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Archives at The Museum of Flight


United Airlines

 Organization

Staff Only

Dates

  • Existence: 1931-

Historical Note

United Airlines, Inc., commonly referred to as United, is a major United States airline headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. United was established by the joining of several airlines in the late 1920s, the oldest of these being Varney Air Lines, which was founded in 1926. A short time later, in 1931, the airline began operations as United Air Lines. The airline merged with Continental Airlines in 2010, making it one of the world's largest airlines with hundreds of domestic and international destinations.

Found in 47 Collections and/or Records:

Desiree "Jerry" Clifford Michaud and Thelma Irene McGraw Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2016-11-01
Abstract

Jerry Michaud (1924-1982) Michaud served in the United States Navy during World War II as a Naval pilot in the Pacific Theater. Thelma McGraw (1920-1996) She worked as a stewardess with United Airlines (UAL). The collection contains textual materials, black-and-white photographs, and ephemera associated with their 1942-1952 naval and commercial airline careers, respectively.

Dates: 1938-1980; Majority of material found within 1940s
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Claud V. O'Callaghan Early Airmail Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1987-09-22-B
Contents of the Collection The Claud V. O'Callaghan Early Airmail Collection is a relatively small collection that contains textual and photographic materials relevant to the early days of airmail via Varney Air Lines (VAL) and Contract Air Mail (CAM) Route 5 with the bulk of materials dating from 1924-1929. Textual materials include early advertisements for the airmail service, VAL traffic reports; correspondence; printed ephemera, including decals, airmail postage, forms, and posters; and samples of...
Dates: 1924-1962; Majority of material found within 1924-1930
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Mary Ann Odenthal Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: 2007-02-15
Contents of the Collection The Mary Ann Odenthal Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of a small amount of textual materials and six color photographs. The material was collected by Odenthal during her service as a Horizon Air flight attendant (1988-1991) and United Airlines (UAL) flight attendant (1991-2006).The photographs range in size from 4x5 to 8x10 inches and are a mix of candid snapshots and publicity shots. Three feature airliners, including one from Horizon Air. The remaining three prints...
Dates: 1990s - 2002
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

James Pinger Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2000-01-20
Abstract

The collection contains a signed black-and-white portrait of World War I pilot and ace Eddie Rickenbacker and a certificate celebrating the 50th anniversary of United Airlines.

Dates: circa 1917-1919, 1976; 1976
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Robert W. Radoll Early Aviation Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 1990-10-26
Contents of the Collection The Robert W. Radoll Early Aviation Collection documents the professional and personal life of early aviator and airmail pilot Robert W. Radoll from circa 1920 to 1933. The collection consists of textual material, such as correspondence, clippings, and logbooks, as well as a total of 138 photographs. It is divided into two main series: Professional and Personal.The Professional series has been further divided into subseries: Barnstorming, Northwest...
Dates: 1920-1933
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Susan "Kelly" Riley United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 2008-03-06
Contents of the Collection The Susan "Kelly" A. Riley United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of textual materials and photographs related to Riley's career as a stewardess during the 1960s. There are two (2) United Airlines (UAL) Mainliner Stewardess diplomas (1961, 1963) for Riley; including the cases they were housed in. With each diploma is also a black-and-white group portrait of newly graduated UAL stewardesses. Both portraits are 8x10" and neither include identifying information,...
Dates: 1961-1963
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Karen (Jones) Sandaas United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2021-11-01
Content Description The Karen (Jones) Sandaas United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection is a small collection consisting of brochures collected by Karen Sandaas during her time as a flight attendant for United Airlines from 1965-2003. The brochures are predominantly advertisements related to a career as a stewardess for United Airlines and the qualifications needed. One booklet titled "United Flight Blazer Look" illustrates the uniform pieces designed by Stan Herman. There is one clipping from 1938...
Dates: 1938, 1955, circa 1960s-1970s
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Ken Schultz Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1991-06-03-B
Contents of the Collection

The Ken Schultz Commercial Airlines Collection consists of printed ephemera from Eastern Air Lines, Horizon Air, United Airlines, Pan Am, Era Aviation, and Heli L.A. Items are dated circa 1980s and include system timetables, decals, stationery, brochures, postcards, tickets, and city timetables for Anchorage, Kansas City, and Seattle/Tacoma. Also present is an employee handbook from Continental Airlines, dated 1988.

Dates: Circa 1980s
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Judy Evans Sowell United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: 2008-11-19
Contents of the Collection The Judy Evans Sowell United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of textual materials collected by Sowell during her 1965-1993 career with United Airlines (UAL) as a flight attendant. The collection includes assorted UAL materials, including airline maps, decals, menus, employee documentation, such as pay stubs and recognition letters; instructional materials for stewardesses (1965); and a June 23, 1990 letter from UAL celebrating Sowell's 25th anniversary with the...
Dates: 1965-1990
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Barbara Spraker Sea-Tac Airport Slides

 Collection — Folder 1
Identifier: 2018-07-10
Contents of the Collection The Barbara Spraker Sea-Tac Airport Slides collection is a small collection consisting of 44 photographic slides depicting scenes at at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in the mid-1970s. The 35mm color slides were taken by Spraker during her work as a tour guide for the Port of Seattle at Sea-Tac airport. A little under half the images depict various U.S.-based airliners at gates and on the tarmac. Airlines represented in the collection includes Alaska Airlines,...
Dates: 1972-1976
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

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