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Mid-Century Airliners Photography

Extent:
0.2 Cubic feet (1 slim letter document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1937-1987
bulk 1947-1965
Summary:
Photography in this collection was collected by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Air Transport Curator R. E. G. (Ron) Davies from a variety of unidentified sources, presumably for integration into his airline reference files. It includes a mixture of black and white and color formats from 35 mm roll film to 4.75 x 6 inch sheet film. Aircraft pictured are predominantly airliners in use in the post-World War II period, circa 1947-1965, and include views of British, European, and American airliners at airports in the United Kingdom, and passenger and cargo aircraft belonging to various Central and South American airlines photographed at Miami International Airport (Florida, USA).
Scope and Contents:
Original and copy photography in this collection includes a mixture of color positives (transparencies), color negatives, and black and white negatives predominantly in 35mm roll film format, either as cut strips or as individual frames (no complete rolls). The collection also includes some medium format sheet film in 4.75 x 6 inch, 4 x 5 inch, and 120 format sizes. A small amount of film was found in annotated enclosures, but the bulk of the material was unidentified.

A large number of the photographs in this collection appear to have been taken of British, European, and American airliners on the ground at international airports in Britain (UK), with a few views of Royal Air Force or British government aircraft. An equally large number of photographs show passenger and cargo aircraft belonging to various Central and South American airlines; these are predominantly seen on the ground at Miami, Florida (USA), although some were likely taken at other locations in the Caribbean area. Views taken in Florida also include various American airliners and a few US civil, military, and government aircraft. Views taken in Central America include a few photographs of military cargo aircraft belonging to the Colombian (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) and Salvadoran (Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña) air forces. Aircraft types pictured include a large number of World War II military cargo aircraft modified for civilian service, particularly the Curtiss C-46 Commando and—to a lesser extent—the Douglas C-47 (DC-3) Skytrain (Dakota) and Douglas C-54 (DC-4) Skymaster. Other post-WWII American airliners such as the Lockheed Constellation family, various Douglas models (DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, DC-10) and the Martin (Glenn L.) Model 404 (4-O-4) are also seen, as well as various British airliners including the Bristol 175 Britannia, Handley Page Hermes and Dart Herald H.P.R.7, Britten Norman BN-2A-III Trislander, and Vickers Viking and Viscount. A small group of photographs focuses on flying boats used by various small airlines, particularly the Short S.25 Sunderland and S.45A Solent models.
Arrangement:
Photography is organized by format. Images found together have been grouped in the same folder or sheet. Cut strips or individual frames which appear to be from the same roll of 35mm film are presented in frame number order.
Biographical / Historical:
The post-World War II period saw an explosion in the number of new national and international airlines, many making use of readily available surplus military aircraft such as the Douglas C-47 and Curtiss C-46 modified to serve as passenger and cargo aircraft in regularly scheduled and charter operations. This period also saw the introduction of four-engine pressurized airliners such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6, providing airline passengers with a faster, more comfortable air travel experience.

Photography in this collection was collected by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Air Transport Curator R. E. G. (Ron) Davies from a variety of unidentified sources, presumably for integration into his airline reference files. This material was transferred to the NASM Archives from the NASM Aeronautics Department following Davies' retirement.
Related Materials:
See related collection R. E. G. (Ron) Davies Air Transport Collection, NASM.XXXX.0604.
Provenance:
NASM Aeronautics Department, transfer, 1989, NASM.XXXX.1224
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 -- 20th century  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Airlines  Search this
Airplanes  Search this
Airports  Search this
Curtiss C-46 Commando  Search this
Douglas DC-3 Family  Search this
Douglas C-47 Skytrain Family  Search this
Douglas C-54 Skymaster Family  Search this
Douglas DC-6  Search this
Douglas DC-7  Search this
Lockheed Model 749 Constellation  Search this
Lockheed Model 1049D Super Constellation  Search this
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Family  Search this
Citation:
Mid-Century Airliners Photography, NASM.XXXX.1224, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.1224
See more items in:
Mid-Century Airliners Photography
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ca6c932d-5bc3-4515-a60e-5c6505f500e1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1224
Online Media:

British Airliners [Manchester Airport] Color Photography

Extent:
0.01 Cubic feet (1 folder, 54 photographs)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 1
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
circa 1970 to 1981
Summary:
This collection consists of 54 photographs made by an unknown photographer between approximately 1970 and 1981, predominantly in a small 3.5 x 3.5 inch color print "snapshot" format. Most of the images are of airliners and are believed to have been taken from an observation deck at Manchester (Ringway) Airport, England (UK). Most images are soft-focus and have suffered yellowing and serious magenta-shift color fading overall.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 54 photographs made by an unknown photographer between approximately 1970 and 1981, predominantly in a 3.5 x 3.5 inch color print "snapshot" format, but also including two 3.5 x 3.5 inch black and white prints and six 3.5 x 4.5 inch color prints. Most of the images are believed to have been taken from an observation deck at Manchester (Ringway) Airport, Cheshire, England (UK); a few appear to have been taken at the 1981 Leicester International Air Display; a very few were taken at airports outside of the UK including Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Charlottesville, North Carolina (USA). Aircraft pictured include the following: Aero Spacelines Super Guppy; Aérospatiale SN 601 Corvette; Agusta AB.206B Jet Ranger III (Agusta-Bell); BAC One-Eleven Family; Boeing Models 707, 727, 737, and 747; Bölkow/MBB Bo 105C; Britten Norman BN-2A-III Trislander; de Havilland (Canada) DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300; de Havilland D.H.106 Comet Mk.4; Douglas DC-8 and DC-9; Handley Page Dart Herald H.P.R.7; Lockheed L-1011 Tristar Family (Model 93); McDonnell Douglas DC-10; Nihon (Kokuki Seizo) YS-11A-500; Shorts S.C.7 Skyvan Series 3M; Tupolev Tu-134A Crusty; Vickers (UK) Vanguard Type 952; and the Vickers (UK) VC2 Viscount Types 802 and 806. British airlines pictured include Britannia Airways, British Airways, British Caledonian Airways, British Island Airways (BIA), British Midland Airways (BMA), Court Line Aviation Ltd, Dan-Air, Invicta International Airlines, Laker Airways Ltd, and LoganAir. Foreign airlines pictured include Air France (France), Air Spain (Spain), Alitalia (Italy), Aviaco Lineas Aereas (Spain), Aviogenex (Yugoslavia), Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CP Air)(Canada), Caribbean Airways (Barbados), KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) (Netherlands), LOT (Poland), Pan Adria (Yugoslavia), Pan American Airways (Pan Am) (USA), Piedmont Airlines (USA), Trans World Airlines (TWA) (USA), and Wardair Canada Ltd (Canada).

