The narrator provides history of black men and women in aviation.
Narration or voice over with music. Part of Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation Audiovisual Records. Consistent beeps throughout several of the recordings. Some of the recordings contain some of the same content. Undated.
Biographical / Historical:
The exhibition, Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation, profiled the men and women who had to overcome enormous social pressures in order to gain the right to pursue the dream of flight in both military and civilian circles. The exhibition, originally created and displayed at the National Air and Space Museum, was dedicated to the American Black Aviator, who has anonymously played a historic role in shaping the growth of modern aviation. See an expanded version of the exhibition circulated by SITES, including among its additional artifacts photo murals and audio-visual programs, and the flight suit worn by black astronaut Guion Bluford during preparations for his 1983 space shuttle flight. The SITES exhibition is divided into four parts: Headwinds, the black pioneers of World War I and the early 1920s; Flight Lines, the changing role of blacks in the 1930s and '40s; Wings for War, black involvement in World War II; and Era of Change, their breakthroughs in commercial aviation after World War II. The collection, Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation Audiovisual Records, contains the audiovisual materials created when the exhibit was borrowed and adapted for exhibit at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from April 1, 1984 - August 5, 1984.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV003453-2
ACMA AV003455
ACMA AV003507
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
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:
Lee Ya-Ching Papers, NASM.2008.0009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Mary Charles Collection, Accession XXXX-0011, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Mary Charles Collection, Accession XXXX-0011, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
This collection consists of Major Walter Marx's report History of the Women Pilots in the Air Ferrying Division, ATC along with related memoranda and rewrites. The collection also contains six color transparencies of WAFs, a memorandum discussing discrimination the WASPS faced while in Lebanon Tennessee in 1943, and the Northwest Route under the Ferrying Division Air Transport Command, June 16, 1942-November 1, 1942 Report.
This collection is in English.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of Major Walter Marx's report History of the Women Pilots in the Air Ferrying Division, ATC along with related memoranda and rewrites. The collection also contains six color transparencies of WAFs, a memorandum discussing discrimination the WASPS faced while in Lebanon Tennessee in 1943, and the Northwest Route under the Ferrying Division Air Transport Command, June 16, 1942-November 1, 1942 Report .
Arrangement:
Arranged by material type.
Biographical / Historical:
Nancy Harkness Love's 1942 proposal to set up a group of female pilots to ferry aircraft from factories to air bases during World War II was approved as the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). Love commanded this unit until August 5, 1943, when the WAFS were merged with the newly formed Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) and she was named the executive for all WASP ferrying operations. From light aircraft, the WASPs advanced quickly to fly every Air Corps aircraft in use at the time. With the exception of aerial gunnery and formation flying, these women received the same training as the male pilots. WASPs ferried planes, towed targets, flew cargo, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction, and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles'.
Walter J. Marx held a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University. Marx taught at the College of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia and Catholic University in Washington before serving four years in the Air Force, where he reached the rank of major. During his service, Marx wrote the 600 page report History of the Women Pilots in the Air Ferrying Division, ATC. After the war he worked at the State Department.
Provenance:
Paul Marx, Gift, 2021, NASM.2021.0019
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.
Geraldine L. "Jerrie" Mock was the first woman to fly solo around the world and the holder of 21 world records overall. This collection consists of materials pertaining to Mock's flight around the world.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of materials from Geraldine Mock's record setting flight around the world. Documents in this collection include requests for sponsorship; correspondence with foreign dignitaries; pilot's daily log; documentation of the record set; aircraft modifications; maps of Hawaii, the Philippines, and Europe; an insurance statement; menus; receipts for gas; photographs; permissions to land from foreign countries; weather forecasts; and flight plans.
Note: Images shown represent a portion of the collection. The entire collection has not been scanned.
Arrangement:
This collection is organized chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
Geraldine L. "Jerrie" Mock was born November 22, 1925 in Newark, Ohio. She studied aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University. She was nicknamed "the flying housewife" when she became the first woman to circle the globe. She left Columbus, Ohio on March 19, 1964. Her airplane, the "Spirit of Columbus" was a 1953 single-engine Cessna 180 monoplane. Mock landed April 18, 1964 having taken 29 days, 11 hours, and 59 minutes to fly around the world. The trip also made her the first woman to cross the Atlantic and the Pacific. She was named the Vice-Chairman of the Women's Advisory Committee on Aviation to the FAA. On May 4, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave her the FAA's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. In 1966, she set a straight line distance record for a flight between Honolulu, Hawaii and Columbus, Ohio. Overall, Mock set twenty-one world records, seven of which were set flying around the world. She wrote about her experience in Three Eight Charlie.
Provenance:
Geraldine Mock, Gift, Unknown, Deed signed in 2007, NASM.XXXX.0833
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
Ruth Law (1891-1970) was the first woman to loop the loop, the first person to fly a plane at night and a one-time holder of the Chicago to New York aerial speed record. After World War I, Law was active in the "Ruth Law Flying Circus," a three-plane troupe that traveled to state and county fairs. This collection consists of a photograph of aviator Ruth Law and her passenger Doris Hayes sitting in Law's aircraft. There is also a "Certificate of Flight," signed by Law, which certifies that Hayes was her passenger in Seabreeze, Florida, on February 21, 1916.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a photograph of aviator Ruth Law and her passenger Doris Hayes sitting in Law's aircraft. There is also a "Certificate of Flight," signed by Law, which certifies that Hayes was her passenger in Seabreeze, Florida, on February 21, 1916.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Law (1891-1970) was the first woman to loop the loop, the first person to fly a plane at night and a one-time holder of the Chicago to New York aerial speed record. After World War I, Law was active in the "Ruth Law Flying Circus," a three-plane troupe that traveled to state and county fairs. Her husband, Charles Oliver, persuaded her to retire from flying to "home and hearth" in 1922.
Provenance:
Hugh A. MacLean, Gift, 1996, NASM.1996.0021
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
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. This item is a letter sent to Joel Schaffer in 1929 by Amelia Earhart which includes a typed listing of books, compiled by New York University Professor Alexander Klemin for the Guggenheim Foundation, on the subject of aeronautics.
Scope and Contents:
This item is a letter sent to Joel Schaffer in 1929 by Amelia Earhart. The cover letter is typed, but signed by Amelia Earhart. The packet includes a typed listing of books, compiled by New York University Professor Alexander Klemin for the Guggenheim Foundation, on the subject of aeronautics.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation before attempting on June 1, 1937, an around-the-world flight from Miami, Florida in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. She and navigator Frederick J. Noonan were flying from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. A exhaustive sea and air search, ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt, was unsuccessful in locating Earhart and Noonan.
Provenance:
Teri Jensen-Brosh and Jean Roblyer, Gift, 2012, NASM.2013.0010.
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
Photograph of Amelia Earhart in Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
May 1932
Summary:
Amelia Mary Earhart (1897-1937) was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic (1928). On May 29-21, 1932, she made a solo transatlantic flight (Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland). This collection consists of a photograph of Earhart taken after her landing in Londonderry.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of one photograph of Earhart taken after her landing in Londonderry following her transatlantic flight, May 1932.
Arrangement:
...
Biographical / Historical:
Amelia Mary Earhart (1897-1937) was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic (1928). On May 29-21, 1932, she made a solo transatlantic flight (Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland). She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation before attempting on June 1, 1937, an around-the-world flight from Miami, Florida in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. She and navigator Frederick J. Noonan were flying from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. A exhaustive sea and air search, ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt, was unsuccessful in locating Earhart and Noonan.
Provenance:
Muriel Morrissey, Gift, Unknown, NASM.XXXX.1083
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.
Sheila Christine Hopkins Scott, born in England on April 27, 1927, was an English aviator who broke over 100 aviation records through her long distance flight endeavours, which included a 34,000-mile (55,000 km) "world and a half" flight in 1971. On this flight, she became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a small aircraft. This collection consists of Sheila Scott's log book covering the dates May 1, 1971 through May 2, 1972, including her record-setting polar flight.
Scope and Contents:
This collection cnsists of Sheila Christine Hopkins Scott's log book covering the dates May 1, 1971 through May 2, 1972, including her record-setting polar flight. The log book has been water damaged, and a number of entries may not be readable.
Biographical / Historical:
Sheila Christine Hopkins Scott was born in England on April 27, 1927. During World War II, she served as a nurse in a naval hospital. From the end of the war throughout the 1950s, Scott worked as an actress and a model. In 1960, she earned her pilot's license and began to compete in races, winning both the 1960 De Havilland and Jean Lennox Bird trophies. In the early 1960s, Scott flew as a demonstrator for Cessna and Piper aircraft. Scott made her first around the world flight in 1966, and set several records during the late 1960s. On June 1, 1971, Scott set off from London in a Piper Aztec in an attempt to fly from equator to equator over the North Pole. Scott's aircraft, the Mythre, carried NASA equipment as part of a communications experiment to test the Interrogation Recording and Location System (IRLS) of the Nimbus polar orbiting satellite. With her landing in London on August 4, 1971, Sheila Scott became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a single engine aircraft. Scott is credited with more than 100 light aircraft records amassed throughout her career. In 1968, Scott was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and, in 1972, was awarded the Royal Aero Club's Gold Medal. Scott also served as governor of the British section of the Ninety-Nines. Sheila Scott died on October 20, 1988.
Provenance:
Donor unknown; date of acquisition unknown; NASM.XXXX.0863
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.
The Women's Air Reserve was an organization formed circa 1932, based along the lines of the United States Army Air Corps, with the objective to train female pilots in practical mechanics and flying so that they would be qualified for military or civic service in the United States in the event of emergency. This collection consists of the first edition booklet of the Women's Air Reserve Regulations.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the first edition booklet of the Women's Air Reserve Regulations. The booklet has a dark red cardstock cover, measures approximately 5.5 by 8.5 inches, and is signed on the cover by Louise Thaden. A page tucked inside the front cover is a typewritten list of the Women's Air Reserves national officers as well as the officers of Squadron Number 1.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
The Women's Air Reserve was an organization formed circa 1932, based along the lines of the United States Army Air Corps, with the objective to train female pilots in practical mechanics and flying so that they would be qualified for military or civic service in the United States in the event of emergency. The group consisted of the following national officers: Commanding General, Florence "Pancho" Barnes; Executive Officer, LaVelle Sweeley; Finance Officer, Valentine Sprague; Commanding General's Personal Adjutant, Anona Hansen; Women's Air Reserve Adjutant, Eileen Curley. Squadron Number 1, Ninth Corps Area consisted of the following officers: Alice Jane Kelly, Sylvia Deems, Yolanda Spirito, Gertrude Chapman, Yvonne Haase, Estelle Sherman Bronish, Bee Selck, Margaret Murphy, Viola Neill, Melba Gerby, Elizabeth K. Inwood, Patricia Ann Willis, Ruth Mertens, Peggy Edna Gilliland, Vi Netta Sloan, Evelyn "Bobbie" Trout, and Dorothea Wilson Handschiegel.
Provenance:
Unknown, material found in collection, NASM.XXXX.0861.
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 of Helen Richey's pilot log for 1944-1945, newspaper clippings covering the period from 1933 to 1944 and seven photographs of Ms. RIchey.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of Helen Richey's pilot log for 1944-1945, newspaper clippings covering the period from 1933 to 1944 and seven photographs of Ms. Richey.
Arrangement:
This collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Helen Richey (1909 - 1947) was an aviation pioneer who made headlines as a stunt pilot, a racing champion, a holder of speed and altitude records, a flight instructor, an Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and Womens Air Service Pilot (WASP) during WWII, the first women to pilot a commercial airliner on a regular scheduled run, and as the first woman to ever fly the United States mail. In April of 1930, Richey enrolled as a student pilot at Bettis Field's Curtiss-Wright flying school and on June 28, 1930, she earned her pilot's license. In December 1930, Richey was granted a limited commercial pilot's license bythe Department of Commerce. During the 1930s, Richey set a number of records and placed in several races, including as a co-pilot to Amelia Earhart in the 1936 Bendix Race. In 1934 Richey applied for a pilot's job with Central Airlines. She was hired and flew Central's route between Washington and Detroit. However, the Bureau of Air Commerce warned Centeral management to keep her on the ground in bad weather and the pilot's union rejected her application for membership. Due to these restrictions, Richey resigned from Central in October 1935. The Bureau of Air Commerce then offered Helen a new job as an air marking pilot for the government. She stayed with the air marking service until 1937 when the job was completed. In 1940 Richey was the first woman to earn an instructor's license and she was appointed an instructor for air cadets at Pittsburgh - Butler Airport. In 1942, she joined the American wing of the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), where she ferried aicraft and needed materials thoughout the British Isles. Richey headed the ATA's American Group from 1942 until April 1943, when she returned to the States and joined the WASPs. Unable to find aviation employment after the WASPs disbanded in 1944, she committed suicide in 1947.
Provenance:
Gene Suskalo, Gift, 1998, NASM.1999.0006
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
