Audiovisual Collections

The American Fighter Aces Association (AFAA) Oral Interviews consists of oral histories with approximately one hundred twenty-two (122) fighter aces, along with a few non-aces such as historians and military commanders. Most of the interviews focus on the interviewees' military service during either World War I or World War II, but a few also discuss their involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Military training and personal background are also discussed. The collection also contains several recorded events connected to fighter pilots, such as reunions and goodwill meetings, plus some radio commercials for the Champlin Fighter Museum.

Please note that some of the interviews contain offensive comments, such as racial slurs or impersonations, and graphic descriptions of wartime violence.

The Catherine Wingfield Flight Attendant Collection is a small collection comprised of materials relating to Wingfield’s career as a flight attendant for American Airlines in the late 1930s. Included in the collection are four privately shot films, dated between 1939 and the early 1940s, containing scenes of American Airlines cross-country flights, home movies, and other travel footage.

The Floyd R. Daniel Boeing Collection is comprised of materials relating to Daniel’s 26-year career as photographer and videographer at the Boeing Company. Included in the collection are seven films featuring aviation-related scenes, approximately spanning the 1930s through the 1960s. 

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 collection's audiovisual materials are comprised of 11 films depicting scenes from Minert's professional and personal life, such as aerial refueling procedures, military aircraft in flight and at airfields, views of various terrain, and footage from the Century 21 Exposition.

The G. Harry Stine Space History and Model Rocketry Collection consists of the personal papers of rocket scientist and early model rocket pioneer George Harry Stine. Included in the collection are several audiovisual materials related to rocketry and aviation, as well as Stine's personal life.

The Harry R. Mankins Film Collection is a small collection containing one film reel from circa 1930s-1940s of various military aircraft and airliners flying around the Seattle, Washington area.

The Herbert Brucker Film is a small collection containing one privately shot black-and-white film taken at Mitchell Field in Garden City, New York in 1927. 

The Jake Schultz Aerocar Film Collection is a small collection consisting of one film related to Molt Taylor and the Aerocar III (N100D), circa 1968.

The James C. Stewart Fighter Ace Collection documents Lt. Col. Stewart's life in the military from his enlistment in 1943 to his retirement in 1966, and also includes a small amount of personal materials. The collection's audiovisual materials are comprised of six films containing travel footage in Europe and Asia, footage from aircraft gun cameras, and home movies.

The Joe Aiken Films are comprised of six films shot, produced, or compiled by Joe Aiken of 20th Century Fox Studio, from approximately 1918-1947. The films contain a mix of newsreel footage, documentary footage of aircraft manufacturing, and flight footage

The John Wegg Commercial Airlines Collection consists of printed ephemera, photographs, documents, and other materials pertaining to the aviation journalism and writing career of John Wegg, from approximately 1929-2004. The collection's audiovisual materials are comprised of four films depicting various commercial airline flights and a fifth film depicting trains and railways.

The Julius A. Barr Photograph Albums and Films document Barr's personal life, flight training, and career in China from 1926-1939 with more than 1,600 photographs and 11 short films. The collection is of interest not only for its relation to aviation history but for the imagery of life in China in the late 1930s. The audiovisual materials depict travel scenes in China, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. A few of the films also feature brief clips of aircraft, airfields, and aerial views.

The Karl Martinez Dash-80 Film consists of one home movie-style film of Boeing Company test pilot Alvin “Tex” Johnston performing a barrel roll of the Boeing 367-80, a prototype of the Boeing 707, over the 1955 Seafair Gold Cup Hydroplane races.

The Michael Poirier Apollo 13 Recovery Collection is a small collection comprised of film footage and photomechanical prints relating to the recovery of the Apollo 13 spacecraft by the USS Iwo Jima on April 17 1970.

The Museum of Flight Oral History Collection chronicles the personal stories of individuals in the fields of aviation and aerospace, from pilots and engineers to executives. This collection, which dates from 2013 to present, consists of digital video recordings and transcripts, which illustrate these individuals’ experiences, relationship with aviation, and advice for those interested in the field.

The Peter M. Wood Boeing Family Film Collection contains six films, primarily home movies of Boeing family members and associates, from about 1930-1940. The first five films depict Boeing family activities and parties. The sixth film is an official Boeing film and depicts Edgar Gott conferring with U.S. military officers.

The Remi Charles O'Connor Collection primarily relates to the 1941-1956 military service of O'Connor, a Naval Aviator in World War II and the Korean War. The collection includes one film reel shot during a Mediterranean cruise of the USS Dayton (CL-105), predominantly focusing on flight operations related to Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk seaplanes, circa 1947.

The Robert L. Simons Collection is comprised of materials relating to Simons’ career as a military and commercial pilot from the 1920s-1940s, including logbooks, military records, photographs, and films. The collection's audiovisual materials contain a mix of content, such as travel and aerial footage, National Air Race footage, and footage depicting commercial and U.S. military aircraft.

The Roy A. Parsons Aerocar Film is a small collection consisting of one privately shot 8mm film from 1968 of the Aerocar with inventor Molt Taylor demonstrating features of the aircraft.

The Terry Buckridge Alaskan Aviation Film Collection is a small collection containing two privately-shot films from the 1940s relating to Alaskan aviation