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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Textual Materials, 1928-1997

 Series

Contents of the Collection

From the Collection:

The Charles Langmack Papers consists of textual materials, scrapbooks, and photographs concerning the life and military career of Charles Langmack and ranges from the 1920s-2002.

The first series, Textual Materials, documents Langmack's time in the U.S. Army Air Force, particularly his work with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1940s. There are also a few folders of correspondence, which is a mix of personal and professional items. Charles and David Langmack's log books are also included this series. Some oversize items, including 2 organizational charts, a drawing of an unidentified aircraft engine, and a monthly roster of the 316th Bombardment Wing at Kadena Army Air Force Bases (Okinawa), date from Langmack's time in the military, particularly his time working with Lockheed. There are also 2 pilot's licenses for Langmack, dated 1929 - one of which is signed by Orville Wright.

The second series, Photographs, includes three hundred eight (308) loose photographs, ten negatives, and 3 photograph albums/scrapbooks with 522 photographs and ephemera. The photographs are also a mix of personal and professional. Some of the images have numbers printed on the front [ex: "S-2727"]. A majority of images have stamps on the reverse denoting which agency took the photograph, including Lockheed Corporation, Vega Corporation, and the United States Army Air Corps. Some photographs have brief handwritten captions, providing contextual information such as location, date, aircraft, or names. Duplication occurs. The photographs in Box Three, Folders 1-4 were originally stored in a black binders. They were removed due to preservation concerns but are stored in the original order.

The military-related photographs, found on the binder pages in Box Three, Folder 1-4 and loose in Folder 6, include images of aircraft crashes, some likely in the general vicinity of McChord Air Force Base (Washington) during World War II, and military personnel, including Langmack. There are also photographs of test flights for various aircraft, including Douglas XB-19 (XBLR-2), Lockheed (F-80) P-80A Shooting Star, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and B-17 production at Vega Aircraft Corporation. There is also a photograph of aircraft inspectors working for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, circa 1940s.

There is a large amount of personal photographs, loose and in albums, which document the Langmack family from the 1920s to the 1990s, including family member portraits and casual snapshots. The snapshots among the loose images depict Charles and David's early aviation activities, including barnstorming in Oregon and their flying school, the Langmack's family farm in Oregon, vacation pictures, and several images of a replica Curtiss JN-4Can Canuck that Langmack built. There are also 47 oversized photographs, including 3 photographic collages. One of the collages also includes newspaper clippings about Langmack. Images depict Charles and David Langmack in or next to aircraft, aircraft in flight, and 2 feature aircraft flying in front of Mount Rainier (Washington). There is also a 1941 group portrait of the 17th Bombardment Group at McChord Air Force Base, California.

The 3 photograph albums contain photographs as well as ephemera, such as clippings, photocopies of documents, and correspondence that depicts all aspects of Langmack's life from the 1920s-1990s. The images in the first album include family photographs, military aircraft, vacation snapshots, commercial aviation, and Langmack's career in farming. The second album includes photographs of the Langmack brothers' flying school, barnstorming in Oregon, commercial and military aircraft, Randolph Field (Texas), and the family farm. The third album includes more images from the brothers' time as barnstormers, flight instructors and commercial pilots. Also included are numerous photographs, clippings, and ephemera about David's death in 1941.

The third series, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum materials, includes a small amount of textual material originally donated to that museum. It includes a 1998 proposal for an aviation museum in the Albany [Oregon] Air Park, biographical information, a 2002 Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame featuring Langmack and a list of various aircraft flown by him, and one undated letter to Langmack from "Ole Mac" that discusses the rebuild of the Canuck.

The fourth series, Maps, includes 28 oversized maps. These are mostly sectional maps, but include other maps issued by the United States Government. In addition to the oversized maps, there are four Air Corps Map Books in the collection. Some of the oversize maps have hand written annotations on them, presumably written by Langmack, tracking routes and noting bases.

Dates

  • Creation: 1928-1997

Creator

Language of Materials

From the Collection:

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Extent

From the Collection: 5.46 Cubic Feet (3 full-width letter size document boxes, 2 full-width letter size document box, 1 large flat box, 25 oversize maps in drawers, 1 legal-size folder)

Repository Details

Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository

Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874


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