Aircraft History Cards

The National Air and Space Museum Archives Division holds microfilm copies of aircraft records created by the United States Air Force and its predecessors and the United States Navy. These records are commonly called Aircraft History Cards. The Museum's holdings are partial duplicate sets of those held by the services. The Museum holdings do not include history cards for aircraft operated by Army Ground Forces/Army Aviation (post-WWII), non-activated Air National Guard units, or the United States Coast Guard.

WHAT IS AN AIRCRAFT HISTORY CARD?

An Aircraft History Card (or the USAF "Individual Aircraft Record Card") is a compilation of the inventory history of a single aircraft, showing the location or controlling unit and status of that aircraft at a given time. Other information may also be included, such as airframe time, time since overhaul, and so forth. In most cases, this history covers the period from the acceptance of the aircraft by the controlling service until it is removed from that service's inventory.

WHAT AN AIRCRAFT HISTORY CARD IS NOT:

Aircraft History Cards are not an operational history of the aircraft. They do not include any information on missions flown, crews assigned, or markings. They do not generally include specific maintenance or modification information. The records for Army Air Forces (AAF) aircraft transferred overseas during World War II stop upon arrival in theater and do not resume until the aircraft either returns to the Continental United States or is removed from the inventory. Gaps exist for both Navy and AAF aircraft during 1943-1944, apparently due to changes in record-keeping policies and systems. Other gaps may exist on some cards and most cards contain a variety of data formats.

OBTAINING AIRCRAFT HISTORY CARDS

Send your request for History Card information via email or to the address below. The Archives staff can provide copies of the history cards for up to three specific aircraft by military serial number (AF serial number or Navy Bureau of Aeronautics number). As most of these records are in code, we will also attempt a basic interpretation of the data; however, our understanding of the codes used on these cards is incomplete. If the records for any single request require more than 20 printed pages, you will be billed for the prints at 30¢ per page.

Duplicates of complete rolls of Aircraft History Card microfilm are also available; please download the Aircraft History Cards Microfilm order form (Adobe Acrobat PDF format, 434k) for ordering instructions; also consult our shipping rates to calculate your shipping charges.

Duplicates of complete rolls of microfilm are also available; please contact the Archives for more information.

Finding Aids for the Air Force and Navy History Cards are also available.

The Museum holds microfilm covering the following aircraft:

US Air Force:
Aircraft retired from the Air Force inventory from the late-1920s through May 1953 except aircraft whose record cards had been removed from the master aircraft file prior to microfilming due to security or other concerns.

US Navy:
All aircraft through Fiscal Year 1986 (ending September 30, 1986) except Lend-Lease aircraft purchased under Navy contract and delivered directly to an Allied power.

For history cards on other military aircraft, please contact the appropriate agency:

TO REVIEW THE RECORDS IN PERSON:

We encourage researchers to visit the National Air and Space Museum Archives and review these records in person, particularly if their research needs are extensive. The records are available at the Archives reading rooms at both the Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia and at the Museum in Washington, DC.

Mail your history card request to:

Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012
National Air and Space Museum
Archives Division, Rm 3100, MRC 322
Washington, DC
20013-7012