BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Air and Space Museum -- Gallery 208: (a) Pioneers of Flight, Barron Hilton

DC -- Natl Air and Space Museum -- Gallery 208: (a) Pioneers of Flight, Barron Hilton:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. GAL208_100414_017.JPG: Lockheed 5B Vega In this airplane, Amelia Earhart set two of her many aviation records. On May 20-21, 1932, she flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean; then, on August 24-25, she flew nonstop across the United States -- both firsts for a woman.
2. GAL208_100414_048.JPG: Lockheed Model 8 Sirius Tingmissartoq Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh made two long and risky journeys across the globe in this airplane in 1931 and 1933 to survey possible overseas airline routes.
3. GAL208_100414_079.JPG: Fokker T-2 In 1923 in the T-2, US Army Air Service pilots Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly became the first to cross the United States nonstop from coast to coast by airplane, a trip that took almost 27 hours.
4. GAL208_101011_038.JPG: Silver Stopwatch: "Maggie" carried this stopwatch in a black velvet patch around her neck. Maggie: Each world flier crew adopted a stuffed spider monkey as a mascot for their airplane. Leigh Wade carried "Maggie" aboard the Boston.
5. GAL208_101011_079.JPG: Amelia Earhart's Flying Goggles (missing lenses)
6. GAL208_101011_085.JPG: Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-2 Beech Nut Autogiro 1:16 scale In 1930, after only 15 minutes of instruction, Earhart became the first woman to fly an autogiro, which featured rotating blades to provide lift and allow short takeoffs and landings. The Pircairn autogiro was a contended in the safe-to-fly/no-stall airplane movement to attract more civilian pilots. Earhart set the first autogiro altitude record and made two autogiro cross-country tours, which were marked by three public "crack-ups," as she called them. Though Earhart was the most famous woman pilot, she was not the most skilled.
7. GAL208_101011_107.JPG: Amelia Earhart and the Lockheed 5B Vega: In this airplane, Amelia Earhart set two of her many aviation records. In 1932, she flew it alone across the Atlantic, then flew it nonstop across the United States -- both firsts for a woman.
8. GAL208_101011_114.JPG: Key to the City of Boston World Flight Memorabilia: The fliers received many awards and gifts as they traveled around the world. These are some of the awards and memorabilia Lowell Smith collected during and after the flight. A reported asked Smith if he would be willing to make the flight again. He replied, "Not in a million years, unless ordered to do so."
9. GAL208_101011_119.JPG: Gold and Silver Cigarette Case: From the World Flight Reception Committee of New York.
10. GAL208_101011_129.JPG: Pass to the City of St. Joseph, Missouri: This gift from the St. Joseph chapter of the National Aeronautics Association gave Smith access to the city and its country clubs and complimentary admittance to its theaters and baseball park.
11. GAL208_101011_140.JPG: In Paris, the fliers met with French president Gaston Doumergue. He invited them to accompany him to the Olympic Games. He wanted to award the fliers the French Legion d'honneur, the highest award given by the French government. They politely declined, saying they could not accept without approval from the US Congress. They later did receive approval and the medals.
