Edgar J. Wynn (1913--1947) learned to fly at age 16, and barnstormed in the east and middle west of the United States until the outbreak of World War II. In 1940 Wynn joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he was an instructor. After a few months, however, Wynn resigned his commission to take a job as a civilian ferry pilot. After forty-odd flights across the North Atlantic as a ferry pilot, he shifted to Pan American Airways (Pan Am) where he ferried bombers to Africa by the South Atlantic Route. He later switched to Trans World Airlines (TWA) where he had the privilege of piloting Eleanor Roosevelt. After his stint with TWA he became a captain in the US Air Force Air Transport Command. Wynn wrote several books about flying transport aircraft including Bombers Across and So You're Going to Fly the Big Stuff.

NASM.1993.0029

Arranged and described by Patricia Williams, 1993. Updated and encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd, 2023.

Wynn, Edward J., 1914-

1939-[ca. 1940s]

Gardette L. Cumpston, Gift, 1993, NASM.1993.0029.

0.23 Cubic feet (1 flatbox; 1 folder)

Edgar J. Wynn (1913--1947) was a barnstormer and civilian air transport pilot who served in both the Royal Canadian Air Force and later the US Air Force. This collection consists of several copies of a publication written by Wynn as well as a photo album.

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Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photograph albums

Publications

Collection is arranged by type of material.

This collection consists of several copies of Edgar J. Wynn's So You're Going to Fly the Big Stuff and a photo album. The album measures approximately 10 x 11 inches and contains images dating mainly from 1939 to 1941, many taken in Canada or New York. The album also contains extensive captioning by Wynn. Aircraft shown in the album include the Luscombe Model 8; Waco F-2; Douglas DC-3; Consolidated B-24 Liberator; North American Harvard; and the Sikorsky S-42 Clipper.

Photograph albums

Publications

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

Pan American World Airways, Inc.

Royal Canadian Air Force

Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc.

United States. Army Air Forces. Air Transport Command

Wynn, Edward J., 1914-

Edgar J. Wynn Collection, NASM.1993.0029, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

National Air and Space Museum Archives