H 5. History of Aviation Collection

Abstract Lea Abbott was noted as a pioneer airline pilot for Braniff Airlines, active member of Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and exhibition flyer. This collection contains archival material collected by him pertaining to his career with Braniff, Braniff operational and administrative documents, Air Line Pilots Association documents, and manuals for the operation of early airliners.

Abstract Adams was associated with many aeronautical figures of international distinction, mainly early women aviators. Her personal friendship with Dr. Hugo Eckener of Germany as well as passage on experimental and inaugural Zeppelin flights, such as the Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg, led to her becoming a proponent of lighter-than-air travel.

Abstract Clara Adam’s main claim to fame is that she holds many firsts for women in aviation, not as a pilot, but as a paying passenger. Her first flight came in March 1914 at Lake Eustis, Florida where she went up in a Thomas Flying Boat piloted by Walter E. Johnson. This flight sparked an interest in aviation that lasted the rest of her life. Clara was introduced to Lighter-Than-Air transportation through a letter of introduction by General Paul von Hindenburg to Dr. Hugo Eckener. She was given a ride...

Abstract This collection contains materials related to aircraft built in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Abstract This artificial collection contains materials related to commercial aviation schedules in the United States as well as international carriers.

Abstract Oliver C. Aldrich had an interest in airplanes, model airplanes, air-racing and air shows. He collected information, took pictures, made video and audio recordings at the many events that he attended. He also saved newspapers, magazines, and articles from various sources.

Abstract The Louis Alexander Collection contains information regarding the technology of many corporations including Chance-Vought Aircraft, Inc., Lockheed Co., Chrysler Corp., General Electric Co., Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and others. It also contains documents related to NASA projects.

Abstract This collection has correspondence as well as materials related mainly to Pan American Airlines and "The Elliston Navigators Association."

Abstract This collection contains annual reports regarding aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and aviation-supporting industries.

Abstract This collection covers the Pan American Goodwill Flight through Latin America from 1926 through 1927.

Abstract This collection contains images, ephemera, correspondence, brochures, press releases, advertisement, clippings, narratives, and articles, which cover a wide variety of aviation topics.

Abstract This artificial collection contains clippings, licenses, photographs, negatives, brochures, correspondence, press releases, sketches, biographical information, listings, and ephemera of aviation personalities.

Abstract This collection includes various articles related to Polar exploration, photographs of famous aviators (some signed), aerial photograph journals, cassette tapes and reels, and correspondence of Audrey Balchen.

Abstract The Valentine O. Banchetti Collection contains some correspondence and a coursebook in practical aviation from the American School of Aviation in Chicago, written in 1927 and includes the test papers and notes of Valentine O. Banchetti from his studies in 1927-1928.

Abstract Karl Baur is most known for having been the chief test pilot for the Messerschmitt Company, in Germany in the late 1930s until the end of the Second World War. He test piloted such famous aircraft as the Me-109, the Me-262 jet fighter, and the Me-163 rocket plane. After a brief stay in United States in the later part of 1945, Baur returned to Germany. In 1954, Baur accepted a position as an engineer at the Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation in Dallas, Texas, where he worked until his death in...

Abstract W. Burr Bennett had a life-long interest in the Enola Gay Controversy. His collection encompasses all his interactions with the Committee for the Restoration and Proper Display of the Enola Gay (CRPDEG) members, as well as other correspondents concerning this issue. In addition, he had Smithsonian related materials along with secondary source resources and petitions.

Abstract The Berlin Airlift Veterans Association (BAVA) was established in January of 1991. The main purposes of the BAVA are to commemorate the services rendered by the participants of the Berlin Airlift both military and civilian, to perpetuate the history and significance of the Berlin Airlift, to honor those who gave their lives, and to establish programs that will enhance Education, Friendship, and Understanding between people among other things.

Abstract Collection consists of personal items related to Gretchen S. Black and Eddie A. Schneider during the Spanish Civil War and later years.

Abstract Collection contains photographs and certificates relating to Kenneth J. Boedecker.

Abstract Delphine Bohn was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), later named Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). These aviatrices ferried various types of aircraft from the United States to Great Britain during World War II. In her private life, Bohn was a salesperson for Beech Aircraft Comp. and J. R. Gray Comp. before founding her own business, Western Aviation, Inc., which operated out of Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas.

Abstract Temple Bowen was a significant contributor to the development of public transportation from 1925 through 1936 in the Southwest and Midwest areas of the United States. Starting in 1927, he became one of the pioneers of early air transport development by establishing several airlines carrying air mail and passengers. In 1929, he formed Bowen Air Lines, Inc., which carried passengers between major cities in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. In 1936, Bowen sold his company to Braniff Airways.

Abstract The material in the Braniff International Collection illustrates the development of commercial aviation in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the history of Braniff as a company. The collection documents the first twenty years when founder Thomas Elmer Braniff achieved extraordinary business success, based on high quality service to customers and a warm, paternal relationship with employees. It also contains material pertaining to Braniff’s pioneering of many new routes to...

Abstract The Clyde E. Brayton Sr. Collection contains correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, financial statements and records pertaining to the Brayton Flying School.

Abstract Ivan H. Brooks enlisted in the United States Army Air Services in November of 1917. The following year in November, 1918, Brooks participated in Flyin' Frolic, an aviation carnival to raise money for recreation quarters for aviators stationed at Love Field at Dallas, Texas.

Abstract Collection contains clippings, articles and reports relating to accidents, both airline and otherwise.

Abstract The collection contains photographs, personal papers, log books, correspondence, magazines, ephemera, and prints.

Abstract The William C. Campbell Collection contains photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, postcards, and business cards related to the aerial stunts of William C. "Stub" Campbell.

Abstract This collection contains Curtiss JN-4 Jenny blueprints, philatelic material, photographs, and the book titled, "Upside Down" Pangborn by Carl M. Cleveland.

Abstract A native of Wichita, Kansas, William E. Cooper became a “mover and shaker” in the Dallas, Texas, aviation and business communities following WWII. Cooper was particularly interested in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress operation in the Pacific Theater of WWII. His research manuscript provides an analysis of the reason why each B-29 crashed and the fate of each of the crew members. Also, Cooper was actively involved in the Enola Gay controversy in 1994-1995.

Abstract Cornell enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve on 9 May 1953, completed basic training 9 September 1954, and was sent to NAS Corpus Christi for advanced training. His career as a naval aviator was exemplary. He earned many medals and awards including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Distinguished Flying Cross, most of which he earned while serving as commanding officer of VF-143 conducting air strikes on targets in North Vietnam.On the last day of American involvement in the Vietnam...