National Air and Space Museum Archives

Oliver A. Rosto Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2006.0011
Creators:
Rosto, Oliver Andre (Ole Augustinussen), 1881-1972
Dates:
1916 -1955
1969
Languages:
English
,
Norwegian
.
Physical Description:
.2 Cubic feet
Repository:
Material documenting the professional career of Oliver A. Rosto, an aviation pioneer and the recipient of the 1955 Civil Aeronautics Administration Silver Medal for Distinguished Service.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection contains articles, correspondence, press releases, and news clippings in addition to official paperwork, certificates, and photographs documenting the professional career of early aviation pioneer Oliver A. Rosto and his airplane: the Rosto Monoplane.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by material type.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Oliver A. Rosto (1881-1972) was born in Norway and emigrated to the United States as a young man. Rosto made several trips to Europe and while in Paris he took his first aircraft flight, going up as a passenger. In 1909 Rosto was living in Duluth, Minnesota, where he built an aircraft, the Rosto Monoplane. He soloed in the aircraft on November 15, 1909, and went on to make a total of twelve flights in the aircraft.
In 1916, he left the United States to enlist in the British Royal Air Force in Toronto, Canada. During World War I, he went with his squadron into Russia on a special mission involving aircraft delivery to the Russians. However, the revolution broke out while he was in Russia and he encountered difficulty in getting out of Russia. By 1917, Rosto had returned to the United States and was an inspector for the Navy, inspecting Curtiss aircraft at their plants in Buffalo and on Long Island. After the War he started work with the American Aircraft Corporation where he designed, tested, and repaired aircraft.
In 1928, Rosto became an air carrier maintenance inspector, for the Bureau of Air Commerce, which preceded the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA). He was an international representative from the CAA in Europe from 1946 until his retirement in 1953. After his retirement from the CAA, Rosto served as a liaison representative for Transocean and Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance Company. Rosto was awarded the Civil Aeronautics Administration Silver Medal for Distinguished Service in 1955. Rosto was a member of the Early Birds and the OX5 Club of America.

Administration

Author
Amara Pugens
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Diana Fick, Gift, 2005, NASM.2006.0011
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Amara Pugens, 2023.

Digital Content

See all digital content in NASM.2006.0011

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
Oliver A. Rosto Papers, NASM.2006.0011, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
CD-ROMs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newsclippings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Certificates Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Early Birds of Aviation (Organization). Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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