane-carried mail flight officially sanctioned by any local U.S. post office and made available to the public when he carried mail, a bundle of newspapers and a sack of groceries from Petaluma, CA, to Santa Rosa, CA. (The first air mail flight sanctioned by the U.S. Post Office in Washington, D.C., took place on September 23, 1911, when Earle Ovington carried mail from Garden City, Long Island, to Mineola; and the first continuously scheduled U.S. air mail service began on May 15, 1918, with routes between Washington, Philadelphia, and New York.)
During 1911, Wiseman had an active season of exhibition work, including flying for one week at the California State Fair. However, after this season Wiseman gave up flying because he thought there was no future in it. He sold his plane and returned to the automobile business. He later worked for Standard Oil Company of California. Wiseman was a member of the Early Birds of Aviation, an organization of pilots who flew solo in an aircraft prior to December 17, 1916.
Weldon Cooke, another pioneer aviator from California, bought and modified the Wiseman-Peters aircraft, renaming it the Wiseman-Cooke. Cooke flew the Wiseman-Cooke for exhibition and air mail flights. The Wiseman-Cooke aircraft is currently part of the Smithsonian Institution's collections.
Provenance:
No donor information, Gift?, unknown, XXXX-0618, 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
This collection contains Upson's papers and notebooks. The material consists of notebooks, both general (1911-35) and experimental (1928-68) and reference files on a variety of aeronautical subjects. The collection also contains material from Upson's teaching career, as well as miscellaneous personal documents.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains Upson's papers and notebooks. The material consists of notebooks, both general (1911-35) and experimental (1928-68) and reference files on a variety of aeronautical subjects. The collection also contains material from Upson's teaching career, as well as miscellaneous personal documents.
There is approximately seven cubic feet of correspondence, reports, manuscripts, notebooks
and various other materials.
Arrangement note:
Contents:
Series 1: Personal and Career
Subseries 1: Personal
Subseries 2: Career
Subseries 3: Education
Subseries 4: Authorship
Subseries 5: Correspondence
Series 2: Notepads and Notebooks
Subseries 1: Notepads and Appointment books
Subseries 2: Notebooks
Series 3: Subject files
Series 4: Miscellaneous
Biographical/Historical note:
Ralph Hazlett Upson (1888-1968) was an aeronautical engineer, inventor and pilot. After graduation from Stevens Institute of Technology (ME 1910) he rocketed to prominence by winning the International Balloon Race (1913) and American National Balloon Race (1913, 1921). He worked as chief engineer of the aeronautical department of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (1914-1920), during which time he flew the first United States Navy coastal patrol airship on a demonstration flight (1917) and served on the Navy Design Mission to Europe (1918-19). He then moved to the Aircraft Development Corp. (Chief Engineer 1922-27) while serving as chairman of the Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) division of the Aeronautical Safety Code Commission, US Bureau of Standards (1922-24). He went to work for Aeromarine-Klemm Corp. and a number of other companies (1928-42), during which time he designed the first successful metal-clad airship, the ZMC-2 (1929). After a brief tenure at H. J. Heinze Co. (Chief of Aeronautical Engineering (1942-44) he moved into academia at New York University (NYU, Research Specialist and Lecturer 1944-46) and the University of Minnesota (Professor of Aeronautical Engineering 1946-56; Professor Emeritus 1956-1968). Upson then worked for Boeing (Research Specialist 1956-64) and remained an active consultant until his death.
General note:
An artifact from this collection, the Early Bird plaque of Ralph Upson, was transferred to the Aeronautics Division of the National Air and Space Museum.