Most images are soft-focus and have suffered yellowing and serious magenta-shift color fading overall. Slightly more than half have some annotations on the reverse of the print.
Arrangement:
Photographs are presented in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Manchester (Ringway) Airport, located in the Ringway parish of Cheshire, England, south of the city of Manchester, dates from the late 1930s. During World War II it served as a base for the Royal Air Force (RAF Ringway). After the war it was returned to civilian use, growing in size and operations until it became the largest UK airport outside of London in terms of total passenger traffic.
Provenance:
Unknown, tranferred from R. E. G. Davies, NASM Aeronautics Department, circa 1989, NASM.XXXX.1223
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
Airplanes  Search this
Airports  Search this
Citation:
British Airliners [Manchester Airport] Color Photography, Acc. NASM.XXXX.1223, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.1223
See more items in:
British Airliners [Manchester Airport] Color Photography
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2098df68f-4e81-4613-ba2f-a39db541a148
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1223
Online Media:

Texas Airfields Photo Album

Extent:
0.66 Cubic feet (1 flat box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photograph albums
Maps
Place:
Texas
Date:
1919
Summary:
This collection consists of a photo album documenting several early Texas airfields as well as a blueprint map entitled, "Aerial Route Map, Taliaferro Field, Texas to San Diego, California."
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a photo album documenting several early Texas airfields. The cover appears to be faux leather covered canvas, and the pages are made of fabric and appear to be hand sewn. The cover measures approximately 21 x 12 inches, and the pages measure approximately 15 x 10 inches. Images shown in the album include both aerial and ground level views of the fields and, in some cases, views of available facilities. Many of the photographs include handwritten notations. For almost all of the fields, there is also a description form which includes information such as details about the surface and markings of the field, distance to the nearest telephone, who to contact to gain access to the field, and many other details. Included in the album are the following fields: Weatherford, Baird, Cisco, Sweetwater, Colorado, Big Springs, Stanton, Midland, Odessa, Pecos, Toyah, Sierra Blanca and El Paso. The collection also contains a blueprint map entitled, "Aerial Route Map, Taliaferro Field, Texas to San Diego, California." The map, which measures approximately 13.25 by 44.25 inches, was prepared under the direction of Major T. C. Macaulay by Aerial Photographic Section No. 43 and designed by L. Dale Hatton.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
The photo album in this collection appears to document a survey of Texas airfields conducted by an unknown entity, possibly the US Army Air Service, in 1919.
Provenance:
Unknown, material found in collection, NASM.XXXX.0544.
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
Aerial photography  Search this
Airports  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photograph albums
Maps
Citation:
Texas Airfields Photo Album, NASM.XXXX.0544, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0544
See more items in:
Texas Airfields Photo Album
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2194b03e1-8de7-40f4-8f0d-011c9e73c6ef
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0544
Online Media:

National Air Races Negative Collection

Names:
National Air Races  Search this
Pulitzer Trophy Race  Search this
Thompson Trophy Race  Search this
Brown, Charles  Search this
Cleland, Cook  Search this
Cochran, Jacqueline  Search this
De Bona, Joseph C.  Search this
McKitten, Ben  Search this
Skelton, Betty, 1926-  Search this
Turner, Roscoe, 1895-1970  Search this
Extent:
0.33 Cubic feet (1 box, 336 black and white 4 x 5 inch format negatives)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Cleveland (Ohio)
Date:
1948-1949
Summary:
This collection consists of 336 black and white 4 x 5 inch format negatives by Robert E. Burke Studios, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio; most of the photographs depict aircraft, personalities, and activities at or in relation to the National Air Races held at Cleveland in 1948 and 1949.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 336 black and white 4 x 5 inch format negatives and their original paper envelopes. The photography has been identified as the work of Robert E. Burke Studios, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, advertised as the "Official Photographer" of both the 1948 and 1949 National Air Races. Most of the photographs cover aircraft, personalities, and activities at or in relation to the 1948 and 1949 National Air Races; views include racing and military aircraft on the ground and in flight, views of the spectators (including entertainment personalities such as actor James "Jimmy" Stewart and radio presenter Arthur Godfrey), presentation of awards on the Speaker's Stand, aerial views of Cleveland Municipal Airport, and views of pilots and their supporters. Pilots portrayed include Charles Brown, Cook Cleland, Jacqueline Cochran, Joseph C. De Bona, Ben McKillen, Betty Skelton, and Roscoe Turner. The collection also includes some non-aviation work apparently done for Thompson Products, a major producer of aircraft engine components and high-performance valves used in both aircraft and automobile engines.
Arrangement:
During initial processing by NASM Archives in 2004, the negatives were assigned NASM Archives image reference numbers (NASM 9A02483 through NASM 9A02814-C) in the order in which they were received from the NASM Aeronautics Department; they are physically stored in NASM image reference number order. For the purposes of the online finding aid, the images have been intellectually rearranged into numerical order using the photographer's original 8-digit negative numbers as printed on the original negative envelopes. The images are grouped according to the first four digits of the negative number (Burke's "File" number) and divided into two chronological series for the years 1948 and 1949.
Biographical / Historical:
First held in 1920 at Mitchel Field outside of New York City, the National Air Races were an annual, week-long event including formation flying, parachute drops, aerobatic displays, and closed-circuit and cross-country air races. Through the 1920s, the location of the Races moved to a different American city each year, occurring at Cleveland, Ohio, for the first time in 1929. In the 1930s, the Races settled almost permanently at Cleveland Municipal Airport (later known as Cleveland Hopkins International Airport), with only the 1930, 1933, and 1936 races held in Los Angeles, California. The Races were suspended from 1940 to 1945 due to World War II, but resumed at Cleveland in 1946, with the post-war contestants now including many military surplus aircraft. The National Air Races, meant to be the high point of the air racing year, included privately sponsored races to both foster the development of aircraft and raise the profile of the sponsors. The 1948 Races (held September 4-6, 1948) and 1949 Races (held September 3-5, 1949) featured trophy races sponsored by Ohio companies Bendix Corporation, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio), and the local Cleveland companies Tinnerman Products (makers of fasteners used in aircraft construction) and Thompson Products (makers of high-performance valves for both aircraft and automobile racing engines). High-speed aircraft races certainly helped draw huge crowds to the airport to see the action, but tragically, on September 5, 1949, Bill Odom, piloting the modified North American P-51C Mustang "Beguine" in that day's Thompson Trophy Race, crashed into a house in the Cleveland suburb of Berea, Ohio, killing himself and a woman and child. Berea and other municipalities in the area quickly passed ordinances prohibiting air racing in their airspace, signaling the end of the National Air Races as they had existed up to that point. The races would be reborn decades later in 1964 at Reno, Nevada, as the National Championship Air Races.
Related Materials:
Additional photography by Robert E. Burke from the 1947 through 1949 National Air Races, as well as copies of the Official Programs for the 1948 and 1949 Races can be seen in the Bendix Air Races Collection, NASM.1988.0115.
Provenance:
Unknown, transfer from NASM Aeronautics Department, 1994, NASM.XXXX.0555.
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 -- Awards  Search this
Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this
Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this
Airplanes  Search this
Airplane racing  Search this
Air pilots  Search this
Women air pilots  Search this
Women in aeronautics  Search this
Airports  Search this
Stunt flying  Search this
Parachutes  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0555
See more items in:
National Air Races Negative Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2bf237701-9158-4266-b522-2291f41c49d3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0555
Online Media:

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Airport Inspection Scrapbook

Creator:
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Extent:
0.18 Cubic feet (1 flat box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Date:
1937
Summary:
In 1937, the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Airways and Airports Division organized an airport inspection trip to review work undertaken at various airports under the WPA's auspices, to determine what work still needed done to develop the nation's aviation infrastructure, and to evaluate which of those future projects could be undertaken by the WPA. This collection consists of a scrapbook documenting the inspection trip.
This collection is in English.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a scrapbook documenting the Works Progress Administration's 1937 airport inspection trip. The scrapbook measures 10.5 by 13 inches and this copy appears to have been given to George W. Lewis (then Director of Aeronautical Research, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics [NACA]), whose name is embossed on the scrapbook's cover. In addition to photographs, which are captioned, the scrapbook also contains a map showing stops on the trip as well as a list of inspection trip members, crew of the Douglas C-33 aircraft that they traveled in, and a list of guest passengers from various points on the tour. Inspection trip members are shown in the scrapbook including Corrington C. Gill; Walter Sumpter Smith; Alexis B. McMullen; Lotha A. Smith; Lester D. Gardner; Gill Robb Wilson; Fred L. Smith; and J. Frank Roberson. Other notable figures pictured in the scrapbook include Blanche Wilcox Noyes; Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie; Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden; Cyrus Rowlett "C. R." Smith; Edward Meeker Haight; O. M. "Red" Mosier; and various local officials and businesspeople.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1937, the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Airways and Airports Division organized an airport inspection trip to review work undertaken at various airports under the WPA's auspices, to determine what work still needed done to develop the nation's aviation infrastructure, and to evaluate which of those future projects could be undertaken by the WPA. Inspection trip members were Corrington C. Gill (Assistant Federal Administrator, WPA); Walter Sumpter Smith (Principal Aeronautical Engineer, WPA); Alexis B. McMullen (Chief of Airport, Mapping and Marking Section, Bureau of Air Commerce); Lotha A. Smith (Official Observer for the War Department); Lester D. Gardner (Secretary, Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences); Gill Robb Wilson (President, National Association of State Aviation Officials); Fred L. Smith (Executive Assistant to the President of the National Aeronautic Association); and J. Frank Roberson (Secretary for the group). Members traveled on a Douglas C-33 which departed from Bolling Field, Washington, DC operated by a US Army Air Corps crew. The trip, which took place from October 16 to November 5, 1937, covered more than 11,000 miles and included visits to 30 states.
Provenance:
Works Progress Administration, Gift, Unknown, NASM.XXXX.0288.
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
Airports  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Works Progress Administration (WPA) Airport Inspection Scrapbook, NASM.XXXX.0288, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0288
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2c341a55d-a8a6-4490-bf9e-890d3d51d94e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0288
Online Media:

College Park Airport Collection [Knauer]

Creator:
Knauer, Fred C.  Search this
Names:
College Park Airport  Search this
Wright, Orville, 1871-1948  Search this
Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912  Search this
Extent:
2.18 Cubic feet ((2 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Date:
1903-1986
Scope and Contents:
This collection documents the history of College Park Airport, the conservation of the airport and the establishment of the museum on the airport grounds. The material includes correspondence, photographs, news clippings, a scrapbook, and other mixed media.
Biographical / Historical:
College Park Airport, in College Park, MD, is the oldest continually-operated airport in the world. Flight operations at College Park began in 1907 when the Wright Brothers gave flight instruction to United States Army Signal Corps personnel at the site. The airport continues to operate as a single-runway general aviation airport. The grounds also include a small museum and the site has been designated as a historic landmark. Fred C. Knauer was instrumental in the formation of committees to preserve the airport against encroachment by developers and to publicize the airport's historic nature.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Fred C. Knauer, gift, 1986, 1987-0087, 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
Airports -- Maryland  Search this
Airports  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Identifier:
NASM.1987.0087
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg24bd42374-58ec-4e21-bfe4-a700a1d57083
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1987-0087

Mansfield Lahm Airport Memorial and Dedication Scrapbook

Names:
Lahm, Frank Purdy, 1877-1963  Search this
Extent:
0.24 Cubic feet (1 flat box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Date:
September 9, 1967
Summary:
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.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Frank Purdy Lahm (1877--1963) was the first balloon pilot, the first airship pilot, and the first airplane pilot in the US Army. Like his father, Frank Samuel Lahm, his early interest was in ballooning, and in 1906 he won the James Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race. In 1909 Lahm and Lt. Frederick E. Humphreys were trained by Orville and Wilbur Wright to fly the first plane the US Army purchased from the Wrights. In 1912 he was made commanding officer of the US Army Flying School in the Philippines, and during World War I he was commander of the Second Army Air Service. Following the war Lahm founded the Air Corps Training Center at Randolph Field, a source of great pride to him, but was reassigned in 1931 as air attaché and later military attaché to France and Belgium. When Lahm retired from the military in 1941 he had distinguished himself as recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor. 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. The event included speeches, a showing of the film The Lahm Story (produced by the US Air Force Museum and narrated by James Stewart), the unveiling of a bust of Lahm and a plaque sponsored by the Early Birds in his honor, luncheon, military band concert, aircraft display and air show, formal reception and dinner, and a military ball.
Provenance:
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.
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Airports  Search this
Air pilots  Search this
Airplanes  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Mansfield Lahm Airport Memorial and Dedication Scrapbook, NASM.XXXX.0268, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0268
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg21c05866e-4eee-4b8c-a173-d4a9735e118f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0268
Online Media:

Aéro-Club de France Annual (1909)

