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 Summary

This collection consists of approximately 1.31 cubic feet of material relating to Winfield B. "Bert" Kinner, a pilot and businessman active in the aviation industry.

 Biographical / Historical

Winfield B. "Bert" Kinner (1882--1957) enlisted in the Air Corps during World War I, but the war ended before he was trained to fly. So in 1919, Kinner moved to Los Angeles, CA, where he rented a barn, built his first airplane and taught himself to fly. Until his retirement in 1941, Kinner remained active in the aviation business. Kinner organized the following aircraft and engine companies: Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp; Security Aircraft Corp; American Aircraft Corp; and Security National Aircraft Corp. Aircraft produced by these corporations included: Kinner K-1 Airster -- which was the first aircraft Amelia Earhart purchased; Kinner B-2 Sportwing; and the Kinner B-1 and Kinner K Sportsters. Kinner is perhaps most famous for producing the popular Kinner K5 engine and for designing the first folding wing aircraft -- the Security Airster S1-A and S1-B.

 Identifier

NASM.1995.0004

Creator

Kinner, Winfield B. "Bert,", 1882-1957

Date

1919-1993

Provenance

Donna Hunter Kinner, Gift, 1994, NASM.1995.0004. Additional material received via the South County Historical Society in 2013.

Extent

1.31 Cubic feet (3 boxes, 1 folder, 1 map folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of the following: copy negatives, newspaper and magazine clippings, brochures, correspondence, invitations, photographs, Kinner corporation documents; and letters to the Kinners from Amelia Earhart. In the fall of 2013, the South County Historical Society transferred two binders containing mostly copy photography that had been given to them by the same donor.

Arrangement note

The collection is currently arranged by type of material and by size.

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

Winfield B. "Bert" Kinner Collection, NASM.1995.0004, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Airplanes -- Motors

Kinner K-1

Kinner Sportwing B-2

Kinner Sportster B-1

Kinner Sportster K-100

Kinner K-5 Engine

Security National Airster S-1-A

Security National Airster S-1-B

Aeronautics

Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States

Periodicals

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Photographs

Publications