Monthly Archives: November 2009

Ultralights Are for the Birds

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Operation Migration ultralight flying with whooping cranes.

Add wildlife conservation to the growing list of special jobs that only ultralight aircraft can do. Right now, a volunteer group called Operation Migration is using Cosmos Phase II ultralights to lead a flock of endangered whooping cranes on the first migration of their young lives, from Wisconsin to Florida. The excellent control and performance of the ultralight at speeds much slower than more conventional aircraft makes this possible. After months of intensive training, the Operation Migration staff have trained the birds to follow the ultralight as though it were another crane. The birds were born in captivity to bolster the wild population which has fallen alarmingly in recent years.

For LIVE video of the migration, check CraneCam each day from 6:30am to 10:00am and then in the afternoon from 3:30pm to 4:30pm just before sunset. TrikeCam is also available LIVE whenever the migration is airborne. These majestic birds are large and slow, and the distance they can cover in a day, or whether they fly at all, very much depends on good weather.

Cosmos Phase II ultralight, used by Operation Migration and featured in the film "Fly Away Home", on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

To find out more, please visit the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Ultralight Exhibit Station on the southwest side of the aircraft hanger, explains with words, photographs, and artifacts, how ultralights evolved from hang gliders, and what research led Operation Migration to develop the complex ultralight migration protocols, with help from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, U. S. G. S. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and other wildlife conservation groups. The exhibit shows the special techniques and hardware developed by Operation Migration to train the birds. Displayed nearby is a Cosmos Phase II ultralight aircraft that led birds in past migrations, and appeared in the Hollywood film, Fly Away Home starring Anna Paquin.

Russell Lee is a curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Aeronautics Division.

The Envelope, Please

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Lee Ya-Ching stepping from the cockpit of her Stinson SR-9B Reliant "Spirit of New China", c.1939. NASM-9A06062, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Archives.

Balancing access and preservation is a continuous problem in every archive. The Museum’s Archives Division’s mandate is two-fold; to make collections accessible for researchers, and to preserve the collections for future generations. These two goals came into conflict while processing the Lee Ya-Ching Collection.

Lee Ya-Ching (1912-1998) was a Chinese aviatrix. During World War II she visited North and South America on a goodwill tour to raise money for the Chinese war effort. After the war, she returned to China. The collection of her papers from her stay in the Americas was buried for safekeeping. Many years later the collection came to light and was eventually donated to the National Air and Space Museum Archives Division. Years of being buried caused numerous conservation issues.

As a processor and the archives conservator, it was my job to determine how these materials are handled. As an archivist, I want the researcher to have access to as much of the collection as possible. As a conservator, I want to protect the materials. When moldy items were found, they were immediately removed from the collection, as mold is a known health hazard to staff and researchers, as well as being detrimental to the collection itself.

Other issues were not as easy to handle. One of these was a large number of sealed envelopes in the collection. Some of these were opened by Lee Ya-Ching and had become resealed by years of storage in damp conditions. The dilemma came when deciding what to do with envelopes that appeared to have never been opened. Should these letters be opened so that researchers can read the contents, or should they be left sealed? Arguments on both sides of the debate had me conflicted as to what to do. Sealed envelopes speak to the character of the individual. Information not received can influence decisions as much as information received. We as processors are obligated to process without influencing the story. Opening these letters alter the interpretation of this woman’s experiences.

Conversely, opening these envelopes gives the researchers access to more information. If these envelopes aren’t opened, researchers would have to be cautioned to leave them intact. Without opening the envelopes, we don’t know what types of materials are inside. Photographs, film, even certain inks and papers could be harmful to the collections.

After much discussion with colleagues, both in and outside the Museum, a final decision has yet to be made. The majority of archivists polled feel the envelopes should be opened, but that they should be segregated and marked as being sealed envelopes opened by the archivist. This would allow access by archivists for conservation and by scholars for research; however, they will know that Lee Ya-Ching did not have the information contained in these envelopes during her lifetime.  Please let us know what you think by posting a comment below.

Here’s more on Lee Ya-Ching – an article from Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine, a blog post that includes a scene from a Hollywood film, Disputed Passage (1939) featuring Lee Ya-Ching, and a comic book (PDF format) on her wartime adventures.

Jordan Ferraro is an Archivist in the National Air and Space Museum Archives Division.

Saving Jenny

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The Curtiss JN-4D Jenny on display in the America by Air exhibition. The aircraft was on display at the Mall Museum from November 17, 2007, until it was removed last week. Photo by Eric Long, Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum.

The Curtiss JN-4D Jenny is arguably one of the most famous aircraft designs in aviation history, at least U.S. aviation history.  Like the DC-3, the Piper Cub, the P-51 Mustang, the Boeing 707, and the F-4 Phantom, to name just a few, the Jenny remains a classic and an all-time favorite of anyone with an interest in airplanes.  Associated with one of the great figures of early aviation, Glenn H. Curtiss, and playing key roles as a trainer, an airmail plane, and a barnstorming aircraft in the late ‘teens and 1920s, the Jenny is a signature aircraft of the period when the airplane was evolving from a new invention to a viable technology that was beginning to have great influence in broad ways.  From the perspective of historical significance to the “nuts and bolts,” ya gotta just love the Jenny.