12. GAL208_101011_182.JPG: Calbraith Perry Rodgers and the Wright EX Vin Fiz In 1911 in the Vin Fiz, Calbraith Perry Rodgers became the first person to cross the United States from coast to coast by airplane -- a trip that took 49 days. Who Was Calbraith Perry Rodgers? - A man with a notable Navy heritage who was drawn to the sky instead of the sea. - The first airborne advertiser. - One of the first long-distance airplane record setters. - An instant aviation star whose life was cut short. The Wright EX Vin Fiz: The Wright EX was a single-seat airplane for exhibition flying manufactured and sold by the Wright brothers. The Vin Fiz was rebuilt so many times during its historic cross-country flight that almost every part was replaced along the way. From Invention to Industry: Within a decade after the Wright brothers' historic first flights in 1903, aviation began to evolve from invention to viable technology. A fledgling aircraft industry emerged. Thousands flocked to see flying exhibitions and competitions. Pilots became major celebrities. The military began adding airplanes to its arsenal. Commercial uses, such as passenger and cargo transport, got their start. By 1914 it was clear: the airplane was here to stay. Hints of the Future: The 1920s and 1930s saw aviation come of age. The modern airplane took shape, and aviation technology found its place in everyday life. But hints of what was to come had been present before then. Many are illustrated in the story of one milestone airplane -- the Wright EX Vin Fiz. A $50,000 Prize and Pilot Named Cal... In 1910, publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst captured the attention of the aviation world when he announced a $50,000 prize for the first flight across the United States in 30 days or less. A newly licensed pilot named Calbraith Perry Rodgers, a descendant of famous US Navy commodores Matthew Calbraith Perry and Oliver Hazard Perry, decided to take up the challenge. ... And a Soft Drink Named "Vin Fiz": Rodgers secured financial backing for the transcontinental flight from Chicago's Armour Company, then introducing Vin Fiz, a new grape-flavored soft drink. Armour agreed to pay Rodgers $5 for each mile he flew east of the Mississippi River and $4 for each mile west of it. Rodgers bought the Wright EX himself and covered all other expenses. The airplane was emblazoned with the Vin Fiz logo -- the first time an aircraft was used for commercial advertising. Only 12 years separate two important flights across America: 1911: The Vin Fiz made the first flight across the United States. It took 49 days, with many stops and crashes along the way. 1923: The T-2 made the first nonstop flight across the United States. It took 26 hours.
13. GAL208_101011_244.JPG: The Douglas World Cruiser Chicago: To handle the harsh conditions of a flight around the world, the US Army Air Service needed a strong, reliable aircraft. Lt. Erik Nelson, who would pilot the Douglas World Cruiser New Orleans, worked with Donald Douglas to modify his DT-2 torpedo bomber design into a World Center. The new aircraft had increased fuel and cooling capacity, a tubular steel fuselage, strengthened bracing, a larger rudder, a cutout in the upper wing to increase visibility, and closer dual cockpit locations. Because the flight would take place over land and water, the aircraft also featured interchangeable floats and wheels. The Douglas Company delivered a prototype and four World Cruisers at a cost of $192,684. Military Aviation: During the 1920s and 1930s, US Army pilots and Navy and Marine aviators engaged in air racing, record-breaking flights, war games, and other public demonstrations of the airplane. Their bloodless air campaigns served as aerial proving grounds for aeronautical technology and tested the organizations and infrastructures needed to support military aviation. These activities promoted "military air-mindedness" to garner the support of the American public. Military flyers achieved many aviation firsts: the first transatlantic flight, the first nonstop transcontinental flight, the first flight around the world. Some smashed air racing records. Others reached the stratosphere in balloons. Many, including Jimmy Doolittle, became household names. African Americans took a keen interest in flying during these decades as well. Despite racial barriers, many black pioneers managed to gain entry into the world of aviation. Flying in segregated units during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen earned recognition and respect for their combat service in Europe. The First Flight Around the World: On April 6, 1924, eight US Army Air Service pilots and mechanics in four airplanes left Seattle, Washington, to carry out the first circumnavigation on the globe by air. They completed the journey 175 days later on September 28, after making 74 stops and covering about 27,550 miles. The airplanes were named for American cities and carried a flight number: Seattle (1), Chicago (2), Boston (3), and New Orleans (4). They flew over the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans and encountered climatic extremes from arctic to tropical. Only the Chicago, flown by Lts. Lowell Smith and Leslie Arnold, and the New Orleans, flown by Lts. Erik Nelson and John Harding Jr., completed the entire journey.
14. GAL208_101011_338.JPG: Original Spinner Cap from the Spirit of St. Louis: The Spirit's original nose cone was replaced after Lindbergh arrived at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, on May 12, 1927, when a crack was discovered in the spinner shroud. The men and women who worked on the aircraft signed the nose cone. The named include BF Mahoney, president of Ryan Airlines, and Hawley Bowlus, Ryan factor manager and a well-known aircraft designer. The figure in the support is a Native American good luck symbol.
