Description: (February 1928) James H. Doolittle, the NACA's last chairman, visited Langley in February 1928 in his Curtiss Racer, the plane in which he won the 1925 Schneider Trophy Race. Photograph published More
Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory as it appeared shortly after completion in 1918. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (page 2), by James Schultz. NASA Identifier: L1378
NASA Identifier: S73-30625 Public domain photograph of military parade, army ceremony, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fokker D.VII: The Fokker D.VII was one of the best fighter aircraft of World War I, and was the only weapon used by the Central Powers specifically mentioned in the Versailles Treaty. The Central Powers surrend More
NASA Identifier: S73-30626 Public domain photograph of industrial building, landscape, architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Dr. Robert H. Goddard loading a 1918 version of the Bazooka of World War II. From 1930 to 1941, Dr. Goddard made substantial progress in the development of progressively larger rockets, which attained altitudes More
Description: In the spring of 1919, these two Curtiss JN-4H Jennies, which served as NACA 1 and NACA 3 (foreground), prepare to take off from Langley Field. Many of these early flights were done to collect basi More
Description (October 12, 1928) The NACA cowling as applied to a Curtiss AT-5A at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, October 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03019
Description: Tom Carroll was a NACA research pilot and the SPAD was a French bi-plane fighter aircraft during WWI.
A LMAL carpenter prepares full scale wings for flight research, 1920. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (page 36), by James Schultz. Published in Engineer in Charge, NAS More
NASA Identifier: S73-30627 Public domain photograph of the history of NASA, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
(1934) Fred Weick's homebuilt W-1A of 1934, one of the first aircraft to employ tricycle landing gear. Weick and a group of nine other Langley engineers built this small experimental airplane in their spare tim More
Lockheed Vega Air Express. Frank M. Hawks broke transcontinental speed record in this plane. It was the first production aircraft with the NACA cowling, 1929. NASA Identifier: L3271
Model of the XN2Y-1 for testing in 15-Foot Spin Tunnel. This was one of two balsa wood models (the other was a 1/12-scale model of the F4B-2) for initial testing and calibration of the new tunnel. Researchers w More
Description: (October 17, 1925) Clad in a fur lined leather flying suit with oxygen facepiece, NACA test pilot Paul King prepares to take to the air in a Vought VE-7...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01118
Boeing F3B-1: While most Boeing F3B-1s served aboard the U. S. Navy aircraft carriers Lexington and Saratoga, this example flew in NACA hands at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in the late 1920's. More
Description (January 16, 1936) Fairchild 22: This is one of the hardest aircraft to identify in Langley's past, as it appeared in numerous guises. Built as a standard Fairchild 22, the NACA changed the wing, th More
Dr. Robert H. Goddard tows his rocket to the launching tower behind a Model A Ford truck, 15 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. 1930- 1932. Dr. Goddard has been recognized as the "Father of American Rocket More
Description (October 12, 1928) Army Curtiss Hawk with NACA cowling. This Curtiss AT-5A is equipped to test a NACA cowling, November 1928. It was the work done on the NACA cowling which brought Langley the Colli More
Description: (1928) Langley metal workers fabricated NACA cowlings for early test installations. Cowlings reduced drag and increased aircraft performance...Center: LARC.Image # : L-03412
A map of the Hampton Roads area from the late 1930s. the James River Bridge was completed in the late 1920s. NASA Identifier: L36943
Dr. Hugh Latimer Dryden, had many titles after his name in his lifetime. In 1949 he became the director of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Dr. Dryden received many accolades and awards b More
Description: (1920) Goggles at the ready, this Langley test pilot and engineer conducted research business high above the ground. In the early years, the flight research team was usually made up of a test pilot More
Description (May 19, 1927) Wright WF3W-1 Apache: In its seaplane configuration, an NACA crew prepares the Wright XF3W-1 Apache for take off from the Little Back River. The Apache was used for engine and cowling More
(1928) Originally the Wright Apache had a propeller spinner over the hub and a metal jacket covering the crankcase and inner portions of its engine cylinders. An LMAL test pilot prepares to fly the Apache to hi More
Navy USS Macon fighter planes in VIC formation over NAS Sunnyvale
Subject: Lunde, Barbara Kegerreis b. 1937. Goddard Space Flight Center. Northwestern Bell Telephone Company..Type: Black-and-white photographs..Date: 1964..Topic: Aerospace engineering. Women engineers..Local n More
Description (October 12, 1926) Boeing NB-1: Designed as a primary trainer for the U. S. Navy, the Boeing NB-1 was used by the NACA at Langley starting in October 1926. The float-quipped example used by the NACA More
Either a F2B-1 or F3B-1, both aircraft were built by Boeing and both were powered by Pratt and Whitney Wasp engines. These fighters were intended for Navy shipboard use. Boeing F3B-1: While most Boeing F3B-1s s More
(June 1, 1927) Fred E. Weick, head of the Propeller Research Tunnel section, 1925-1929, in rear cockpit. Charles Lindbergh in front. Tom Hamilton is standing. ..Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-03736
