A. Francis Arcier Collection
Acc. XXXX-0072

Born in London, Alex Francis Arcier was an aviator, scientist, designer and engineer whose pioneering work in aviation design spanned six decades. Among his designs are the Barling Bomber and the Fokker TriMotor. He later supervised glider production for Waco during World War II, and served as Chief Scientist for U.S. Air Force Intelligence at Wright-Patterson AFB until his retirement in 1963. 3 cu. ft. (6 boxes)

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Rudy Arnold Photo Collection
Acc. XXXX-0356

Rudy Arnold (1902-1966) was a commercial aviation photographer. The Rudy Arnold Photo Collection primarily consists of images he took between circa 1920 through 1940. The majority of these images are of American aircraft such as Grumman, Douglas, Lockheed and Curtiss. The collection also contains images he took of aviation personalities including Douglas Corrigan, Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post and Howard Hughes.

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The Giuseppe M. Bellanca Collection
Acc. 1993-0055

Aircraft designed by Giuseppe Bellanca attracted the attention of many "Golden Age" aviators, including Charles Lindbergh. The Bellanca Collection contains not only the personal and professional papers of this important aeronautical engineer and pilot, but also the corporate records of the Bellanca Aircraft Corporation. 248.50 cubic feet (177 boxes).

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Arthur Raymond Brooks Collection
Acc. 1988-0051, 1989-0104, 1991-0046

Arthur Raymond Brooks (1895-1991) was a fighter pilot for the U.S. Army Air Service during World War I and later, a civil aviation pioneer. During the war, he became an ace by shooting down six German aircraft. After leaving military service in 1922, Brooks helped establish the Florida Airways Corporation, surveyed air routes for the Department of Commerce's Aeronautics Branch and contributed in the development of ground-to-air radiotelephone communications while working for Bell Telephone Laboratories. He lived long enough to be the last surviving American ace of World War I. This collection consists of official military documents, correspondence, reports, handbooks, photographs, brochures, programs, magazines, newsletters, newspaper clippings, diaries, notes, transcripts, logbooks, books and miscellaneous materials. Collection size is 13.72 cubic feet (31 boxes).

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Carl H. Claudy Photography Collection
Acc. XXXX-0549

During the early 1900s, Carl Harry Claudy (1879-1957) photographed several important aeronautical events: Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite experiments; flights of the airship Signal Corps No. 1, the U.S. Army's first powered aircraft; and the Wright Military Flyer trials at Fort Meyer, Virginia. Attending these events were well-known figures of the day, and Claudy photographed many of them: Orville and Wilbur Wright, Glenn Curtiss, Alexander Graham Bell, President William Howard Taft, Thomas Baldwin, and Alice Roosevelt. Claudy's photographs are a valuable record of the early days of aeronautics and of the people who played a part in them.

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Glenn H. Curtiss Collection
Acc. XXXX-0053

Glenn H. Curtiss (1878-1930) was an early aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation. In July 1908, he won the Scientific American trophy for the first public airplane flight of one kilometer in the U.S. with his June Bug. During World War I, Curtiss' factories manufactured aircraft for the U.S., Britain and Russia. Some of these airplanes included the famous Curtiss JN-4 Jenny trainer, as well as the Navy-Curtiss type flying boats. One such Curtiss machine, the NC-4, made the first transatlantic flight in May 1919. By the 1920s, Curtiss was concentrating on producing racer airplanes, amphibian aircraft with retractable landing gear and fighters for the U.S. Army. This collection consists of correspondence, miscellaneous corporate materials, reports, photographs, menus, programs, tributes, books, journals, newsletters, newspaper clippings, patent materials, a scrapbook and legal materials. Collection size is 2.70 cubic feet (6 boxes).

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Curtiss-Wright Corporation Archives - Patent Files
Acc. 1987-0029

The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was formed in 1929 by the merger of Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and Wright Aeronautical Corporation. This important corporation in the aircraft industry ceased airframe production in 1951, but still exists to this day. The Curtiss-Wright Corporation Archives - Patent Files collection consists primarily of materials relating to patents issued to and maintained by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation and its subsidiaries from the 1910s to the 1950s, though the bulk of the materials pre-date World War II. The majority of the collection is original patent certificates. Other materials include records of litigation proceedings, correspondence, memoranda, aircraft drawings and blueprints, sales brochures, meeting minutes, and reports for the U.S. Navy Department. Collection size: 8.1 cubic feet (18 boxes).

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James H. Doolittle Scrapbooks
Acc. XXXX-0501

James "Jimmy" Doolittle (1896-1993) enjoyed a career of unusual impact. A flying instructor during World War I, he became known for his skill as a pilot. In the years between the wars, he won several trophy races and set many records. His work with instrument ("blind") flying would be of great importance to aviation. Returning to service in World War II, Doolittle led the April 1942 raid on Tokyo from the USS Hornet. 10 cubic feet (9 boxes)

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Early Birds of Aviation, Inc. Collection
Acc. XXXX-0566

Founded after the National Air Races of 1928, the Early Birds was an organization of pilots who had soloed before December 17, 1916. 18 cubic feet (45 boxes).

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Garland Fulton Collection
Acc. XXXX-0101

Captain Garland Fulton, USN (1890-1974) was one of the Navy's leading proponents of lighter-than-air (LTA) flight. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912 and duty with the fleet, Fulton entered the Naval Construction Corps in 1915. In May 1918, Fulton asked to be assigned to aeronautical engineering duties in the Aviation Section of the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair. Fulton transferred to the Bureau of Aeronautics when that organization was founded in 1921. In 1922, he was sent to the Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen, Germany, to serve as Inspector of Naval Aircraft during the construction and test flights of the LZ 126 rigid airship, later named the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3). Fulton later oversaw the design and construction of the USS Akron (ZRS-4) and the USS Macon (ZRS-5), and worked actively to help further the acceptance of large airships in both the Navy and in commerce. Under Fulton's guidance, expansion of the Navy's non-rigid airship (blimp) program was initiated in the years prior to the United States' entry into World War II.

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Glen A. Gilbert Collection, 1935-1982
Acc. XXXX-0187

Glen A. Gilbert (1913-1982), pilot, administrator and aviation consultant, played a key role in the development of the United States and international Air Traffic Control (ATC) System. He helped develop and operate collision-avoidance procedures for aircraft operating under instrument conditions until this service was taken over by the federal government. Mr. Gilbert represented the United States at a number of international conferences on aviation and played a key role in the formation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944. This collection contains seven bound volumes of Gilbert's written work. Collection size is 1.5 cu. ft. (3.5 document boxes)

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Edgar S. Gorrell Collection
Acc. XXXX-0057

Edgar S. Gorrell (1891-1945) was a pilot and an advocate for aviation safety. He served in the military from 1912-1920, eventually achieving the rank of Colonel and the position of Chief of Staff for the Air Service. He then spent sixteen years in the automobile business before being named president of the Air Transport Association of America in 1936. This collection mainly pertains to Gorrell's work for the Air Transport Association of America, with the material including his correspondence and speeches, the Congressional hearings and reports for the bills he advocated, and publications and newspaper articles about him and his career. Also in the collection are several photographs and photograph albums from World War I. 3.59 cubic feet (9 boxes).

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William J. Hammer Collection
Acc. XXXX-0074

William J. Hammer (1858-1934) was an associate of Thomas Edison and early aviation supporter and enthusiast. From 1879 to 1890, Hammer worked for Edison in a variety of progressively more responsible positions. Starting in 1890 and continuing until 1925, he worked as an independent consulting electrical engineer. While employed in many scientific and engineering duties, Hammer had a particular passion for aeronautics. Beyond paying careful attention to the rapid progress made in this field at the turn of the twentieth century, he also played an active role as participant and supporter. He attended and officiated over many balloon, airship and airplane exhibitions and races. Hammer was a member of the Aero Club of America and a director of the Aeronautical Society. He served as expert and secretary of the Aeronautics Committee on the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission of 1909 and wrote the contracts for Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss to fly their airplanes for this event. As a friend of the Wrights Hammer testified as an expert witness on their behalf during various patent litigation suits. He also knew and interacted with , among others, Samuel Langley, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henri Farman and Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Hammer also developed radium-based luminous compounds and used them on aircraft instruments so pilots could more easily view their cockpits' dials and gauges. This collection consists of correspondence, reports, handbooks, drawings, brochures, programs, leaflets, magazines, articles, newspaper clippings, photographs and miscellaneous materials. Collection size is 5.66 cubic feet (13 boxes).

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Gerard Post Herrick Collection
Acc. XXXX-0097

Gerard Post Herrick (1873-1955) was a lawyer and engineer who is credited as the inventor of the convertible aircraft. This collection consists of correspondence, press clippings, and engineering drawings relating to Herrick's work, particularly the Herrick Vertoplane/Convertoplane series. 11.62 cu. ft. (8 boxes, 5 drawers)

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Fred Howard Vin Fiz Special Papers
Acc. 2007-0002

The first crossing of the United States by airplane was achieved by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911 in his Wright EX biplane, named the Vin Fiz. To finance the trip, Rodgers had secured backing from the Armour Company, a Chicago firm that was then introducing a new grape-flavored soft drink called Vin Fiz. Armour provided Rodgers with a special train, called the Vin Fiz Special. Fred Howard was placed in charge of the Vin Fiz Special and soon also took charge of the command center, juggling both railroad matters and aviation repairs. In Chicago, Howard was commended for his effort and asked to continue with the flight to California, but he declined. Collection size is 0.80 cu.ft. (2 boxes).

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Jerome Clarke Hunsaker Papers
Acc. XXXX-0001

Jerome Clarke Hunsaker (1886-1984) was an aeronautical engineer and designer who was instrumental in the design of the Curtiss NC-4 and the USS Shenandoah, the construction of the USS Akron and the USS Macon, and the development of the modern wind tunnel. 8 cubic feet (28 boxes).

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Clement Melville Keys Papers
Acc. XXXX-0091

Clement Melville Keys (1876-1952) was a financier and corporate organizer who headed the Curtiss group of companies and founded the first transcontinental air service, Transcontinental Air Transport. This collection consists primarily of Keys' business records and correspondence from the 1920s and early 1930s.

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Frank Purdy Lahm Collection
Acc. 1986-0044

Cavalryman, balloonist, and the U. S. Army's second pilot, Frank Purdy Lahm (1877-1963) was a central figure in the pioneering days of military aviation. Trained as a pilot by Wilbur Wright, Lahm later commanded both lighter-than-air (LTA) and aviation units during World War I, and was instrumental in establishing the Air Corps Training Center (later Randolph Field) in San Antonio, Texas, training the young pilots who would lead the Army Air Forces in World War II. 1.09 cubic feet (1 box).

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Samuel P. Langley Collection
Acc. XXXX-0494

Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834-1906) was an astronomer and pioneer of aeronautical research. He served as the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1887-1906). In 1886, Langley became interested in the study of aeronautics. Starting in 1890, Smithsonian staff built a series of powered aircraft of his design called the Aerodromes. In 1903, two test flights of his manned Great Aerodrome failed, the final attempt made one week before the successful first flight of the Wright brothers' Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17. The Langley Collection consists of the notes, drawings, photographs and correspondence from Langley's aeronautical work. It also includes manuscript material from the Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, published posthumously. 24.28 cubic feet (64 boxes)

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Charles M. Manly Papers
Acc. 1999-0004

In 1898, Smithsonian Secretary Samuel P. Langley hired Charles Matthews Manly (1876-1927) of Staunton, Virginia, a Cornell University senior majoring in electrical and mechanical engineering, to serve as Langley's assistant in his aeronautical research. Manley supervised the design and construction of Langley's Great Aerodrome, the large manned aircraft being built under the sponsorship of the Army's Board of Ordnance and Fortification. Manly piloted the Great Aerodrome on its two unsuccessful launch attempts in 1903. After leaving the Smithsonian in 1905, Manly served as a consulting aviation engineer. Manly also completed and edited Langley's Memoir on Mechanical Flight which was published by the Smithsonian in 1911. Manly was granted over fifty 50 patents relating to automotive transportation, power generation, and transmission. In 1929, Manly was posthumously awarded the Langley Medal for outstanding aeronautical achievements. This collection consists of material relating to Manly's aeronautical career, specifically his work with Samuel Langley's Aerodrome and his work on the preparation of the Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight.

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Thomas DeWitt Milling Collection
Acc. XXXX-0133

One of the United States Army's first two regular pilots (the other was H. H. "Hap" Arnold), Milling set many aviation records and was dubbed "one of the foremost aviators of the world." He later became instrumental in the burgeoning field of flight instruction and earned America's Distinguished Service Medal as well as France's Legion of Honor. 1.5 cubic feet (4 boxes).

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Moisant Family Scrapbooks
Acc. XXXX-0535

The Moisant Family--John, Alfred and Matilde--jointly established the Moisant Aviation School in New York in 1911. Unlike many other early aviation schools, the Moisants accepted women as students, the most renowned of whom was Harriet Quimby, the first woman to receive a pilot license in America--Matilde Moisant was the second. The collection consists of three oversized scrapbooks containing newspaper accounts of the Moisants' flying escapades, as well as press releases and writings. The articles also discuss other aviators, such as Quimby, who were associated with the Moisants. 3.48 cubic feet (3 boxes).

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Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection
Acc. XXXX-0450

A mechanical engineer who contributed to the design of the Kettering Bug and the Wright-Whirlwind J-5 engine, Morehouse compiled after his retirement a collection of over 350 short biographies of aviation trailblazers, many of them Early Birds. 4 cubic feet (15 boxes).

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50th Anniversary of the NC-4 Transatlantic Flight Collection
[Richard K. Smith]
Acc. XXXX-0418

In 1919, the Curtiss NC-4 completed the first transatlantic crossing by air. This collection was gathered by Dr. Richard K. Smith of the National Air and Space Museum, in preparation for the fiftieth anniversary of the NC-4's transatlantic flight. 1.89 cubic feet (5 boxes).

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Curtiss NC-4 Design, Construction and Testing Reports
Acc. XXXX-0422

In 1919, the Curtiss NC-4 completed the first transatlantic crossing by air. This collection consists of reports on the design, construction and testing of the NC series flying boats. 1.37 cubic feet (4 boxes).

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Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz: The First Transcontinental Flight Collection
Acc. 2007-0004

The first crossing of the United States by airplane was achieved by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911 in his Wright EX biplane, named the Vin Fiz. Rodgers began his journey from Sheepshead Bay, New York, on September 17, 1911 and reached California on November 5, 1911. Author Eileen F. Lebow wrote a book about Cal Rodgers' famous flight, entitled Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz: The First Transcontinental Flight. The book was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1989. Collection size 1.08 cu.ft (3 boxes).

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Paul Studenski Collection
Acc. 1989-0012

Born in St. Petersburg, Studenski studied law and medicine before earning the 292nd license from L'Aero Club de France. He immigrated to the United States in 1911 and exercised his prodigious flying skills as instructor, test pilot and exhibition pilot before retiring from flying to distinguish himself in the fields of economics and government service. 1 cubic foot (2 boxes).

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Louise McPhetridge Thaden Collection
Acc. XXXX-0006, 1986-0042, 1986-0188

Louise McPhetridge Thaden (1905-1979) was one of the United States foremost female aviators during the late 1920s and 1930s. She achieved several records including Altitude (1928), Solo Duration (1929), Speed (1929), Refueling Duration (1932), Light Plane Speed (1936), East-West Speed (1936), Inter-City Distance Speed (1937), and 100 km Speed (1937), and won the first National Woman's Air-Derby (1929) and the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race (1936). She later worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) and co-founded the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots. This collection contains newspaper and journal articles, personal letters and business correspondence, writings, photographs, and scrapbooks, all relating to her aviation career. 3.38 cubic feet (10 boxes).

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United States Army Around the World Flight (1924) Collection
Acc. XXXX-0152

Between 6 April and 28 September 1924 a flight of specially designed Douglas aircraft operated by the United States Army Air Service completed the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe. This collection consists of correspondence, memos, newspaper articles and logbooks concerning the flight.

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United States Women in Aviation through World War I
Acc. XXXX-0424

This collection of photographs, written notes, articles, photocopies of news clippings, correspondence, and biographies was used by Claudia M. Oakes to prepare the publication United States Women in Aviation Through World War I (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C., 1978). 0.7 cubic feet (2 boxes).

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Lee Ya-Ching Papers
Acc. 2008-0009

Lee Ya-Ching was a Chinese aviatrix in the 1930's and 1940's. Beginning her flying career in Switzerland in 1934, Ms. Lee was the first woman to receive a pilot's licenses from the Ecole Aero Club de Suisse, the Boeing School of Aeronautics and the government of China. In partnership with several other pilots, Ms. Lee opened a civilian flying school in Shanghai. Despite being instrumental in the formation of a Chinese air force prior to World War Two, Ms. Lee found she was not allowed to fly for her country when Japan invaded. Finding other ways to serve her country, Ms. Lee helped form hospitals and flew Red Cross planes from Hong Kong to Canton. Wishing to do more, Ms Lee embarked on a goodwill tour of the United States, Canada and South America, raising money for the war effort in China. Following the war, Ms. Lee returned to China, where she receded from public life. This collection consists of news clippings, photographs, magazines and three scrapbooks. The majority of the collection is in English; however, there are significant occurrences of Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch. Collection size is 11.9 cubic feet (22 boxes).

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