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This collection contains Verville's personal papers. The material relates mainly to his various aeronautical concerns as well as his involvement with military aviation. The collection includes a large number of photos tracing the development of Curtiss aircraft and Naval Aviation, and especially documenting the design, construction, and flights of a replica of the Navy's first aircraft, the Curtiss A-1 'Triad', built under Verville's direction by the Bureau of Aeronautics to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Naval Aviation in 1961. Also included are a large number of blueprints and photos of Verville-designed aircraft, especially those developed by the Verville Aircraft Co. in 1928 - 1931
Alfred Victor Verville (1890-1970), aviation pioneer and aircraft designer, was responsible for a number of important inventions in aircraft design, including welded-steel-frame fuselages and retractable landing gear. He began work with the Curtiss Aeroplane Co in 1914 and, by the end of World War I had moved through a number of manufacturers, including Curtiss (1914), T-M Airplane Co (1915), General Airplane Co (1915-17), and Fisher Body Corp, Airplane Division (1917-18). In 1918 he became involved in military aviation at the United States Army Air Corp Engineering Division, McCook Field , OH (1918-25) and served as advisor to Colonel William Mitchell during his inspection trip to Europe (1922). In 1925 he co-founded the Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co (1925-27) before striking out on his own with the Verville Aircraft Co (1928-31). Through the 1930s and 1940s he acted in a number of capacities, including periods as a consultant (1932, 1939-41); at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce (1933-36); Douglas Aircraft (1937-38); Curtiss Wright Corp (1941-42), Snead Aircraft, Technical Division (1942); and Drexel Aviation Co (1942-45). In 1945 he served as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe and later joined the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (1946-61). He retired in 1961, but continued to support aviation and aeronautics until his death.
NASM.XXXX.0173
Verville Aircraft Company
1886-1969
Alfred Verville, gift, 1954
50.008 Cubic feet
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Contents of this collection include blueprints, drawings, technical manuals, reference material, correspondence, financial information, event programs, photographs, newspapers and clippings, magazines, pamphlets, brochures, journals, books. The researcher should note that the collection also contains 35mm, 16mm and 8mm films. These films are not included in the container list but a NASM Archives staff person can assist you regarding access.
Organized into series: SERIES 1: Correspondence SERIES 2: Institute of the Aerospace Sciences (IAS) - Navy National Naval Aviation Meeting 1961 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation in San Diego CA featuring the A-1 Replica SERIES 3: Technical Materials SERIES 4: Drawings SERIES 5: Other Papers SERIES 6: Publications SERIES 7: Photographs SERIES 8: Scrapbooks, Oversize Materials SERIES 9: Additional Material This collection was arranged at the time of processing to better reflect its main areas of subject matter as there was very little original order preserved. Original folder titles were kept when they appeared; archivists' folder titles are in brackets. Archivist's description appears below folder titles. Series 9 represents an accrual of documents found within the archive in 2024.
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Alfred Victor Verville Papers, Acc. XXXX-0173, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Verville Aircraft
Alfred V. Verville
Aeronautics
Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co
Aircraft industry
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Film reels