Creator:
Aero Club of France  Search this
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder, Soft cover handbook, front cover missing, 6.5 x 5 inches)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1909
Summary:
This single-item collection consists of a copy of the Aéro-Club de France Annuaire 1909 (1909 Annual) issued by the Aéro-Club de France (Aero Club of France) while based at 63, Champs-Élysées, Paris, France. This French language publication includes information on ACF rules and regulations, members, and facilities, as well as aeronautical prizes, affiliated French societies, and helpful information for the balloonists who constituted the bulk of the ACF's membership at this point in time.
Scope and Contents:
This extremely fragile Aéro-Club de France (ACF, Aero Club of France) publication is missing its front cover and most of its binding, but internal evidence indicates that it is an Aéro-Club de France Annuaire 1909 (the 1909 annual), issued when the Club was based at 63, Champs-Élysées, Paris, France. The French language publication, which measures 6.5 x 5 inches, includes sections on the ACF's statutes, rules, and regulations (including admission to the club, dues, and the issuance of pilot's licenses); images of the ACF medal and insignia; colors used to identify club members and individual balloonists; details of specific aeronautical prizes and competitions (including the Gordon Bennett and Deutch de la Meurthe aeronautical cups); affiliated French aeronautical societies; and lists of the ACF officers, commission members, and pilots. Also included is information on the ACF's facilities in Paris at the Parc d'Aérostation at Saint-Cloud (gas prices for balloon inflation, precision instrument rental, orientation table) and rules for use of the military parade ground at Issy-les-Moulineux (Parc d'Aviation). The annual also features helpful information for balloonists such as advice on customs regulations and landings in foreign countries, how to obtain an ACF certificate for a balloon ascension, and a table of suggested fees to be paid to the owners of farmland whose crops have been destroyed by a balloon landing. Also included are lists of balloons operated by French and foreign ACF members, by name, with details on the size and composition of each balloon. The publication concludes with six pages of advertisements for various related businesses (rubberized fabrics, patent services, inflation pumps, magnetos, stereoscopic and panoramic cameras, and Dutheil & Chalmers engines).
Arrangement:
The annual is in original order. The front cover is missing, as well as any additional pages of advertisements which may have originally preceded page number one.
Biographical / Historical:
The Aéro-Club de France (Aero Club of France) was founded in 1898 "to encourage aerial locomotion." Its founders included Ernest Archdeacon, Jules Verne, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de La Vaulx. The club was one of the founding members of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI, International Aeronautical Federation) in 1905. The Aéro-Club established many of the regulations for French aviation and adjudged record flights. The club's medal has been awarded for aeronautical achievements from 1900 to the present day.
Provenance:
Unknown, found in collection, 2011, NASM.XXXX.1099
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
Aeronautical sports  Search this
Air pilots  Search this
Airports  Search this
Balloons -- France  Search this
Citation:
Aéro-Club de France Annual (1909), Acc. NASM.XXXX.1099, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.1099
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg28c9372f7-4d21-493c-bfa7-2e9a18b5cd75
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1099
Online Media:

California Aviation Photographs [Town/Ward]

Creator:
Town, Thomas J.  Search this
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white negatives
Date:
1930s
Summary:
Thomas J. Town was a deep sea diver and was in the U. S. Navy submarine force in the 1920s-1930s. Subsequent to his naval service, Town enrolled as a student at the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute in the late 1930s. Town later worked as an engineer at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California. This collection consists of 35 mm black and white negatives for 42 images taken in the late 1930s at Grand Central Airport in Glendale, California and at San Jacinto, California by Thomas J. Town.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 35 mm black and white negatives for 42 images taken in the late 1930s at Grand Central Airport in Glendale, California and at San Jacinto, California by Thomas J. Town. Aircraft depicted in the images include the Northrop A-17 (8A); Lockheed Model 10 Electra; Seversky P-35; Boeing Model 247; Vultee V1-A; North American BT-9 Yale; Martin (Glenn L.) B-10 (Model 139); Curtiss Condor T-32 (Condor II); and the Tupolev ANT-25 (RD) piloted by Mikhail Gromoff during the Moscow, USSR to San Jacinto, California transpolar flight of 1937. In addition to the negatives, the collection also includes contact sheets showing each image. The contact sheets include some identification information.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Thomas J. Town was a deep sea diver and was in the U. S. Navy submarine force in the 1920s-1930s. Subsequent to his naval service, Town enrolled as a student at the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute in the late 1930s. During this time, Town photographed numerous aircraft at the Grand Central Airport in Glendale, California and also took photographs at San Jacinto, California of the Tupolev ANT-25 (RD) piloted by Mikhail Gromoff during his 1937 transpolar flight. Town later worked as an engineer at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California where he gave the negatives in this collection to a fellow engineer, Bruce R. Ward.
Provenance:
Bruce R. Ward, Gift, 2010, NASM.2010.0024
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
Airports  Search this
Airports  Search this
Lockheed Model 10 Electra Family  Search this
Northrop A-17 (8A)  Search this
Seversky P-35  Search this
Boeing 247  Search this
Vultee V1-A  Search this
North American BT-9  Search this
Martin (Glenn L.) B-10 (Model 139)  Search this
Curtiss Condor T-32 (Condor II)  Search this
Tupolev ANT-25(RD)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Black-and-white negatives
Citation:
California Aviation Photographs [Town/Ward], NASM.2010.0024, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2010.0024
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg23c0ce5ca-5c7c-461f-b15a-c0ec1a3728dc
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2010-0024
Online Media:

Helen Richey Pilot Log and Collection [Suskalo]

Creator:
Richey, Helen, 1909-1947  Search this
Names:
Bendix Air Races  Search this
Central Airlines  Search this
Great Britain. Air Transport Authority  Search this
United States. Bureau of Air Commerce  Search this
United States. Bureau of Air Commerce. National Air Marking Program  Search this
Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.)  Search this
Richey, Helen, 1909-1947  Search this
Extent:
0.1 Cubic feet (2 folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Clippings
Logs (records)
Date:
1933-1944
Summary:
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
Topic:
Women air pilots  Search this
Women in aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics, Military  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Airports  Search this
Airports -- Location  Search this
Aeronautics -- Records  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Flight training  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Clippings
Logs (records)
Citation:
Helen Richey Pilot Log and Collection [Suskalo], NASM.1999.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.1999.0006
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg21127adc8-3836-4deb-b62c-e8cb2e4d0a56
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1999-0006
Online Media:

William J. Heaslip Aviation Reference Files

Creator:
Heaslip, William (William John), 1898-1970  Search this
Extent:
4.82 Cubic feet (12 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Files
Date:
1894-1940s
bulk 1920s to 1940s
Summary:
William John Heaslip (1898--1970) was a prominent artist whose aviation-themed work, especially during World War II, was known for its accuracy and detail. This collection consists of approximately 4.82 cubic feet of reference files used Heaslip in the creation of his art.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 4.82 cubic feet of reference files used by William J. Heaslip in the creation of his art. It appears that Heaslip gathered and organized this material in order to have detailed information to work from when illustrating various aviation related projects which contributed to the accurate and highly detailed nature of his work. Files contain a variety of materials including photographs, news clippings, brochures, and three-view drawings. A large portion of the collection consists of files organized by manufacturer and there are also files on various topics including military, airports, equipment, balloons, and specific aircraft types. Some of the material in the collection is oversized.
Arrangement:
The collection arrived with a clear organization that had been imposed by its creator and it was kept in that order. A large portion of the collection consists of files on aircraft organized first by country and then alphabetically by manufacturer. There are also files on various topics including military, airports, equipment, balloons, and specific aircraft types. Original folder titles were maintained, any additional information added or folder titles created by the archivist are in brackets. Oversized material was housed at the end of the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
William John Heaslip (1898--1970) was a prominent artist whose aviation-themed work, especially during World War II, was known for its accuracy and detail. Heaslip began his formal training in 1912 at the London Industrial and Art School in Ontario, Canada. In 1913, he began work as an engraver for Lawson & Jones Printers and Lithographers. In 1917, Heaslip enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps and was sent for training in ground observation and aerial gunnery at Camp Taliaferro, Texas under a reciprocity agreement between the US Signal Corps Aviation Section and the Royal Flying Corps. Heaslip received further training at the Royal Flying Corps' Beamsville School School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery in Ontario before being discharged in December 1918. In 1919, Heaslip enrolled as a student in the National Academy of Design in New York where he was awarded the Suyden Medal (Silver) for Drawing from Life in 1920. In the fall of that year, Heaslip left the Academy and enrolled in courses at the Art Students League taught by John Sloan and Wallace Morgan. In 1926, Heaslip opened his own studio in Manhattan and began work as a freelance illustrator, contributing illustrations to American Legion Monthly, a collaboration that would continue until the 1950s. In September 1928, Heaslip attended a meeting of the Ancient Order of Quiet Birdmen and also that year joined the Society of Illustrators. He began to receive commissions for aviation related work including illustrating a series on aviation in American Boy magazine. By 1929, Heaslip had added an abstract logo of an aircraft to his signature which would remain. With much of his work received from advertising agencies, Heaslip created a very well known series of advertisements (later published as a promotional calendar) for Berry Brothers "Berryloid" aircraft finishes in which aircraft were portrayed with colorful paint schemes inspired by the plumage of various birds. Heaslip's work appeared in many publications, including Aero Digest, and he served as the consulting art director for Sportsman Pilot from 1931 to 1938. From the period of the late 1920s through the early 1940s, Heaslip was also a frequent contributor to Boys' Life magazine. In 1933, Heaslip was commissioned by the Franklin Institute to create a painting to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight which resulted in the piece, The First Flight, and throughout the 1930s Heaslip was also active working on mural projects with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Heaslip began work in printmaking in the 1930s with Associated American Artists and was known for work that focused on the human aspect of aviation. He won the J. W. Robinson Trophy for prints exhibited at the International Aeronautical Art Exhibition in February 1937 and demonstrated the processes of etching and aquatint at the New York World's Fair of 1939--1940. With the advent of World War II, Heaslip shifted to patriotic work designed to inform and mobilize the country for the war effort. Heaslip was selected as the artist for a series of illustrations published in the early 1940s by the New York Times/Wide World syndicate designed to inform readers about the major battles and events of the war. The work could be grueling, with illustrations sometimes needing revised right up until publication due to changing information. From 1941-1946, Heaslip collaborated with the Coca-Cola Company on various projects to promote their work supplying Coke to the troops, including serving as the artist for Set No. 2 and Set No. 3 of airplane trading cards and illustrating an aircraft recognition guide produced by the company. During the war years, Heaslip also had work appear in Look magazine, provided art work to the US Marine Corps Public Relations Department, did work for the Office of Civilian Defense including creating a new version of the Civil Defense Logo, and illustrated an aircraft recognition guide for the War Department, Bureau of Public Relations. After World War II, Heaslip moved to Hackettstown, New Jersey where he took occasional commissions, painted and sold landscapes, and taught art classes.
Provenance:
Megan Blake, Gift, 2022, NASM.2022.0036.
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.
Occupation:
Artists  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Airplanes  Search this
Airports  Search this
Genre/Form:
Files
Citation:
William J. Heaslip Aviation Reference Files, NASM.2022.0036, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2022.0036
See more items in:
William J. Heaslip Aviation Reference Files
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg20497efc8-b826-4688-859b-4cd78fd40f6f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2022-0036

Regional Aviation Assistance Group Reports [Posey]

Creator:
Posey, Carl A.  Search this
Names:
Civil Aeronautics Administration  Search this
Civil Aviation Administration. Regional Aviation Assistance Group  Search this
Federal Aviation Administration  Search this
Posey, Carl A.  Search this
Extent:
1.35 Cubic feet (3 legal document boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Reports
Place:
Bolivia
El Salvador
Colombia
Honduras
Haiti
Trinidad
British Guiana
Spain
Lebanon
Afghanistan
Costa Rica
Venezuela
Panama
Uruguay
Paraguay
Chile
Date:
1945-1966
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of airport reports and plans, mostly written by Posey, for the following countries: Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, Trinidad, British Guiana, Spain, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
Biographical / Historical:
The Regional Aviation Assistance Group, an organizational unit of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (later the Federal Aviation Administration), issued many status reports and development plans relating to airports and aviation facilities around the world. Carl A. Posey was an airport engineer with this group.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Carl A. Posey, Jr., Gift, 2000, NASM.2000.0023, Public Domain
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:
Airports  Search this
Airports -- Planning  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Air travel  Search this
Genre/Form:
Correspondence
Reports
Identifier:
NASM.2000.0023
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2454c03dd-6a71-44f4-a8bb-bfdc108b57b5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2000-0023

New York Airways Collection

Creator:
Wheatland, Richard, II, 1923-2009  Search this
Names:
Air Transport Association of America  Search this
American Helicopter Society  Search this
Bell Helicopter Company  Search this
Civil Aeronautics Board  Search this
Civil Aeronautics Board  Search this
Eastern Airlines, Inc.  Search this
International Air Transport Association  Search this
Los Angeles Airways  Search this
New York Airways  Search this
Pan American World Airways, Inc.  Search this
Port of New York Authority  Search this
Sikorsky (Aircraft manufacturer)  Search this
Trans World Airlines  Search this
Extent:
7.63 Cubic feet (7 records center boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Clippings
Ephemera
Financial records
Photographs
Publications
Manuscripts
Reports
Timetables
Date:
1929-1971
bulk 1952-1969
Summary:
Collection consists of materials created by and collected by Richard Wheatland II during the period when he served as a Vice President of New York Airways (1953-1968), a helicopter airline operating in the New York City metropolitan area from 1952-1977.
Scope and Contents:
The collection includes a variety of material, probably collected by Richard Wheatland II (1923-2009) during the period 1953-1968 when he served as a Vice President of New York Airways (NYA). The material reflects the administration of the airline and many of the activities of its president, Robert L. Cummings, Jr., as well as its dealings with organizations such as the Air Transport Association (ATA), American Helicopter Society, Bell Helicopter, Eastern Air Lines, the Grand Central Building, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Pan America World Airways (Pan Am), the Port of New York Authority (PONYA), Sikorsky, Trans World Airlines (TWA), other organizations interested in helicopter operations, and the federal government. In addition to administrative correspondence, memoranda, proposals, employee operations manuals, speeches, and reports, there are also a large number of manuscripts and publications, clippings, timetables and other ephemera, and a small number of photographs.

New York Airways' fleet included several helicopter models over the airline's lifetime, including the Sikorsky S-55, Sikorsky S-58, Bell 47H (used for charter work), Vertol V-44 (civil version of the Piasecki H-21 Workhorse), Boeing-Vertol Model 107, and Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N models. The collection contains materials relating to these aircraft and helicopter operations in general as well as other vertical flight and short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft including the Cierva CR Twin (CR LTH.1, Grasshopper III), Hughes H-500, Hiller FH-1100, Bell 206 JetRanger, and Fairchild (Pilatus) Porter (Heli-Porter, Turbo-Porter).

In addition to the material directly relating to NYA, the collection includes material on topics of interest to the NYA executives. This includes information on the other two helicopter carriers, Los Angeles Airways (LAA) and Helicopter Air Services (HAS) of Chicago, as well as the later San Francisco & Oakland Helicopter Airlines (SFO), and other international, national, and local airlines. Also included are a large number of materials directly relating to air transportation and urban planning issues in the New York City metropolitan area (including northern New Jersey), particularly those related to the airports NYA served: Newark International Airport (IATA airport code EWR) and Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, LaGuardia Airport (LGA), West 30th Street Heliport (JRA), Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB), Pan Am Building Heliport (JPB), and New York International Airport, Anderson Field, commonly known as "Idlewild" (IDL). New York International Airport was renamed as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on December 24, 1963.

Series 2I (1973 Acquisition) contains more of Wheatland's personal notes on various topics, and also includes materials on topics of general business executive interest such as public speaking and management techniques.
Arrangement:
Contents are in original order as received by NASM Archives. Folders in both series are arranged (roughly) in alphabetical by original folder title. Materials within the folders in Series 2 (1973 Acquisition) tend to appear in reverse chronological order. Multiple copies of the same materials may appear in different folders.

Digital images of materials in this collection were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping, orientation, and color variations. Some materials may not be visible online due to copyright restrictions.
Biographical / Historical:
Incorporated on August 31, 1949, New York Airways (NYA), one of the first three helicopter carriers certificated by the United States Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), began mail service between New York City's three major airports on October 15, 1952, and on July 8, 1953, inaugurated the world's first regularly scheduled passenger helicopter service. As was the case with all of the helicopter carriers, NYA depended heavily on government subsidies for its economic health, but worked steadily towards its goal of financial self-sufficiency, extending its routes into nearby Connecticut and New Jersey, carrying freight, and doing charter work. In October 1955, NYA signed joint fare agreements with many national and international airlines, promoting their service by making it easier for passengers transferring to and from the major New York City airports to go "all the way by air." As ground traffic in the New York metropolitan area became increasingly congested, NYA, based at LaGuardia Airport, worked closely with the Port of New York Authority (PONYA) to establish heliports on the island of Manhattan, inaugurating service into the West 30th Street Heliport in 1956 and the Wall Street Heliport (at Pier 6 on the East River) in 1960. In December 1956, as part of a campaign to break the color barrier in the airline industry, NYA hired pilot Perry H. Young, Jr.; Young made his first regularly scheduled flight for NYA as a co-pilot on February 5, 1957, becoming the the first Black pilot for a commercial airline in the United States.

High operating costs continued to be an issue for all of the helicopter carriers, and in 1958, after continuing criticism from the CAB on the subject of alleged excessive costs and increasing subsidy need, NYA was forced to suspend some services. In 1961 Congress put a ceiling on helicopter carrier subsidy payments. The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair provided NYA the opportunity to add passenger and sightseeing service to and from the rooftop heliport of the Port of New York Authority Building at the Fair. Ever seeking a way to reduce its need for government subsidies (which were eventually withdrawn), in June 1965 NYA entered into operating support agreements with Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Pan American World Airways, whose passengers were some of NYA's biggest customers. NYA is perhaps most famous for its regularly scheduled passenger service from the rooftop heliport atop the Pan Am Building, inaugurated on December 21, 1965. Though undeniably glamorous, the noisy NYA helicopters were not appreciated by many of their midtown Manhattan neighbors. Service to the Pan Am Building heliport was cancelled on February 18, 1968, due to inadequate passenger loads, then was briefly resumed in early 1977 until a fatal accident on May 16, 1977, ended NYA service from the heliport. Already suffering from financial setbacks and rising fuel prices, NYA ceased operations permanently following a fatal accident at Newark International Airport on April 18, 1979, and filed for bankruptcy the following month in May 1979.

Richard Wheatland II, born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1923, served in the United States Navy from 1943-1946 as a deck officer on a destroyer-minelayer in the Pacific; after his discharge he did one year of graduate work in government at Harvard University and then attended Columbia Law School, receiving his law degree in 1949. From 1950 to 1952, Wheatland was based in Paris, France, employed by the US Government in a division of the Office of the Special Representative in Europe for the Marshall Plan. Wheatland returned to New York to join New York Airways in January 1953 as the Manager of the airline's Traffic and Sales Department, and soon became NYA's Vice President of Sales and Service. He was married in 1954 to Cynthia McAdoo. Wheatland left the company in 1968 to take a position in his native home of Boston, and died peacefully at his home on June 26, 2009.

NOTE: The airline covered by this collection, New York Airways (1951), should not be confused with an earlier New York Airways (1927) which was founded July 8, 1927, operated as a subsidiary of Pan American Airways, and was sold to Eastern Air Transport on July 15, 1931. It should also not be confused with the unrelated but similarly named New York Air (owned by Frank Lorenzo's Texas Air Corporation) which was founded in late 1980 and ceased operations on February 1, 1987, when it merged with Continental Airlines.
Provenance:
Richard Wheatland II, Gift, 1973, 1992, NASM.1992.0052
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, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Air mail service  Search this
Airports  Search this
Airports -- New York  Search this
Helicopters  Search this
Helicopter transportation  Search this
Periodicals  Search this
Genre/Form:
Correspondence
Clippings
Ephemera -- 1940-1970
Financial records
Photographs
Publications
Manuscripts
Reports
Timetables
Citation:
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.1992.0052
See more items in:
New York Airways Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b3bbcc9d-3a28-4c1e-b604-d388bf85f32e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1992-0052
Online Media:

