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On July 14-15, 1927, Ernest Smith and Emory Bronte made the first civilian transpacific flight from California to Hawaii. This collection includes a scrapbook that chronicles their flight, a map of the Hawaiian islands, and a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Emory Bronte.
On July 14-15, 1927, Ernest Smith and Emory Bronte made the first civilian transpacific flight from California to Hawaii in their Travelair City of Oakland. Although they planned to land in Honolulu, problems with the gasoline pump and radio receiving apparatus forced them to crash-land in Molakai.
NASM.XXXX.0389
Bronte, Emory
1917-1975
bulk 1927
Unknown, Gift?, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0389.
1.11 Cubic feet (1 flatbox, 1 folder, and 1 oversized folder)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This scrapbook, covered with Tahitian tapa cloth, chronicles the Smith-Bronte historic flight and consists of the following: including 30 letters; 23 telegrams; 197 photographs; 357 news articles; and 20 miscellaneous items. The collection also includes a map of the Hawaiian islands, dated August 1917, that was used by Smith and Bronte on their flight; and a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt presenting Emory B. Bronte with the honor of the "Distinguished Flying Cross," dated 6 September 1934.
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Ernest Smith/Emory Bronte Flight Scrapbook, NASM.XXXX.0389, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Travel Air aircraft family
Aeronautics -- Records
Aeronautics
Transpacific flights
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Photographs
Correspondence
Scrapbooks