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Summary

This collection consists of 1.5 cubic feet of material chronicling George B. Patterson's aviation career.

This collection is in English.

Biographical / Historical

George B. Patterson (1895 - 1968) was a World War I flight test pilot and later served at McCook Field where he helped to develop the first scientific methods of measuring flight test performance. Patterson enlisted in the Aviation Section Signal Corps, Reserve, in 1917, and was first stationed at Chandler Field at the Signal Corps Aviation School in Essington, Pennsylvania. There he first soloed in a seaplane before Chandler Field was transferred to Gerstner Field in Louisiana. Patterson served stateside for the whole of World War I, and after the war he was stationed at Wilbur Wright Field and then McCook Field, both in Ohio. During this time, Patterson served as Assistant Chief of Flight Branch and then as Chief of the McCook Technical Data Branch. Patterson's only overseas assignment was in 1922 when he was stationed at Camp Nichols in the Philippines. Later that year he requested, and was granted, discharge from the service. Patterson then went to work for Curtiss Wright in 1929. A bad aircraft crash in 1934 left Patterson injured and he left military aviation and went to work as an aviation staff engineer at Socony Company for 15 years. Patterson returned to the Air Corps during April of 1942 and served with the Air Service Company until 1945 as a Chief Liaison Officer.

Identifier

NASM.2021.0003

Creator

Patterson, George B.

Date

1920-1950s

Provenance

Stephen Allen, Gift, 2020, NASM.2021.0003

Extent

1.5 Cubic feet ((4 boxes))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 1.5 cubic feet of material chronicling George B. Patterson's aviation career and includes the following types of material: military records and certificates; correspondence; photographs; technical publications, including ones written by Patterson; and a pilot log book.

Arrangement note

Arrangement by archival type.

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

George B. Patterson Papers, NASM.2021.0003, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics

Aeronautics, Military

World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations

Military records -- 20th century -- United States

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Logs (records)

Correspondence

Papers, technical