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

The current dispute over the
location of a new National Air
Museum has obscured the fact
that the Smithsonian Institution
now has on display the best
aeronautical collection in the
world.
mo museum can match our
famous firsts' and extensive his
toric displays" DR.. Leonard Car
michael. secretary of the Smith
jsonian, said yesterday. 1T Is
logical for the Smithsonian tc
have the greatest collection" he
added, "as the United States
has pioneered in aviation since
before the Wright brothers, and
the Smithsonian itself has hao
a hand in many aviation ad-
vanceS."
While the Air Museum is the
greatest, it certainly is not the
neatest. Lack Of space has forced
the Smithsonian to jam part OF
its collection into a. World War
Il temporary building-the tin
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 In
crates in Suitland MIDI, ware
house, and still more are scat
tered in sheds and hangers an
over the country, waiting for
space in Washington.
Significant Planes
This does not mean that the
Smithsonian is a huge vacuum
cleaner, sucking into its cluttered
rooms one each Of everything
that ever few.
On the contrary. Air Museum
Curator Paul E. CARRIER insists
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 planes
for the technical advances they
represent, for the records they
have set. for the persons asso-
ciated with them, for their COM
mercial significance and for their
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 TO
circle the globe tthe Smithson-
ian rescued it from scheduled
destruction, the Douglas World
Cruiser; the first plane to fly
faster than sound, the Bell XII
and many other "firsts."
The collection also includes
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
the techniques of natural flight
- which is where the ancient
Idreamers Of human fight be-
Igan--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 Of
magic carpets but could not get
their ideas off 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
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