Balloon ascension in Rossville, Kansas
Date: 1909
A photograph of a balloon ascension in Rossville, Kansas.

Dr. and Mrs. Will Menninger in Lansing, Michigan
Date: October 30, 1962
A photo of James F. Anderton (left),Dr. and Mrs. Will Menninger and Zenon C. R. Hansen (right), of the White Motor Co., at an air field in Lansing, Michigan.

Louis Philip Billard, World War I soldier
Date: 1918-1920
Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. This file contains information on Louis Philip Billard, Third Aviation Instruction Centre. Louis died on July 24, 1918 in France. Billard Airport in Topeka, Kansas is named after him.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway aircraft, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between July 29, 1946 and July 31, 1946
This black and white photograph shows the first plane of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway aircraft in Los Angeles, California, prior to its inaugural flight for Chicago, Illinois. The war surplus Douglas C-47 was equipped with a new type refrigeration unit developed by Douglas Aircraft engineers. The "Flying Refrigerator" was capable of carrying a 5500 pound payload of refrigerated perishables or a 6500 pound non-refrigerated load.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's freight operations
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1946 and 1956
This composite photograph shows the modes of freight services offered by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway operations
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1946 and 1947
This composite photograph shows the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's Skyway Inc., operations.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway aricraft, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1946 and 1947
This black and white photograph shows members of the maintenance staff from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's Skyway, Inc. The members have been identified from left to right as follows: R.H. Dekay, assistant superintendent of maintenance; E.L. Drinkwater, foreman; S.C. Timson, C.A.A. liaison man; J.J. Cooper, lead inspector; and E.R. Hines, superintendent of maintenance for Santa Fe Skyway, Inc.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway aircraft, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1946 and 1947
This black and white photograph shows the first Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's skyway aircraft at the municipal airport in Los Angeles, California. The reconverted DC-4 was capable of carrying 20,000 pound of payload. The cargo space was lined with V white board, a fiberglass composition designed to protect fragile cargo. High efficiency refrigeration units were engineered, designed and fabricated by the Douglas Company for installation.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1950s and 1960s
These three black and white photographs show the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division in Los Angeles, California. This division of Santa Fe Industries, Inc., offered world-wide freight forwarding service.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1950s and 1960s
These two black and white photographs show the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division in Los Angeles, California. This division of Santa Fe Industries, Inc., offered world-wide freight forwarding service.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division, Los Angeles, California
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: Between 1950 and 1969
These two black and white photographs show the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company's air freight division in Los Angeles, California. This division of Santa Fe Industries, Inc., offered world-wide freight forwarding service.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Creator: Hollabaugh, Jack
Date: Between 1944 and 1945
A postcard with a drawing of two Boeing B-29 Superfortresses built in Wichita, Kansas. The two planes were purchased in bond drives by Boeing employees. 'Eddie Allen', named for America's leading test pilot and aviation pioneer, and '293', named for the bomber lost in the first B-29 raid over Japan.

Airplane in Offerle, Kansas
Date: 1921
A photograph showing the first airplane to land in Offerle, Kansas. It was a Curtis-Wright, 2-place, bi-plane. It was piloted by Jay Sadusky, and he and Kenneth Brown are posed in front of the plane. In the cock-pit is the co-pilot and Harry F. Brown. Dan Brown is standing beside the plane.

Early airplane in Wichita, Kansas
Date: Between 1912 and 1918
A photograph showing an early airplane in flight at Wichita, Kansas. The plane was possibly built and flown by Albin Longren.

Albin K. Longren with his airplane in Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Boeger, Topeka
Date: May 16, 1912
A photograph showing Albin K. Longren with his first airplane on the Topeka Fair grounds in Topeka, Kansas. This plane was flown for the first time on September 2, 1911, and was the first sucessful airplane built in Kansas. It was powered with the first eight cylinder motor owned within the state of Kansas. The motor was a type A-2 Hall-Scott, 8 cylinder, water cooled, detachable heads, 60 horsepower, bore 4" and stroke 4".

Lloyd Stearman
Creator: Boeing Aircraft Company
Date: Between 1958 and 1960
Lloyd Stearman was born on 0ctober 26, 1898 in Wellsville, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University until the beginning of World War I when he left school to join the U. S. Naval Reserve. It was during his service in the Naval Reserve that he learned to fly Curtiss N-9 seaplane. After the war he was hired as a mechanic by E. M. Laird Airplane Co., later the Swallow Airplane Manufacturing Co. In 1925, Stearman joined Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna to form the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. Stearman left in 1926 and went to Venice, California, where he established the Stearman Aircraft Corporation. A year later he returned to Kansas and set up his factory in Wichita. An aircraft holding company that included Boeing acquired Stearman's corporation in 1929, but the company continued to operate under the Stearman name for many years. Eventually it became the Wichita Division of The Boeing Company. Although Stearman left the company in 1931, Boeing engineers continued to use his drawings. In 1931 Stearman and partners acquired the then bankrupt Lockheed Aircraft Company in Santa Barbara, California, becoming president of the company and designing aircraft. He left Lockheed in in 1935 to work for the federal government and other companies, including the Stearman-Hammond Corporation, which he formed in 1936. He returned to Lockheed in 1955 as a senior engineer and retired in 1968. In retirement he formed a new Stearman Aircraft Corporation and worked designing new planes until ill health prevented him from working. He died in Northridge, California, on April 3, 1975.

Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kansas
Creator: Beech Aircraft Corporation
Date: Between 1940 and 1945
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line for the D18S's at the Beech Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas. Thirty days after V-J Day this assembly line was beginning production. At the end of sixty days, the first D18S's were rolling out of the hangar doors just 16 short weeks after final victory.

Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kansas
Date: December 31, 1941
This black and white photograph shows the Beechcraft AT-11 production line in Wichita, Kansas. These aircrafts were used during World War II and produced by Beech Aircraft Corporation.

Neptune Bombers, Hutchinson, Kansas
Date: Between 1938 and 1945
This black and white photograph shows four Lockheed P2V Neptune bombers in flight near Hutchinson, Kansas.

Forbes Air Force Base, Topeka, Kansas
Date: Between 1949 and 1959
This black and white photograph shows a flight line of B29s and B50s aircrafts at the Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas.

Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kansas
Creator: Beech Aircraft Corporation
Date: Between 1940 and 1945
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line for the Douglas A-26 Invader at the Beech Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas. These planes played an important role in the European and Pacific theaters of war during World War II.

Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kansas
Creator: Beech Aircraft Corporation
Date: November 1948
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line at the Beech Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas.

Cessna aircraft assembly Line, Wichita, Kansas
Creator: Cessna Aircraft Company
Date: Between 1970 and 1979
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line for the two seated model 150s at the Strother Plant, a division of the Cessna Aircraft Company, in Wichita, Kansas.

Cessna assembly line, Wichita, Kansas
Date: Between 1970 and 1979
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line for the twin-engine Skymater at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas.

Cessna assembly line, Wichita, Kansas
Date: Between 1960s and 1970s
This black and white photograph shows the assembly line at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas.