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The Alva R. DeGarmo Collection consists of DeGarmo's army records; logbooks; Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines correspondence; material documenting his World War II activities; newspaper articles; photographs; and Western Air Lines anniversary items.
Alva R. DeGarmo (1899-1988) enlisted in the Army Air Service, soloing in 1920 in a Curtiss JN-4 at March Field, Riverside, CA. He was in the Air Service for three years before joining the Air Reserve Corps. During his service he patrolled the Mexican boarder and spotted forest fires in Oregon. After resigning from the Air Service and a brief stint in barnstorming, he worked for two years with Western Air Lines, being one of their first four pilots, the "Four Horseman." After two years he changed to Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines, flying with them until 1939. During World War II DeGarmo helped ferry bombers and transport planes across the Atlantic under the Pan American subsidiary, Atlantic Airways, and later during the War he took over a Pan American Miami to Rio De Janeiro passenger route. Towards the end of the war he worked for Curtiss Wright on C-46 fuel problems. He ended his aviation career with a short stint as a Lockheed test pilot after the war.
NASM.1992.0049
DeGarmo, Alva R., 1899-1988
1916-1986
Richard and Bernice DeGarmo, gift, 1991, 1992-0049, NASM
1.04 Linear feet
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of the following: Army records; logbooks; Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines correspondence; material documenting his World War II activities; newspaper articles; photographs; and Western Air Lines anniversary items. Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
The Alva R. DeGarmo Collection is arranged by content type.
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Alva R. DeGarmo Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0049####, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Aeronautics
Aeronautics, Military
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States
Air pilots
Periodicals
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Photographs
Publications
Maps