AIRWAYS HISTORY Airline Museums and Archives in the USA
WHERE TO FIND AIRLINE HISTORY PRESERVED
Have you ever been to an aviation museum hoping to find some reference to commercial airlines , only to come away disappointed because every exhibit dealt with either military or general aviation ? We decided to compile a guide to those facilities that have a complete or partial focus on the airline industry .
Here , in alphabetical order , are the archives , museums , and libraries that responded to our Airways questionnaire .
The city , or closest airport , is given in parentheses after the name of the facility . All of the information contained in the listing was provided by the responding institution , which is solely responsible for the information presented . This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of museums , archives , and libraries in the United States that hold airline-related material . For example , the Smithsonian ’ s National Air and Space Museum ( NASM ) in Washington , DC , is not included . That facility is already very well known to our readers and the Smithsonian is not a member of the AAHA group .
In 1938 , the aiport was renamed The Howard Hughes Airport to honor the hometown boy who had just made a recordsetting around-the-world flight . In 1942 , it became the home of the first detachment of what would become the Women ’ s Air Service Pilot ( WASP ) program .
Completed in a Streamline Moderne style with Art Deco appointments , it is joined on the field by the 1929 Texas Air Transport hangar ( part of the museum campus ) and an adjacent 1940 hangar also designed by Joseph Finger . Of note are the many art deco bas-relief sculptures that adorn the building .
1940 AIR TERMINAL MUSEUM ( HOUSTON , TEXAS ) 8325 Travelair Street Houston , TX 77061 ( 713 ) 454-1940 www . 1940airterminal . org Also on Facebook .
First opened in 2004 , the Houston airline passenger terminal , restored as the 1940 Air Terminal Museum , is a beautiful example of pre-war Streamline architecture and a paean to a golden age of aviation . Designed by a noted local architect , Joseph Finger , after the city of Houston acquired the private Houston Airport in 1937 , the terminal remained the primary passenger facility until 1955 , when the Houston International Airport terminal — on the other side of the field — was opened .
Whether your interest is aviation , airlines , or architecture , this building stands as a center of interest for all enthusiasts . During its time as a terminal , it was served by a variety of airlines including Braniff , Eastern , Chicago & Southern , Pioneer , Mid-Continent , and others .
This airport was also the original home of Trans-Texas Airways ( TTA ). In 1998 , former TTA captain and airline officer A . J . High spearheaded the program that secured the terminal building for future use as a museum .
Today , it remains as a symbol of times past , reflecting those early attitudes towards flying and aviation from an earlier day !
WHAT ARE YOUR HOLDINGS ? A museum and archive of artifacts from the ‘ Golden Age ’ of aviation ; our holdings include several vintage aircraft and vehicles .
ARE YOU OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ? WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS ? The museum is open to the public Tuesday to Sunday , 10:00 to 17:00 ; closed Mondays and some holidays .
Every third Saturday of the month , the ‘ Wings and Wheels ’ or ‘ Open Ramp ’ day public event is held , with aircraft , displays , and history presentations .
ARE YOUR RESOURCES AVAILABLE BY REQUEST OVER THE INTERNET ? No .
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