One of my first experiences that hooked me on early aviation was seeing an original Jenny fly back in 1972 at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.  As the low-powered, frail biplane winged its way gently and slowly around the field, I imagined what it must have been like to learn to fly when wings were new.  Many years later, I had the good fortune to become the curator of the early aircraft collections at the National Air and Space Museum.  Among those aircraft is one of the best remaining examples of a Curtiss Jenny.  The Smithsonian acquired its Jenny in 1918, only days after the Armistice ending World War I.  The airplane was re-covered in the 1920s, and remains completely original from that time.  The Museum’s Jenny is one of the true jewels of the collection.  It has a particular place of pride in my curatorial responsibilities, and the whole museum staff has a great soft spot in our hearts for our Jenny.  When the opportunity to put it on display in the Mall museum presented itself with the building of the new commercial aviation exhibition, America by Air, a few years ago, I was delighted to make it available to the curator of the new gallery.  When the exhibition opened in 2007, it was a great success and the Jenny looked fabulous on its perch, drawing visitors toward America by Air.  A museum favorite finally was center stage for all to enjoy.

Damage to Curtiss JN-4D Jenny tail fabric. Photo by Dane Penland, Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum.

Sadly, last week, our beautiful Curtiss Jenny had to be removed from America by Air.  Being completely original with fabric more than 80 years old, the Jenny is one of the most fragile aircraft in the Museum’s collection.  Even a gentle bump can puncture or split the fabric covering.  Mounted on stands displaying it out of arm’s reach from the floor of the gallery, we thought our treasured Jenny would be safe and sound.  What we didn’t anticipate was the “attack” from the air, from the second floor balcony above.  The vast majority of our visitors could not be more well behaved, and treat our collections and displays with the reverence they deserve.  But with several million visitors a year passing through our exhibits, you can’t avoid a few bad sorts with destructive tendencies.  It seems this tiny percentage of disrespectful souls had taken to using the Jenny for target practice with everything from coins to hard candy.  As a result, the airplane now has more than a dozen holes in it from objects dropped or thrown from above.  The situation had gotten bad enough that the aircraft had to be removed from display.  We were facing a “death by a thousand cuts” situation.  It pains me to have to take such an historic aircraft off display, and deny our visitors to America by Air the chance to see this beautiful example of this true classic.  But as the old saying goes, sometimes a few ruin it for the majority.  To preserve the Jenny, it had to be taken out of harm’s way.  It will be relocated to the Udvar-Hazy Center and placed in a more secure setting.  So visitors will still be able to see it.  Just no longer in the rich context and attractive setting of the America by Air gallery.

Curtiss JN-4D Jenny at Udvar-Hazy Center awaiting reassembly for display. Photo by Dane Penland, Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum.

Peter L. Jakab is the National Air and Space Museum’s Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs, and Curator of the Early Flight and World War I Aircraft collections.

Another First for The Museum – Virtual Conferences

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Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, jumps up from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. Flag during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA). NASA Image #GPN-2000-001131

The National Air and Space Museum is holding its first ever virtual conference for educators on Tuesday, November 10 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST.   Since we’re in the middle of the 40th anniversary commemorations of the Apollo missions, we decided to focus on this important period in American history.  Staff from our Division of Space History will discuss some fascinating topics such as the real story behind President Kennedy’s famous speech challenging Congress to send Americans to the Moon;  the role of computers—a new technology in the 1960s; the myth of presidential leadership during this time period; the intersections of Ralph Abernathy, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Moon landing; the rise of six iconic Apollo images and how they have been used over time; and the denials of the Moon landings by a small segment of the population and their evolution since the 1960s.  They will also explain the complexity behind the Saturn Rocket, the Command, Service, and Lunar Modules and the technique of Lunar-Orbital Rendezvous.   Museum educators will provide tips for helping students analyze primary source materials. The program will support the NASA History Advanced Placement and Human Geography Advanced Placement projects and is generously funded by NASA.

As an added bonus, Apollo astronaut John Young graciously agreed to record a special invitation to participate in the conference and answered some of our questions about his experiences in space.

New to virtual conferencing? A virtual or online conference is similar to other professional conferences only you access it online. Registration is free and open to everyone. And since we know people are busy and the conference schedule will not be convenient for everyone interested, all the conference sessions are recorded and archived so you can play them at any time.

Whether you’re an educator or not, we invite you to join us for this free event.  And, help us spread the word!

Visit the Smithsonian Virtual Conference web site for more information and to register.

Tim Grove is an education specialist in the National Air and Space Museum’s Education Division.