Category Archives: restoration

Phase Two—The New Wing

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Looking at the seemingly endless aisles of crates at the Paul E. Garber Restoration and Storage Facility, it is not a great stretch of the imagination to picture Indiana Jones scouring these narrow labyrinths for that anonymous wooden crate housing the notorious Ark. Images of Garber bring to mind the sheer size of the Museum’s collection of aircraft, spacecraft, related artifacts, and archival materials–a collection that, with some 60,000 artifacts, is the largest of its kind. It is hard for me to keep my jaw from dropping to the ground when I think of its enormity, value, and historic significance.

Garber

It's easy to imagine Indiana Jones searching for the Ark among this labyrinth of wooden crates.

Garber’s staff works tirelessly to preserve and restore this immense collection of historic and iconic artifacts. However, working conditions are less than ideal as limited space and equipment hinder the progress of various projects.

This will all change with the completion of the new wing of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center—“Phase Two”—which will be dedicated to the behind-the-scenes care of the collection.  The new wing, which will be furnished with state-of-the-art equipment and provide roughly three and a half times more space than Garber, will greatly aid staff in their work to restore, process, store, and conserve the collection. Located south of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center, Phase Two will include five facilities: the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, Collections Storage, Archives, the Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory, and the Collections Processing Unit.

Phase Two

Providing about three and a half times more space and furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, Phase Two will make the work of preserving and restoring the Museum’s collection much easier.

The Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar will be able to house several aircraft at one time, giving specialists the space and resources to restore and maintain artifacts. The additional room and equipment will allow the Museum to resume various restoration projects, such as that of the Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver—the same type of aircraft that former director of the National Air and Space Museum, Donald Engen, flew in World War II.

And perhaps the most exciting part of this new hangar is the glassed-in mezzanine that will allow the public to catch a glimpse of Museum specialists in action. So keep your eyes peeled for that Helldiver when Phase Two is complete.

Observation Deck

An observation deck overlooking the restoration hangar will give the public a rare opportunity to observe firsthand the process of restoring aircraft and spacecraft.

The new collections storage space will eventually allow for all artifacts to be moved from Garber to the more modern facility, enabling staff to preserve and store artifacts more efficiently. The two-level facility will include environmental controls, compact shelving, and special storage units. This will allow the Museum to maximize storage space while effectively storing a diverse collection of objects ranging from commemorative medals to large power plants, and even wolf fur used in the Arctic, to mention a few.

Not to forget about the valuable and rare records in the Museum’s hands, the archives will house more than 12,000 cubic feet of documentation in addition to more than 1.75 million photographs and 14,000 film and video titles.

The Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory will further aid staff by providing guidance on storage and exhibition conditions as well as innovative treatment plans for preservation. The new collections processing area will consist of a special loading dock and secure area where artifacts can be inspected; cleaned; assembled and disassembled; and wrapped and protected for optimum preservation.

The completion of the new wing will provide the Museum with a modern facility that will help behind-the-scenes staff with their important work. It will ultimately bring the Museum one step closer to accomplishing its mission to collect and preserve the nation’s aviation and space history.

Ciara Richards is an intern in the Aeronautics Division of the National Air and Space Museum.

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.

Personal Connections Make the Museum Meaningful

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Confession: I used to think airplanes were boring. When I left my home in Tucson, Arizona this May to begin a summer internship at the National Air and Space Museum, I thought that air and space history had nothing to do with me. And, I must confess, I had very little interest in them, either. My background is in art history, and my goal for the summer was to learn about education programs in a large museum with extremely diverse visitors – airplanes had nothing to do with it.

A few weeks after I arrived at the Museum, however, I was hooked. I talked with anyone who would listen about the things I learned at the Museum every day. I started reading in my free time about pioneering aviators. In short, I had been drawn in by the tractor beam that is created when a museum visitor makes a personal connection with an artifact or artwork. I learned how exciting airplanes can be when I came across a plane – and its pilot, Lowell Smith – that led me to learn about the role aeronautics played in shaping the community I live in and my family’s decision to move there, making it my home.

I had never heard of Lowell Smith until I saw his name painted on the side of the Douglas World Cruiser Chicago in the Pioneers of Flight gallery. Lieutenant Smith piloted the Chicago in the first flight around the world in 1924. As I read further I learned about his impressive career as a decorated Army officer who held 16 records for military aircraft in speed, endurance, and distance. In 1923 he piloted the first plane to successfully refuel in mid-air.

Lt. Lowell Smith stands on the left wing of the Douglas World Cruiser Chicago as he prepares to take off from Seattle, Washington on the first leg of the around-the-world flight. SI 78-4647, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Archives.

His early accomplishments are impressive, but it is Smith’s life after the around-the-world flight that intersects with mine. In February, 1942, he became the second commander of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. Under Smith’s command, it became the top training base for B-17 and B-24 crews during World War II. Military airspace was defined from Tucson west to Yuma, near the California border, that is still in place today.

Thanks to Museum Specialist Carl Schuettler, I had the rare opportunity to look inside the cockpit of the Chicago while it was being cleaned. Here, I stand in the same spot where Lowell Smith stood when the above photo was taken. Photo by Robyn Squire.

Many things have changed at Davis-Monthan since Smith died in a horseback riding accident in 1945, but the primary purpose of the Base – pilot and crew training – remains. Thanks to the weather (surely you’ve heard about the “dry heat”), pilots can safely fly almost every day of the year in southern Arizona. These days Davis-Monthan is a training base for A-10 pilots, and the nearby Air National Guard base serves as an international training base for F-16 pilots.

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Missing Something?

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Most of us have a “junk drawer” that contains, among other oddments, stray keys.  Restoration specialists working on the Douglas World Cruiser “Chicago” recently found two such strays in the aircraft:

Since the “church key” (can opener) was found on top of the engine, it was probably used to open oil cans rather than refreshments for the pilots. The skeleton key is more mysterious.  Restoration specialist Will Lee, who found it in the seat of the rear cockpit, reports that it was pristine but unmarked.  So, if your house predates the 1924 flight, have you been wondering where one of your keys is?  We might have it!

Anne McCombs is a restoration specialist in the Collections Division of the National Air and Space Museum.

X-Ray Analysis of the Starship Enterprise

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When the National Air and Space Museum opened in 1976, the production model of the Starship Enterprise was prominently and dramatically displayed hanging at the entrance of “Life in the Universe” gallery.

Later, when that gallery closed, and the starship was moved to several other locations within the museum.

Star

Star Trek Starship "Enterprise" Model on display in "Life In The Universe" gallery.

  

Star Trek Starship "Enterprise" Model on display in Flight and the Arts gallery.

Star Trek Starship "Enterprise" Model as it appeared in "Rocketry and Spaceflight" gallery.

Though these were dramatic displays, hanging the starship from the ceiling was not entirely favorable.  It had to be hung well above viewer’s heads, safely out of the reach of curious hands. From there, it could only be seen from below, which did not offer the best viewing, certainly not for loyal fans. In addition, hanging the starship left it at the mercy of accumulating dust and grime – a very serious issue in museums.

In fact, the starship had not been built to be hung. When filmed for the television series Star Trek, it rested upon a stand.  This stand, only 17 and a half high inches and ten and a quarter inches wide, seems scarcely substantial enough to support the eleven foot by five foot starship.

The original stand used during filming of the "Star Trek" television series.

By 1999, the starship had been hung, frequently moved, and re-hung for close to a quarter of a century. Museum staff responsible for caring for the starship determined that a close examination of the structure was required. Maryland QC Laboratories (MQC Labs, Inc.) at Aberdeen, Maryland, were contracted to do an X-Ray analysis of the starship, with special emphasis on possible stress at the attachment points, where the cables from which the starship was suspended were attached to the ship itself.

X-Ray Photograph from Saucer to Pylon Top

X-Ray Photograph from Saucer to Pylon Top

Port Nacelle, Top

X-Ray Photograph of Port Nacelle Top

X-Ray photograph of Hull, Starship Enterprise Model.

A composite of four X-Ray photographs showing the hull of the original Starship

After considerable discussion, museum staff decided not to hang the starship any more. Instead, a special case was built for it, and it now rests upon two stanchions specially built to hold it. The case protects the ship from dust, grime and fingerprints, while at the same time, presents the model at eye-level, so that the serious (and the merely curious) viewer can study it closely, and from all sides. Alongside the starship is the original stand it rested on, when filmed for the television show.

Starship "Enterprise" on display in the Museum Store.

Gregory K. H. Bryant is Museum Registrar in the Office of the Registrar at the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum.

To see the “Enterprise” Model on display, visit the lower level of the National Air and Space Museum Store at the National Mall Building in Washington, DC.