Airport Color Slides

Creator:
McGrath, Dorn  Search this
Extent:
0.36 Cubic feet ((1 box))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Date:
bulk 1971-1997
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 738 color slides of the following airports and their environs taken or collected by Dorn McGrath: Andrews Air Force Base (Camp Springs, MD); Atlanta Hartsfield - Jackson International Airport (Atlanta, GA); Bradley International Airport (Hartford, CT); General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (Boston, MA); Buffalo Niagara International Airport (Buffalo, NY); Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (Baltimore, MD); Cleveland - Hopkins International Airport (Cleveland, OH); Dallas - Love Field (Dallas, TX); Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington, DC); Denver International Airport (Denver, CO); Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (Irving, TX); New Denver International Airport (Denver, CO); Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, FL); Frankfurt International (Germany); Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (Fort Lauderdale, FL); Gainesville Regional Airport (Gainesville, FL); Piedmont Triad International Airport (Greensboro, NC); William P. Hobby Airport (Houston, TX); Indianapolis International Airport (Indianapolis, In); John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York, NY); Chautauqua County / Jamestown Airport (Jamestown, NY); LaGuardia Airport (New York, NY); Orlando International Airport (Orlando, FL); Memphis International Airport (Memphis, TN); Miami International Airport (Miami, FL); Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (Kenner) (New Orleans, LA); Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (Oakland, CA); Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City, OK); O'Hare international Airport (Chicago, IL); San Diego International / Lindbergh Field Airport (San Diego, CA); Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Seattle, WA); Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (Sarasota, FL); Syracuse Hancock International Airport (Syracuse, NY); Tulsa International Airport (Tulsa, OK); Lester B. Person International Airport (Toronto, Canada); Naval Air Station Barbers Point (Hawaii); Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Virginia); Naval Air Station Oceana (Virginia); and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (California).
Biographical / Historical:
Dorn McGrath is Professor Emeritus of Urban and Regional Planning and Geography. In 2003 he retired from the George Washington University where he was the founder of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Director of the Institute for Urban Development Research, Chairman of the Department of Geography and Regional Science, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, and one of the founders of the University's Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. McGrath's interest in airports stems from his interest in urban development and planning.
Provenance:
Dorn C. McGrath, Jr., Gift, 2012
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
Airports -- Planning  Search this
Airports  Search this
Urban transportation  Search this
Genre/Form:
Slides (photographs)
Citation:
Airport Color Slides, Accession 2013-0002, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2013.0002
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg22c43612b-9d1c-4eab-bc55-b42c7e5c8f31
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2013-0002

Paul S. Baker Papers

Creator:
Baker, Paul S.  Search this
Extent:
2.63 Cubic feet ((3 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Panoramas
Photographic prints
Negatives
Correspondence
Reports
Maps
Date:
bulk 1929-1993
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following: five oversized rolled panoramic unit group photographs from Brooks Field, 1929; reports from the engineering department of Chance Vought Aircraft; pilot log books; design study brochures; the flight records of Paul S. Baker; volumes 1-5 of the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences; correspondence; maps; ten issues of The Flying Kaydet; and photographs. The reports include information on the following aircraft: Vought F4U-1 Corsair; Vought XF5U-1 Skimmer; Vought F7U-3 Cutlass; Vought XF7U-1 Cutlass; Vought XF6U-1 Pirate; and North American P-51A Mustang. The photographs include: fifteen 3 x 5 black and white photographs taken during an orientation cruise in June 1946; nine 3.5 x 4.5 black and white photographs of the Vought XOS2U-1 Kingfisher; twelve 3.5 x 4.5 black and white photographs of the Vought XSB2U-1 Vindicator taken in 1937; twelve 3 x 4.5 negatives of the XO4U-2 Cockpit Cooling tank; eight 2.5 x 4 black and white photographs of employees working in the structures section of the Chance Vought Aircraft Engineering Department; one 3 x 5 black and white photograph of the plant of the Chance Vought Corporation in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul S. Baker (born October 2, 1907), received his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from MIT In 1929 and that same year learned to fly at Brooks Field, Texas. Baker was an experimental test pilot, chief of aerodynamics, engineering manager and chief technical engineer, for Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft and Chance Vought Aircraft - United Aircraft Corporation. Baker was active in the United States Army Air Corps Reserve, especially with the 118th Photo Section. Throughout his life, Baker was an activist for the environment and a member of several ornithological societies. After retirement, Baker began work with the Center for Conservation Biology.
Provenance:
Paul Seaman Baker, Gift, 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:
Vought aircraft  Search this
Airports  Search this
Vougth F4U-1 Corsair  Search this
Vought XF5U-1 Skimmer  Search this
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass  Search this
Vought XF6U-1 Pirate  Search this
Vought XOS2U-1 Kingfisher  Search this
Vought XSB2U-1 Vindicator  Search this
North American P-51A Mustang  Search this
Vought XF7U-1 Cutlass  Search this
Periodicals  Search this
Genre/Form:
Panoramas
Photographic prints
Negatives
Correspondence
Reports
Maps
Citation:
Paul S. Baker Papers, Accession number XXXX-0655, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0655
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg20f7068c3-87cc-4bf7-89b9-05074a2ad6b5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0655

Dulles Report - Part II Film

Creator:
Federal Aviation Administration  Search this
Names:
Dulles International Airport  Search this
Extent:
0.08 Cubic feet (One 16mm film.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures
Date:
1962
Summary:
One 16mm film, Dulles Report - Part II, relating to the construction of Washington Dulles International Airport.
Scope and Contents:
Produced by the Federal Aviation Agency in 1962, this 16mm film, Dulles Report - Part II, relates to the construction of Washington Dulles International Airport.
Arrangement:
Only one item.
Biographical / Historical:
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located west of Washington, DC, in Virginia's Loudoun and Fairfax counties. Opened in 1962, the airport was designed by Eero Saarinen, and named after John Foster Dulles who was the 52nd Secretary of State.
Provenance:
Philip Omenitsch, Gift, 2020, NASM.2020.001
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
Airports  Search this
Genre/Form:
Motion pictures
Citation:
Dulles Report - Part II Film, NASM.2020.0017, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2020.0017
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg20c9e6075-c56e-4221-8653-76c2ef2b4d21
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2020-0017

Hans Groenhoff Photographic Collection

Creator:
Groenhoff, Hans  Search this
Names:
Groenhoff, Hans  Search this
Extent:
5.27 Cubic feet (41 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Aerial photographs
Date:
1933-1975
Summary:
Hans Groenhoff (1906-1985) was a celebrated American aviation photographer from the 1930s through the 1960s, also working as a pilot, journalist, editor, correspondent, and—in his retirement years—as an aviation tourism publicist for the Bahamas. This collection of 25,550 images consists of Groenhoff's collection of negatives and transparencies, spanning his career from 1933 to 1975.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of Groenhoff's collection of negatives and transparencies, spanning his career from 1933 to 1975, and includes images of military and civilian aircraft and events, glider and sailplane activities, air shows and races, airlines and airports, weather (clouds) and aerial images.
Arrangement:
Series 1: 1962 Acquisition, approximately 24,250 images; photography made by Groenhoff in the period 1933 to 1962, consists of mixed medium format black-and-white negative single-sheet or cut-frame roll film (Subseries 1, HGA), 35mm black-and-white roll film (Subseries 2, HGD), and mixed medium format color transparency (positive) film (Subseries 3, HGC), as well as black-and-white print enlargements made by the Smithsonian of selected images. Also included in this series are a small number of posed portraits of Groenhoff at work.

Series 2: 1984 Acquisition (HGB), approximately 1,300 images; photography made by Groenhoff in the 1960s and 1970s, primarily during his employment with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, consists of mixed format black-and-white and color roll film and a small number of 35mm color slides.

Series 3: "Focus On Flight" Exhibit and Book Materials. This small series consists of mixed materials (copy photography and documents) used in the creation of the NASM exhibit, Focus on Flight: Four Decades of Aerial Photography (Rudy Arnold and Hans Groenhoff) (November 1984 through September 1985), and the related book by curator E. T. (Tim) Wooldridge, Focus on Flight: The Aviation Photography of Hans Groenhoff, published for the National Air and Space Museum by Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, D.C.), 1985.
Biographical/Historical note:
Hans Groenhoff (1906-1985) was born and educated in Germany, but emigrated to the United States in 1927. Residing in New York City, Groenhoff pursued his interest in aviation and photography. Following in the footsteps of his brother Günther, a famous aviator and pioneer glider pilot in Germany, Hans Groenhoff became an active glider pilot in the nearby Elmira, New York, area, nurturing a lifelong fascination with clouds and aerial photography. Groenhoff's photography career took off when he inherited two cameras following the death of his brother in a glider accident in 1932; he went on to work as a photographer, journalist, editor, and correspondent, with his photographs and articles published in mainstream magazines such as Life, Colliers, Esquire, National Geographic, and The Saturday Evening Post, as well as aviation publications such as Air Trails Pictorial, Sportsman Pilot, Aero Digest, and especially Flying and Popular Aviation, for whom he was a regular correspondent. Groenhoff also shot advertising and publicity photography for aircraft manufacturers and the U.S. Army Air Forces. Following the death of his first wife, Fridel Barth, in 1954, Groenhoff moved to the Miami, Florida, area to take advantage of better weather for photographing aircraft. In 1956, Groenhoff married Frances Semman, who assisted him in his work. In his retirement years, Groenhoff was employed by the Bahamas Government to promote the Islands as a tourist destination for private and sport aviation, founding their popular "Bahamas Flying Treasure Hunt" events which ran annually for several years.

Hans Groenhoff's aviation photography career is documented in the book Focus on Flight: The Aviation Photography of Hans Groenhoff by E. T. Woodridge (Smithsonian Institution, 1985).
Provenance:
Hans Groenhoff, Purchase, 1962, 1984, NASM.XXXX.0359, NASM
Restrictions:
Physical access to film originals (negatives, transparencies, and slides) requires notice a minimum of two business days in advance of visit to allow for retrieval of materials from cold storage.
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
Aerial photography  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics, Military  Search this
Gliders  Search this
Airlines  Search this
Airports  Search this
Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this
Air pilots  Search this
Women air pilots  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Seaplanes  Search this
Airships  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Aerial Photographs
Citation:
Hans Groenhoff Photographic Collection, Acc. XXXX.0359, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0359
See more items in:
Hans Groenhoff Photographic Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2f7b2d001-7239-4fc6-9453-6d64f0e29d12
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0359
Online Media:

Crocker Snow Collection

Creator:
Snow, Crocker  Search this
Names:
Logan International Airport. Boston, MA  Search this
Massachussetts. Aeronautics Commission  Search this
Skyways  Search this
United States. Army Air Forces. 498th Bombardment Group  Search this
United States. Aviation Advisory Commission  Search this
Snow, Crocker  Search this
Extent:
41.4 Cubic feet ((37 records center boxes) (1 flatbox))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Reports
Manuscripts
Videotapes
Audiotapes
Publications
Photographs
Date:
[ca. 1920s-1990s]
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 40 cubic feet of material documenting the varied aviation career of Crocker Snow. These materials include the following types of media: photographs, published materials, audio and videotapes, manuscripts, reports, surveys, propaganda leaflets, correspondence, and scrapbooks. There is quite a bit of material relating to airport planning, in specifically Boston Logan Airport and the problems of noise pollution.
Biographical / Historical:
Crocker Snow was involved in many facets of aviation, most notably in the areas of aviation law and politics. Highlights of his career, which are covered in this collection, include the following: documentation on his company, Skyways, formed in 1927, one of the first commercial flying operations at East Boston's airport; Snow's role as author of the first comprehensive aeronautical law for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Snow's role as Director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission from its creation until 1976; and Snow's role as Chairman of the President's Aviation Advisory Commission in 1972. Snows' World War II military aviation career is also covered here in some detail including his stints as the commanding officer of the North Atlantic Sector of the Air Corps Ferrying Command, his role as commander of a provisional B-17 Bomb Group, and his organization of and participation with the 498th B-29 Bomb Group, which took part in numerous bombing and propaganda missions against the Japanese mainland.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Janice Snow, Gift, 2001, 2001-0059, 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:
Airports  Search this
Aeronautics, Military  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Aeronautics and state  Search this
Aeronautics -- Law and legislation  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Noise pollution  Search this
Airports -- Planning  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Reports
Manuscripts
Videotapes
Audiotapes
Publications
Photographs
Identifier:
NASM.2001.0059
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg20bc2ba0f-91b4-48b8-ab36-3f57a49a4778
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2001-0059

Pan American Airways (Pan Am) Collection [Jones]

Names:
Pan American World Airways, Inc.  Search this
Extent:
6 Cubic feet ((5 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Reports
Memorabilia
Technical drawings
Place:
Caribbean Area
Date:
bulk 1930-2001
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of six cubic feet of material mostly relating to the Pan Am Communications Department and their work in Latin America. This material includes the following types of material: photographs, charts, drawings, weather memos, reports and manuals. This collection also includes material relating to Pan Am employees, such as retirement, insurance, union, travel policies, and general Pan Am memorabilia.
Biographical / Historical:
Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was active in the airline industry from 1927, when it established a regular scheduled international service, to its bankruptcy in late 1991. Pan American was the first American airline to operate a permanent international air service. From its first route between Key West and Havana, Pan Am extended its routes into the rest of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. In 1936, Pan Am inaugurated passenger service in the Pacific, and began service in the Atlantic in 1939. Pan Am started around-the-world commercial air service in 1947. Besides setting many "firsts" with routes, Pan Am also established "firsts" in the aircraft technology they chose, such as being the first to use Boeing 747s in regular scheduled services.
Provenance:
Margaret Jones, Gift, 2015
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
Airlines  Search this
Airports -- Communication systems  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Reports
Memorabilia -- 20th century
Technical drawings
Citation:
Pan American Airways (Pan Am) Collection [Jones], Accession 2015-0043, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2015.0043
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ef79301d-8854-46df-963a-3eb55cc53c9f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2015-0043

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