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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Trans World Airlines

 Organization

Historical Note

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline from 1925 until 2001. It was originally formed as Transcontinental & Western Air, with the merger of Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) and Western Air Express. The airline ceased operations in 2001 when it was acquired by American Airlines.

Found in 9 Collections and/or Records:

Lee Embree Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2007-08-08
Abstract Lee R. Embree (1915-2008) was born in Iowa, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1936, and was assigned to the 38th Reconnaisance Squadron as an aerial photographer during World War II. Embree was at Hickam Field, Hawaii during the 1941 Pearl Harbor bombing and took several photographs. The collection contains photographs, textual materials, audiovisual materials, and a scrapbook that relate to Embree's military service and photography as well as his post-war photography activities.

John Fornasero Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2011-06-24
Abstract: The John Fornasero Papers are comprised of documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera pertaining to the life and work of flight instructor, aviation inspector, and test pilot John B. Fornasero. A significant portion of this collection is made up of photographs. Major topics include the Ryan School of Aeronautics, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Fairchild Aircraft Company, and Boeing Aircraft Company.

Nancy W. (Biddle) Seidel Trans World Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Box: One
Identifier: 2015-04-03
Contents of the Collection The Nancy W. (Biddle) Seidel Trans World Airlines Flight Attendant Collection documents Seidel's 1946-1947 service as an air hostess with Trans World Airlines (TWA). The materials were collected by Seidel and include her 1946-1947 flight log, which includes date, flight and airplane numbers, crew names, destination and origin locations, arrival and departure times, and other notes, such as altitude. Not every entry includes the same information.Additional materials include seven...

Robert L. Simons Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 1998-05-05-B
Overview Robert Lewis Simons was a military and commercial pilot in the mid-twentieth century. The Collection is comprised of materials relating to Simons’ career , including log books, military records, photographs, and films.

James H. Smith Aviation Photograph Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2023-06-20
Overview James Hamilton Smith (1913-2002) attended the Boeing School of Aeronautics and worked in the field of aviation as a government contractor for the Boeing Company, as well as the Defense Contract Administration Services. This small collection consists primarily of black-and-white photographs that were either taken or collected by Smith during his time at the Boeing School, as well as throughout his career in aviation, which spanned from the early 1930s to the late 1960s.

James Sterling Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1992-01-21
Contents of the Collection The James Sterling Commercial Airlines Collection is comprised of commercial airline ephemera printed between 1930 and 1990, such as route maps, flight schedules, postcards, flight kits, decals, catalogs, brochures, air sickness bags and calendars. The materials were items provided to customers by various airlines, predominantly ones with international routes, including: Pan American World Airways, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, TWA, Northwest Orient Airlines, Mexicana De Aviacion,...

Eris Swarthout Trans World Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: 2011-03-25
Contents of the Collection The collection is comprised of a photograph and a business card relating to Eris Swarthout's 1943-1945 time as a Trans World Airlines (TWA) flight attendant. The black-and-white portrait of Swarthout in her TWA uniform is 4x6". It includes a stamp on the reverse that reads "TWA photo" as well as "Eris Swarthout" written in pen across the top. There is also a TWA business card for "Miss Eris Swarthout" with the job title of "Air Hostess, Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc."

Roy and Margaret Thrush Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2019-09-10
Contents of the Collection The Roy and Margaret Thrush Commercial Aviation Collection is a small collection that focuses mainly on Roy Thrush's 20-year career as a commercial pilot for TWA with a much smaller focus on his brief time at Lufthansa. The bulk of the collection is textual documents, including pilot logs; employee documents, including correspondence, memos, and schedules; membership cards; and a partial TWA pilot's manual. There are also 16 photographs, most of which depict aircraft. Identified aircraft...

Bruce Whitman Aviation Art Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2021-04-16-A
Overview The Bruce Whitman Aviation Art Collection is a collection of artwork including a drawing, posters, lithographs, photographs, and advertisements primarily related to American military aviation from about 1917 to the early 1950s.

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