Interview Summary Engineer Sydney Baker is interviewed about his life and his decade-spanning career in the aviation industry. He discusses his work at Vickers-Armstrongs in the 1940s and 1950s and his subsequent engineering jobs with Canadair and the Boeing Company. Projects discussed include the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) program, the AOA (Airborne Optical Adjunct) program, and guided missile development. He also shares his experiences as a Museum of Flight docent and his restoration work...

Contents of the Collection The Margaret E. (Wolfe) Berry Collection largely documents Margaret Berry's volunteer work with three aircraft restoration projects during the 1980s-1990s with visual and textual components. A small amount of material is personal in nature. The collection is arranged into two series: Aircraft Restoration materials and Personal materials.Series I: Aircraft Restoration materials makes up the bulk of the collection and has been further divided into three...

Contents of the Collection

The Robert R. and and Canadette Museum of Flight Scrapbook is a single-item collection, created by Robert R. and Canadette Dickson and documents their involvement with The Museum of Flight and related restoration projects from 1978-1987. The scrapbook includes clippings, printed ephemera, and photographs. Topics include the Boeing Model 80A restoration, Pathfinder Awards, and Red Barn. Some pages and materials are quite loose and/or fragile.

Contents of the Collection

The Johnny Dingle Boeing 247D Restoration Scrapbook is comprised of a single photograph album with photographs, clippings, and printed ephemera that documents the restoration of The Museum of Flight's Boeing 247D (NC13347) "The City of Renton." The album holds 86 photographic prints and additional digital prints, clippings, and assorted pieces of ephemera. The album was likely compiled by Johnny Dingle, who was a founding member of The Museum of Flight and a pilot of the Boeing 247D.

Abstract

Theodore Jay Johnston (1923-2013) was born in Olympia, Washington and was a pilot with the Eighth Air Force (398th Heavy Bomb Group) during World War II. After the war, Johnston spent 37 years at Boeing, workings on a variety of projects, including the Boeing B-47 Stratojet and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The collection contains slides and technical documentation related to Johnston's personal history with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Boeing B-47 Stratojet.

Content Description

The Ernst Linnemann B-29 T-Square 54 Photographs is a small collection consisting of 15 4x6" color photographs and corresponding negatives of the Museum of Flight's B-29 T-Square 54. The images show the aircraft before restoration and include interior and exterior details.

Abstract

Richard J. McWhorter (1921-2007) was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho and had a long standing and multi-faceted interest in aviation, including owning and restoring vintage airplanes. The collection includes manuscript materials, ephemera, audio-visual materials, and approximately three hundred (300) photographs documenting the restoration of a Stearman C-3B (#NC7550), on display at The Museum of Flight, as well as a Stearman C-3R (#NC656K).

Interview Summary Aviation mechanic James “Jim” Hawthorne Jackson is interviewed about his life and military service. Particular focus is given to Jackson’s time with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, when he worked as a B-29 mechanic in the United States and Guam. Afterwards, Jackson discusses his involvement with The Museum of Flight’s Restoration Center and his work restoring various aircraft, including the Museum’s B-29 Superfortress and Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star.Introduction and...

Interview Summary

Vietnam War veteran Thomas W. “Tom” Olsson is interviewed about his military service as a helicopter pilot with the United States Army. He discusses his combat tours in Southeast Asia flying the Bell AH-1 Cobra gunship and describes his later assignments as a flight instructor for the Cobra and the Hughes AH-64 Apache. He also touches on his post-military careers with Rockwell Collins and the Boeing Company and on his volunteer work at The Museum of Flight.

Interview Summary In this two-part oral history, Paul L. Weaver is interviewed about his decade-spanning career as an aircraft mechanic and pilot. In part one, he describes his military service with the U.S. Navy; his career with the Boeing Company during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s; and his involvement in the Pacific Northwest aviation scene. He also shares stories about other aviation enthusiasts and the early days of the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation (PNAHF), the predecessor of The...