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National Air and Space Museum Archives
Vornado Plane Material [Ralph K. Odor]
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NASM.2016.0012
- Creators:
-
Odor, Ralph K., 1895-1987.
- Dates:
-
1929-1986bulk 1930s
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.54 Cubic feet1 box, 1 reel, and 1 DVD
- Repository:
Ralph K. Odor (1895-1987) was an inventor who conceived an aircraft design in the 1920s in which the air was pushed from a propeller into a tube, later named the Vornado Plane. This collection consists of approximately 0.54 cubic feet of material relating to Ralph K. Odor and the Vornado Plane.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of approximately 0.54 cubic feet of material relating to Ralph K. Odor and the Vornado Plane including photographs; news clippings; technical reports and drawings; patents; legal documents; test reports; documents outlining the history of the Vornado Plane's development; and correspondence. Also included are two CDs which hold scans (made by the donor) of some of the textual and photographic materials contained in the collection as well as a 16mm film showing a test of a Vornado Plane scale model at the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, and a copy of the film on DVD.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Ralph K. Odor (1895-1987) was an inventor who conceived an aircraft design in the 1920s in which the air was pushed from a propeller into a tube. A small model of the aircraft was tested in 1929. In 1932, Odor was invited to work with the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oklahoma Engineering Experiment Station (Project No. 26), to further develop his propeller assembly concept and it was there that the name "Vornado Plane" was born. Odor filed a patent on his propeller assembly in 1934, which was approved in 1938. The Vornado Trust was formed in 1935 to handle all legal and financial aspects of the Vornado Plane and Vornado principle. In 1936, Odor began to work with Kern Dodge, a mechanical engineer and member of the Vornado Trust. Additional testing was conducted on using the Vornado principle for air circulation and by 1938, the concept of the Vornado Plane was put aside to focus on using the technology for fans. Additional patents were granted to this end in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1939, the Vornado Trust contracted with the Propellair company to produce fans using Odor's principles, however these plans were derailed by World War II.
Administration
Author
Jessamyn Lloyd
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donald Morris, Gift, 2016, NASM.2016.0012
Processing Information
Arranged and described (2016), updated, and encoded (2020) by Jessamyn Lloyd.
Using the Collection
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
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Vornado Plane Material [Ralph K. Odor], NASM.2016.0012, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Aeronautics | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Aerodynamics | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Photographs | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Reports | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Technical drawings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Patents | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Motion pictures | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu