William Carl Diehl Collection
William Carl Diehl (1891-1974) was an aviation pioneer and a member of the Early Birds organization. In 1914 he built and flew a monoplane and in 1915 he helped establish two flying schools, an unsuccessful school in Chicago and a school on Long Island. During the time he was working at Long Island, he helped to organize the United Eastern Airplane Company which manufactured airplanes. During World War I, Diehl was a civilian instructor for the Army Air Corps. In the late 1910s and early 1920s, Diehl established a commercial flying taxi service, performed stunts for movie production and for Pathe News, and barnstormed around the nation. He began work in 1926 on patents for aircraft mufflers and values. Diehl worked during 1927-1930 at the Wright Aeronautical Corporation at Paterson, New Jersey as an engine flight test pilot. Diehl returned to his original occupation of plumbing but continued flying until 1945, and continued his patent work until the early 1970s.
Identifier
NASM.XXXX.0469
Creator
Diehl, William Carl, 1891-1974
Date
1912-1972
bulk 1945-1972
Provenance
No donor information, gift, XXXX-0469, Unknown
Extent
2.7 Cubic feet ((6 legal document boxes) (1 20x24x3 flatbox))
2.52 Linear feet
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
General
NASMrev
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Diaries
Manuscripts
Drawings
Photographs
Publications
Maps
Financial records
Audiotapes
Audiocassettes
Motion pictures (visual works)
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of biographical information, business records, information on the aviation organizations with which Diehl was involved, aviation material collected by Diehl, and information on flight, events, and aviation accidents.
Genre/Form
Correspondence
Diaries
Manuscripts
Drawings
Photographs
Publications
Maps
Financial records
Audiotapes
Audiocassettes
Motion pictures (visual works)
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
Creator
Diehl, William Carl, 1891-1974
Names
Army Air Corps
Early Birds of Aviation (Organization).
Pathe News
United Eastern Airplane Company
Wright Aeronautical Corp
Diehl, William Carl, 1891-1974
Topic
Aeronautics
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States
Aeronautics, Military
Periodicals
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
