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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Franklin W. Minert Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2008-11-23
The Franklin W. Minert Collection contains photographic, textual and audiovisual materials relating to the career of Franklin Minert, a test pilot and boom operator for the Boeing Company, with items ranging from 1937-1993 (bulk 1940s-1950s).

The bulk of the collection consists of a total of 172 photographs and negatives documenting Boeing aircraft. Most of these are black-and-white, 8x10” official Boeing photographs. Many depict U.S. Navy planes, but some images of commercial aircraft are also present. One folder contains photographs of Boeing employees and affiliates, including some of Minert. Boeing employees identified in these photographs include Sam Banister, Jack A. Danner, D.R. Donaldson, W.P. Elfendahl, Ira F. “Kettle Belly” Hewlett, Emil Hoeffer, Don L. Kelley, Orville Long, Henry S. "Sandy" McMurray, A. Elliott Merrill, Clayton L. Scott, Lyle E. Seehorn, and F. William Tunnell.

There is a small amount of textual material in the collection. One folder contains identification cards, pilots’ licenses, medical forms, membership cards, certificates, and registrations. One folder consists of assorted documents, including a certificate commemorating Minert’s 25 years at Boeing, various notes, and boom operator’s monthly reports for the KC-135 aircraft. There is one folder of newspaper clippings related to Minert and the Boeing Company and includes several issues of Boeing News with relevant articles highlighted. There is also a 1978 NASA Space Shuttle poster designed by Barron Storey.

The collection also contains 11 films, which are a mix of professional and personal documentation. Four of the films contain segments depicting aerial refueling, primarily U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft. Most contain aerial and landscape footage, much shot in Utah. Several of the films are home movies. Two of the films contain footage of the 1962 Century 21 Exposition in Seattle, Washington. The films range from about two to thirteen minutes long.

Home movie films:
  • Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair) Seattle, Washington, 1962
  • Footage of landscape and wildlife, likely in Utah, and brief airfield scene, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Landscapes and landmarks, Utah, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Landscapes and Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair), 1962
  • Franklin W. Minert family home movies


Boeing-related films:
  • Aerial refueling of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and views of terrain and other aircraft, circa 1950s
  • Aerial views of mountains, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Aerial refueling scenes, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Boeing 367-80 in flight in flight and aerial refueling scenes, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Aerial views and airfield activities, circa 1950s-1960s
  • Boeing KC-135 aerial refueling scenes, circa 1950s-1960s

Dates

  • circa 1930s-1993
  • Majority of material found within circa 1940s-1950s

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

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

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Extent

1.6 Cubic Feet (1 letter-size full width document box, 1 oversize folder, 11 film reels)

Overview

Franklin Minert was a test pilot and boom operator at the Boeing Company from 1943-1970. The collection contains photographic, textual and audiovisual materials relating to his career.

Biographical Note: Franklin W. Minert

Franklin Minert was a test pilot and boom operator at the Boeing Company from 1943-1970. In the 1930s he worked for the Civil Aeronautics Authority, precursor to the Federal Aviation Administration. Minert was born in 1906. No further information is known.

Biographical note derived from collection materials.

Arrangement

This collection has been organized by format with visual and textual materials followed by audiovisual materials.

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Sheryl Guyon. Their relationship to Franklin Minert is unknown.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Existence and Location of Copies

Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.
Title
Guide to the Franklin W. Minert Collection
Status
Completed - Level 3
Author
A. Matthews
Date
2021
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
English
Sponsor
Processing, cataloging, and digitization of the films in this collection was made possible by a Council on Libraries and Information Resources (CLIR) "Recordings at Risk" grant.
Edition statement
1st edition

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