The George Leslie Boyd Pilot Collection is comprised of Boyd’s personal pilot logbooks, assorted certifications and licenses, notes, as well as photographs related to Boyd’s time as a pilot with the United States Army Air Corps as well as United Airlines. The collection materials date from 1927 to 1967.

The largest segment of materials in the collection are Boyd’s fifteen pilot logbooks. The logbooks begin in 1927 when Boyd first began his training as a pilot at the U.S. Air Service Flying School, in Kelly Field, Texas. The logbooks follow the sequential order of his years as a pilot. After passing his training with the U.S. Army Air Corps, he flew for the American Eagle Aircraft Corporation, based out of Kansas City, Missouri; Egyptian Flying School, in Marion, Illinois; as well as Midplane Sales and Transit Company and the Boeing Air Transport, which were both predecessors of United Airlines. He was formally hired by United Airlines on April 10, 1929, and remained with the company until his retirement in 1967. The logbooks focus primarily on his time with United Airlines.

The four 4x5-inch black-and-white photographs in the collection depict casual scenes of Boyd with friends. They were found tucked in his first pilot logbook. In addition to the snapshots there are three small professional photographs of Boyd; one attached to his military rating certification and two on his pilot licenses.

The remainder of the collection consists of Boyd’s U.S. Army Air Corps military rating card, pilot licenses and certifications, as well as a few loose hand-written flight notes found in his 1939 logbook. These documents range from 1930 to 1983.