Air Navigation Collection [Brower]

Scope and Contents

This collection includes Swissair navigational charts, Selected Stars Epoch 1960, aircraft position chart, passenger tickets and baggage checks and trip log (Flug Report); United Air Lines navigational charts, proficiency reports, and monthly flight time records; Lufthansa route forecasts, navigation logs, and weather maps; manuals, including Gyro Operations in Polar Regions May 1973, Dispatching & Flight Release Rules, Aviation Weather, and Aircraft Dispatcher Written Test Guide; and maps and charts relating to the North, Mid- and South Atlantic, Northern and Western Europe airways, Hawaii, and California. Also included are Instructions for the Dalton Dead Reckoning Computer Type E-6B, E-10; a Jepco Briefing Booklet for the Jeppesen Computer Model CR; large map of Adriatic Sea (JN-21), US Air Force January 1955; and a large map of Manila Philippines (PC-K-11B) November 1964.

Biographical / Historical

Joseph E. Brower became involved with navigation for commercial air transport in the days of Pan American Airways Systems' flying boats. His career as a navigator after World War II involved work for Pacific Overseas of Ontario, California and for the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC). With the advent of the Korean War, Brower flew the Travis Air Force Base to Tokyo route, first for American Airlines, and then for Overseas National. After leaving aviation for a teaching career, Brower was called back in 1955 to serve as navigator for nonscheduled airlines, including California Eastern, Peninsular Air Transport, United State Overseas, North American Airlines, Los Angeles Air Service and Transocean Air Lines of Oakland (TALOA). Later, he served as navigator with Swissair, United Air Lines, Flying Tiger Airline, and Deutsche Lufthansa. Technological advances in aviation were reducing the need for navigators, however, and Joe Brower worked in flight planning and dispatching for World Airways before retiring in 1986.