Installation of Careystone covering at the Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) facility. The corrugated concrete and asbestos panels (1/4 inch thick; 42 inches wide; 62 inches long) which were used as siding and roofing fo More
The LMAL flight crew installs an experimental low-drag cowling on the Fokker Trimotor, 1929. Photograph published in Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917-1958 by James R. H More
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)'s first wind tunnel,Located at Langley Field in Hampton,VA,was an open-circuit wind tunnel completed in 1920. Essentially a replica of the ten-year-old tun More
Meeting of the NACA main committee in the NACA conference room, Washington D. C., 1920. (from right to left) Charles D. Wolcott, Joseph S. Ames, William F. Durand. Fourth from left is Orville Wright. At the cha More
Melvin N. Gough started his NACA career in the Propeller Research Tunnel. After taking flight training and becoming a reserve navy pilot in the late 1920s he transferred from the PRT to the flight test section. More
Digging the channel for the Tow Tank. In the late 1920s, the NACA decided to investigate the aero/hydro dynamics of floats for seaplanes. A Hydrodynamics Branch was established in 1929 and special towing basin More
(February 13, 1931) The Lockheed Y1C-12 was a U. S. Army procured example of the Lockheed Vega. The military used the craft as a high-speed transport. The most famous Vega built was Oklahoman Wiley Post's "Winn More
Description (April 25, 1932) Hartley Soule stands in front of this Fairchild 22 with a leading edge high lift device installed for flight testing. This was the first of three Fairchild 22s to be used by the NAC More
(May 22, 1921) Test section and balance for Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT) #1. The 5 foot diameter circular test section and control room of NACA Tunnel No. 1. A Curtiss "Jenny" model can be seen mounted in the More
Description (June 22, 1921) Active aircraft biplane, NACA 29-38131, with model wing suspended during flight...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00130
Description: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in session at Washington to discuss plans to place America foremost in the development of aviation. A report was heard from Dr. Ames, chairman of the More
Vikers Viking Amphibian - biplane: Initially procured in 1921 by the U.S. Navy during their studies of foreign designs, the Vickers Viking IV became NACA 17 during its short period of study at Langley. NASA Ide More
(c. 1922) John F. Victory (1892-1974) was the NACA's first employee and the only executive secretary it ever had...Image # : L-1990-03731
(June 1, 1922) Workmen in the patternmakers' shop manufacture a wing skeleton for a Thomas-Morse MB-3 airplane for pressure distribution studies in flight, June 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00184
Engineer David L. Bacon and physicist Frederick H. Norton, escorted Orville Wright, in hat, around the laboratory during his visit in July 1922. To the right is George Lewis. NASA Identifier: L1767
Description (February 3, 1922) The Variable Density Tunnel arrives by rail from the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The Tunnel was installed at Langley...Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-04352
Description (August 1, 1922) Hangar construction at Langley in 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00339
The hero of most NACA engineers was Orville Wright. NASA Identifier: L226
Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard at a blackboard at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1924. Goddard began teaching physics in 1914 at Clark and in 1923 was named the Director of the Physic More
The Variable Density Tunnel in operation. Variable Density Tunnel 1923. NASA Identifier: L463
Boeing PW-9 Army pursuit aircraft. First produced in about 1924. NASA Identifier: L6451
AWARD PHOTOS - ADMINISTRATION STAFF NASA Identifier: C-1986-1924 Public domain photograph of politician, meeting, government and politics, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Installing the U.S.A. 35B airfoil test section for testing in the Variable-Density Tunnel(VDT). The VDT Log Book entry for January 3, 1925 notes that this airfoil was installed "for a test with the new big stre More
Description (August 15, 1930) Installation of Careystone covering at the Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) facility. The corrugated concrete and asbestos panels (1/4 inch thick; 42 inches wide; 62 inches long) which were More
Dr George W. Lewis, NACA Director of Aeronautical Research (1929-1947) first visit to Ames Lab: L-R; John Parsons, William Mc Avoy, Donald H. Wood, Dr. Lewis, S. J. DeFrance, Author B. Freeman, Carlton Bioletti
Description: Aerial and ground views of the overall construction of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) and the Seaplane Tow Channel. In November 1929, Smith DeFrance submitted his recommendations for the general design of More
Fire gutted interior of Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT). On August 1, 1927 a major fire broke out inside the VDT. Clean-up, repair, redesign and reinstallation of equipment took about 8 months. From the Variable More
Description: (April 10, 1929) President Herbert Hoover presents the Collier Trophy to Joseph Ames, chairman of the NACA in 1929. Three years later, as part of his plan to increase efficiency in government, Hoov More
Description (February 21, 1931) By August 1929, tests in the Variable Density Tunnel had derived the family of airfoils NACA 0006 through NACA 6721, shown here in cross-section. Published in James R. Hansen, En More
SPAD VII (Socitete Pour Aviation et des Derives): This SPAD VII, marked as NACA 10, flew at Langley from September 1922 until February 1925. NASA Identifier: L423
Description (1929) The Langley flight crew installs an experimental low-drag cowling on the Fokker trimotor, 1929. Such cowlings increased fuel efficiency and overall performance...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03333
