Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-23
BY RICHARD FRYKLUND

~ ASA ASAAA~ = - AAA~
The current dispute over the
location of a new National All
Museum has obscured the fact
that the Smithsonian Institution
now has on display the besl
aeronautical collection in the
world.
mo museum can match oul
famous firsts' and extensive his
toric displays" DR.. Leonard Car.
michael, secretary Of the Smith.
sonian. said yesterday. 1T Il
logical for the Smithsonian II
have the greatest collection" HI
added. las the United States
has pioneered in aviation sinct
before the Wright brothers. anc
the Smithsonian itself has hac
Ia hand in many aviation adj
Ivances."
While the Air Museum Is the
greatest. it certainly is not the
Ineatest. Lack Of space has forced
the Smithsonian to jam part ol
its collection into a World Wal
i temporary building-the tir
shed on independence avenue
behind the Smithsonian build.
ing.
More planes are suspended
from the ceiling of the adjacent
Arts and Industries building
two acres Of planes are stored ir
crates in Suitland Md, ware.
house. and still more are scat.
tered in sheds and hangers al
over the country. waiting fol
space in Washington.
Significant Planes
This does not mean that the
Smithsonian is huge vacuum
cleaner. sucking into its clutterec
rooms one each Of everything
that ever few.
On the contrary. Air Museum
Curator Paul E. CARRIER insist,
each plane added to the collec.
ton must meet rigid standards
of Importance. Unless it is truly
a significant specimen of avia.
ton history, the Smithsonian
doesn't want 1t.
Mr.. CARRIER chooses his plane.
for the technical advances they
represent. for the records they
have set, for the persons asso.
Iciated with them, for their com.
mercial significance and for theil
sentimental value.
Many Of the planes displayed
are famous firsts" in aviation
The first airplane itself, the
Wright brothers Kitty Hawk
plane. hangs from the Smith.
'sonian ceiling. Also hanging
there is the first plane to fly
nonstop across the ocean-the
Spirit Of st. Louis, which has
become one Of the top tourist
attractions in Washington.
First Globe Circler
The museum has the first plane
to fly the Atlantic Tin six hops)
the NC-4: the first plane tc
circle the globe (the Smithson-
ian rescued it from scheduled
destructionD. the Douglas Worlc
Cruiser: the first plane to fly
faster than sound. the Bell XII
and many other "flrsts."
The collection also include,
historic engines, gliders. models
and flying. equipment. all care.
fully selected to tell a coherent
story of mans efforts to fly.
The story cannot be laid Out
lin coherent fashion until the
new museum is built, but the
material is all there.
Some day visitors to the mu-
scum will be able to start with
1.-THE techniques Of natural flight
- which is where the ancient
Idreamers Of human fight be-
gan-and follow the history OF
aviation through modern super
sonic rocket flights.
Kites Included
The museum has samples Of
the early doodling Of men who
could visualize human fight and
tell tales Of Pegasus and oi
magic cae pets but could not gel
their ideas of the ground. Kites
were the first workable devices
kept aloft, and the museum has
some old Chinese kites, acquired
In 1876, as well as some modern
war kites.
There also are models Of the
work Of the first aeronautical
engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, who
was on the right track around
1900 but couldn't get a power
plant small enough to make his