National Air and Space Museum Archives

Apollo Milton Olin (A. M. O.) Smith Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2000.0014
Creators:
Smith, Apollo Milton Olin (A. M. O.), 1911-1997
Dates:
1935-1981
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.09 Cubic feet
(1 records center box)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the significant writings of Smith, including writings relating to his contributions to boundary layer theory. The collection also includes Smith's notebooks and related photographs of his post-World War II on-site appraisal of Nazi aeronautical developments.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Apollo Milton Olin Smith (1911-1997), an aircraft designer and engineer known as 'AMO' for most of his life, was born in Columbia, Missouri. He began constructing gliders in high school and earned Masters Degrees in both Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from Caltech in 1938. After graduation, he began work for Douglas Aircraft, where he was to be employed until his retirement in 1975. His work for Douglas included wind tunnel testing of the A-20 bomber, performance analysis of the DC-5 and aerodynamic design of the A-26 light bomber. During a leave of absence from Douglas, he served as first chief engineer of the Aerojet Co. Smith's work in aerodynamics led to his participation in an important post-World War II mission to Germany, which revealed that country's developments in swept-wing design. AMO Smith's subsequent research would make him a leader in aerodynamics, especially regarding his contributions to boundary layer theory. He was the recipient of many honors and awards during his lifetime and was responsible for advances in research involving the use of rocket motors to assist takeoff (JATO) and the design of the D-558 Phase 1 airplane and the F4D Skyray.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Elisazbeth Krost Smith, Gift, 2000, 2000-0014, unknown

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Use
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

More Information

General

General
NASMrev


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Aerodynamics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes -- Wings, Swept-back Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes -- Jet propulsion Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes -- Assisted take-off Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Boundary layer Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes -- Motors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics, Military Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1939-1945 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes -- Germany Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Douglas F4D (F-6) Skyray Family Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Douglas D-558 Family Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smith, Apollo Milton Olin (A. M. O.), 1911-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu