Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search results

Archives at The Museum of Flight


United States. Air Force

 Organization

Also referred to as: U.S. Air Force; USAF United States. Air Force [1947-present] Earlier headings: Air Service [1919-1926]; United States. Army Air Corps [1926-1941]; United States. Army Air Forces [1941-1947]

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

William Frederick Barns Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2012-04-13
Abstract William Frederick "Bill" Barns (1920-1995) joined the United States Air Force in 1942 and flew in the European Theater during World War II. After the war, Barns served in the USAF in several capacities until his retirement in 1966 when he went to work in the private sector, including for Garrett Corporation. The collection contains a broad array of textual materials as well as photographs and digital images related to his military and professional careers.

John Cook Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2013-07-31
Abstract Born in Scotland, John Cook (1899-) was a mechanic who worked on the engines that powered the Douglas World Cruisers that completed the first circumnavigation of the globe by air. Cook also served in the military for thirty-six years and later was a Quality Control Inspector for the Air Force Aircraft program at Boeing. The collection contains photographs, slides, and textual materials primarily related to his time at Boeing as well as some photographs and documents related to his contribution...

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.

James D. Griffin Photograph Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2015-08-25
Abstract James D. Griffin was an engineer for McDonnell Douglas Corporation. The collection contains five hundred and ninety-six (596) photographs, likely collected and notated by Griffin, featuring primarily Douglas Aircraft Company airplanes manufactured during the 1910s-1970s but also, to a lesser extent, other manufacturer models; including Aero Spacelines, Boeing, Consolidated, and Northrop. There is also a small amount of clippings, newsletters, and articles.

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.

The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org