15. GAL208_101011_343.JPG: Barograph from the Spirit of St. Louis: This barograph provided an accurate record of the airplane's altitude and flight duration. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale regulations required a barograph tracing on all competitive flights. Recorded on the drum were Lindbergh's take-off and climb, his ascents to various altitudes in search of favorable winds, his attempts to rise over storms and fog banks, his sudden drops because of turbulent air, his partial descent near Ireland, his flight over Europe, and his landing in Paris. Civilian Aircraft: During the 1920s and 1930s, civilian pioneers of aviation and rocketry pushed the boundaries of technology, culture, business, and the imagination. Commercial and private flight grew from a curiosity and spectacle into a viable technology. Aircraft designs grew diverse and specialized, from light personal airplanes to sleek racers to transports. Barnstormers drew eager crowds, and despite the Great Depression, aviation became a popular spectator sport. Children built model airplanes and followed the exploits of their "pulp fiction" heroes. Pilots and entrepreneurs displayed daring and ingenuity, while the federal government provided regulations and incentives to help aviation grow./ Charles Lindbergh ignited "air-mindedness" with his solo transatlantic flight and his journeys with Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Record setter Amelia Earhart set a powerful example for women, while African Americans fought discrimination to prove themselves as able aviators. CG Taylor and William Piper produced an airplane for the common man. Robert Goddard and other experimenters tested rockets -- the key to space travel -- and launched rocket engineering. The Lindbergh's 1933 Flight: The 1933 flight arose from international interest in developing commercial air routes. Pan American Airways and four other airlines undertook a study of possible Atlantic routes. As Pan American's technical advisor, Charles Lindbergh was sent to survey a route from Newfoundland to Europe. The Lindberghs flew from New York to Newfoundland, then to Europe via Labrador, Greenland, and Iceland. After visiting several European cities as far east as Moscow, they flew down the coast of Africa and across the Atlantic to South America. They flew down the Amazon and then back north to New York. The trip covered 30,000 miles, four continents, and 21 countries. Try saying the name of the Lindberghs' plane: ting-miss-SAR-tock. It originally meant "one who flies like a big bird." But Greenland's language changed slightly in 1973. Today in Greenlandic, an airplane is called "timmisartoq" -- so if you're trying to catch a plane in Greenland, say tim-mi-SAR-torck. Can you find the name painted on the plane?
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Description of Subject Matter: Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery
November 19, 2010 – October 15, 2019
This renovated exhibition highlights the growth of aviation and rocketry during the 1920s and '30s and features famous "firsts" and record setters. It has been updated with new research and includes a broader selection of artifacts. The individuals featured were pioneering men and women who pushed the existing technological limits of flight and broke both physical and psychological barriers to flight. The exhibition features sections on "Military Aviation," "Civilian Aviation," "Black Wings," and "Rocket Pioneers." To engage children, the gallery features hands-on activities, as well as toys, books, and childhood memorabilia of the era in an area entitled "Don's Air Service."
Highlights include:
* Anne Lindbergh's telegraph key
* Jimmy Doolittle's "blind flight" instruments
* Tuskegee Airman Chauncey Spencer's flight suit
* The "Hoopskirt" rocket test stand
* Lindbergh memorabilia
* Gifts received by the crew of the Douglas World Cruiser
* Kiosk featuring archival film clips
Aircraft on view include:
* Wright EX Vin Fiz biplane: flown by Cal Rogers as the first pilot to make a transcontinental flight in fewer than 30 days, 1911
* Fokker T-2: first nonstop U.S. transcontinental flight, 1923
* Douglas World Cruiser Chicago: first around-the-world flight, 1924
* Lockheed 5B Vega: flown by Amelia Earhart in the first solo flight across the Atlantic by a woman, 1932
* Lockheed 8 Sirius: flown by the Lindberghs on airline-route mapping flights, 1930s
* Curtiss R3C-2 Racer
* The gondola from the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom, the first balloon to carry one person—Steve Fossett —nonstop around the world
* 1/4-scale model of the Montgolfier balloon: 1st manned aerial vehicle, 1783
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