NACA/NASA Langley Field Aircraft Log Books
bulk 1934-1940, 1951-1960
This collection consists of original aircraft, engine, and equipment log books of aircraft operated by NACA and NASA from Langley Research Center. Each log represents a history of the aircraft/engine/equipment from its manufacture, through its pre-NACA/NASA service, and during its operation by that agency.
Fred Weick Papers
This collection consists of over 45 cubic feet of material created or collected by Fred Weick, which chronicle his distinguished aeronautical engineering career from the 1920s to the 1990s. The collection consists of the following types of material: log books, patents, proceedings and lectures, lawsuits, brochures and publications, photographs, correspondence, memorandums, scrapbooks, technical …
Fred E. Weick Autobiographical Transcripts
bulk 1949-1957
Aeronautical engineer Fred E. Weick (1899-1993) had a profound effect on light aircraft development. He was responsible for the development of NACA's low-drag cowling for radial engines, introduced the concept of "fifty foot obstacle clearance" as a measure of aircraft take-off performance, and was instrumental in the development of several aircraft, including the Piper Pawnee and Piper Cherokee.
A. Scott Crossfield Papers
This collection consists of over nine cubic feet of material documenting Scott Crossfield's aviation career, with emphasis on his involvement with the North American X-15. The following types of material are included: correspondence; reel to reel tapes; papers, manuscripts; newspaper and magazine clippings; aviation manuals; photographs; film; and Crossfield's notes and reports.
Dr. Hugh L. Dryden Memorabilia
bulk 1940-1965
Dr. Hugh L. Dryden was an aerodynamicist by training, a career civil servant, and a government official. With degrees in physics and mathematics he became chief of the aerodynamics section of the National Bureau of Standards and eventually served as the first deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This collection consists of memorabilia relating to Dryden's career.
Jerome Clarke Hunsaker Papers
The Hunsaker Papers are rich in aeronautical information relating to the 1920s and 1930s. The material furnishes a generous account of his contributions in the aeronautics field as an engineer. Interested researchers should pursue materials pertaining to Hunsaker in such repositories as MIT's Institute Archives and Special Collections Department, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Corporation, the U.S. Navy History and Archives at the Washington Navy Yard, and the NASA History Office, Headquarters Building, Washington, DC. This archivist views the Hunsaker Papers, NASM.XXXX.0001, most relevant to research dealing with Hunsaker's professional career.
Application for Certificate of Airworthiness for Export for Curtiss Condor T-32 (Condor II), Signed by Edward V. "Eddie" Rickenbacker
Curtiss Condor T-32 (Condor II), registration no. NC12353, c/n 21, was the first aircraft of its type to be built by Curtiss under Aircraft Type Certificate (ATC) 501, issued March 1933. This collection consists of two identical notarized, signed copies, dated January 22, 1937, of a US Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch form, Application for Certificate of Airworthiness for Export for Curtiss Condor T-32 (Condor II) (listed here as model T-32C Special), c/n 21.
Works Progress Administration (WPA) Airport Inspection Scrapbook
In 1937, the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Airways and Airports Division organized an airport inspection trip to review work undertaken at various airports under the WPA's auspices, to determine what work still needed done to develop the nation's aviation infrastructure, and to evaluate which of those future projects could be undertaken by the WPA. This collection consists of a scrapbook documenting the inspection trip.
This collection is in English.
World War I Italian Naval Aviation Album
Photo album created by the Sezione Fotografica di Aviazione per la Regia Marina [Photographic Section for Aviation of the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy] unit of the Servizio Aeronautico della Regia Marina [Royal Navy Aeronautical Service] circa 1915-1918; 20 pages plus covers. Contains black-and-white photographs labeled in Italian of Italian Navy facilities, hydroaeroplanes (flying boats), airplanes, airships, captured Austrian hydroaeroplanes, and aerial reconnaissance photo mosaics of several Adriatic port cities then under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austria-Hungary).
Willy Ley Papers
bulk 1930-1969
This collection consists of Willey Ley's personal files, including his business correspondence, book contracts, and galley proofs, as well as publicity concerning Dr. Ley and his activities, and inquiries and comments from Ley's readership during his tenure as columnist for Galaxy Magazine (1952-1969). The material also includes articles gathered by Ley on topics ranging from astronomy and space travel to biology and natural parks to mythology, psychic phenomena, and UFOs.