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Albert Francis Hegenberger (1895-1983) graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an aeronautical engineer and served as a flight instructor during World War I. In 1927, Hegenberger and Lester Maitland became the first persons to fly from California to Hawaii, in the Fokker C-2 , Military, "Bird of Paradise." For this achievement they received the MacKay Trophy and the Distinguished Flying Cross from President Coolidge. Hegenberger went on to develop a blind landing system, and in 1932 he made the world's first solo instrument-only flight at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. His system was adopted for both military and civilian use and earned him a second Distinguished Flying Cross and the Collier Trophy in 1934. Hegenberger rose to the rank of major general in the United States Army.

 Identifier

NASM.1987.0039

Creator

Hegenberger, Alfred F.

Date

bulk 1895-1983

Provenance

Robert F. Hegenberger, Gift, 1986

Extent

0.1 Cubic feet ((1 folder))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of biographical material on Albert F. Hegenberger, including photographs of his Hawaii flight and papers concerning his work with the development of instrument flying and aerial navigation.

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

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

Albert F. Hegenberger Collection, Accession 1987-0039, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Gardens -- Arizona -- Paradise Valley

Instrument flying

Aeronautics

Navigation (Aeronautics)

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Diaries

Photographs