This collection contains pilot's licenses issued in the early 20th century. It includes licenses from various nations such as Canada, France, Italy, and the United States.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a variety of different types of pilots' licenses issued by civilian, government, and military organizations dating from 1911 to 1948. Licenses certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) form most of the licenses issued by private organizations. Four founding clubs of FAI - Aero Club D'Italia, the Aero Club of America, the Aéro-Club de France, and the Royal Aero Club - are featured. The United States Navy, US Army Air Corps, and one item from the Canadian Air Force represent the military licenses in the collection. Licenses issued by the United State Department of Commerce form a large portion of licenses issued by governments.
Other forms of personal identification were discovered with many of the pilots' licenses in this collection. Examples of these items include a driver's license, a firearms license, aviation membership cards, and business cards.
Included in this collection are licenses belonging to Raymond Emmanuel Bollack, Laura Bromwell, John Milton Bryant, Frank T. Coffyn, Curtis La Q. Day, Richard Duncan, Lester D. Gardner, G. S. Gillespie, Paul R. Gruhler, Beckwith Havens, Frederick A. Hoover, George M. Keightley, Benjamin Scovill Kelsey, Alfred S. Koch, Lawrence Leon, Grover Loening, Cord Meyer, Zenos Ramsey Miller, Thomas DeWitt Milling, Charles L. Morris, Thea Rasche, Roland Rohlfs, D. deR. M. Scarrit, Walter J. Shaffer, Thomas E. Springer, Norman Sweetser, Alexander Blair Thaw II, Ralph H. Upson, Clifford L. Webster and E. A. Yeager. A blank license attributed to the Service de la Navigation Aérienne is also included.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged alphabetically by surname of the licensee.
Biographical / Historical:
Prior to 1926, pilots in the United States were not required to have any documentation or certification to operate an aircraft. To demonstrate ability and credibility, private organizations as well as military agencies issued their own licenses. These early licenses were available for different aircrafts across various disciplines and served to allow individuals to participate in aeronautic events endorsed by civil organizations.
A prominent international organization, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), supplied licenses to aviators around the world. Founded in 1905, FAI formed through the collaboration of aviation clubs from eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
Pilots' licenses became a requirement after the Air Commerce Act of 1926, which promoted the improvement and maintenance of safety standards in air commerce. With a variety of different examples of pilots' licenses, the collection provides insight into the types of documentation issued to military and civilian pilots during the first half of the twentieth century.
Provenance:
Gifts and transfers from various sources and unknown, NASM.XXXX.0650.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection includes his pilot's log book, old passports, newspaper articles, Early Bird decals, correspondence, and original photographs and postcards. The photographs/postcards include shots of the following aircraft: Stearman (1927) C-3MB mailplane; de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou; Curtiss JN-4Can; Curtiss Condor; Sikorsky S-38BH Amphibian; Deperdussin (UK) 1913 Racer; Republic F-84F Thunderstreak; Alexander Eaglerock A-4, A-12, A-15; Ford Tri-Motor; Bristol Scout; Blériot XI. There are also photos of Ely's flight from the USS Pennsylvania; Katherine and Marjorie Stinson; the graduating class at Berkley, CA; an Eastern Air Transport Building; a Mexican Pan American Airlines hangar; the tombstone of Lt. Reginald E. P. Pryce-Jones; 50 HP Kirkham engine; 3" Koellein-Mieding gun; and "Eaglerock" radiator.
Biographical / Historical:
George Martin Keightley (1889-1967) was a member of the Early Birds of Aviation, Inc. He helped develop the Royal Canadian Air Service in World War I, and when the United States entered the war he returned to the US become an instructor for the Army Signal Corps. In World War II he served on the Civil Aeronautics Board as an air safety investigator.
Provenance:
Hetty Keightley, Gift
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