Description: (1929) Metal workers welding pipe pause for the camera in this 1929 view...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01136
Description: (November 16, 1940) Dr George W. Lewis, NACA Director of Aeronautical Research (1929-1947) first visit to Ames Lab: L-R; John Parsons, William Mc Avoy, Donald H. Wood, Dr. Lewis, S. J. DeFrance, Au More
Description: (July 1, 1929) Langley Laboratory Annual Picnic, Buckroe Beach -- On the barrel to the left is Edward R. Ray Sharp, a future engineer in charge of the NACA's Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in More
Description: Construction of 5 Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. The 5 Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel was built to study spinning characteristics of aircraft. It was an open throat tunnel capable of a maximum speed of 80 m More
Hermann Potocnik (1892-1929), also known as Herman Noordung, was an engineer in the Austrian army. Noordung wrote Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums (The Problem of Space Travel:The Rocket Motor) (1929), a More
Model of Sperry Messenger (U.S.A. 5 airfoil) being tested inside the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT). The tests were run in early January 1925. Testing was suspended on January 15th "until model and airplane coul More
Description: (March 15, 1929) Left to right: Eastman Jacobs, Shorty Defoe, Malvern Powell, and Harold Turner. In this photo taken on March 15, 1929, a quartet of NACA staff conduct tests on airfoils in the Vari More
Description: (c. 1932) The Goddard Space Flight Center was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard, a pioneer in rocket development. Dr. Goddard received patents for a multi-stage rocket and liquid propellants in More
Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard with his complete rocket with the double- acting engine in November 1925, following more than two years of pump development based on the idea of a separate pump for each More
Annual Conference, 1926: The annual industry conference grew from a small modest affair into a large, orchestrated pageant. At the first conference in 1926 this photo was taken on the steps of the administratio More
Sperry M-1 Messenger: The Army's Sperry M-1 Messenger tested variable-camber wings at Langley in 1926. NASA Identifier: L1313
Bee Line BR-1 Racer: The Bee Line BR-1 was a racing aircraft used to compete in the 1922 Pulitzer Air Race. The aircraft and its sister ship, the Bee Line BR-2, came to Langley and the NACA in 1926. The BR-1 is More
The city of Hampton was unable to supply adequate electric power to operate the PRT. Navy Captain Walter S. Diehl, Bureau of Aeronautics, acquired two 1000 hp submarine engines which were to be disposed of. BuA More
This test fuselage (circa 1926) is fitted with Cowl No. 10, the prototype for the first commercial installations. Developed in the PRT to reduce air resistance around a radial engine, the NACA Cowl proved to b More
Boeing NB-1: Designed as a primary trainer for the U. S. Navy, the Boeing NB-1 was used by the NACA at Langley starting in October 1926. The float-quipped example used by the NACA was suspended from the NACA ha More
Description: (June 1, 1926) Michael Max Munk served as the NACA's Chief of Aerodynamics at what is now Langley Research Center. During his time at the NACA, Munk made a number of contributions to the field of a More
Modified Ford truck with a Huck starter, shown starting a Vought VE-7 in 1926. NASA Identifier: L1589
May 16, 1932: The Boeing Model 15 - the Boeing PW-9 aircraft. It arrived at NACA Langley in January 1927 and was tested in the Full-Scale Tunnel which was demolished in 2010. In the background is the original h More
Description: (May 23, 1934) Eight of the twelve members of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics attending the 9th Annual Aircraft Engineering Research Conference posed for this photograph at Langley More
Dr. Joseph Sweetman Ames at his desk at the NACA headquarters. Dr. Ames was a founding member of NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ames took on N More
Description: (1927) Langley administrative office in. Note the blueprints on the table at right lower corner, and rubber stamp tree on the man's desk in left foreground...Image # : L-02204
Equipment used for pressurizing the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT): The VDT tunnel is on the right; the compressors are on the left. Figure 4 in the NACA Technical Report 227 (Part 2) identifies each piece of eq More
Dr. Joseph S. Ames, Chairman of National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics from 1927 to 1939. art by H.E. Lorentz November 1943
Sperry M-1 Messenger: The Sperry M-1 Messenger mounted for testing in the Propeller Research Tunnel, 1927. NASA Identifier: L2067
This Boeing PW-9 was built with strong tail surfaces and fuselage for the systematic investigation of pressure distribution. Although the PW-9 designation would seem to mark a military aircraft, the NACA Boeing More
Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" equipped with 220 HP Wright Whirlwind engine. Charles A. Lindbergh flew this aircraft non-stop from New York to Paris in the period May 20-21 1927. Photographed in San Diego, Cali More
Langley administrative office in 1927. Note the blueprints on the table at right lower corner, and rubber stamp tree on the man's desk in left foreground. NASA Identifier: L2204
Description (September 1, 1928) Drag can present a major problem for aircraft and many of Langley's early research was focused upon reducing aircraft drag. One method was to place a cowling or covering over the More
Construction of 5 Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. The 5 Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel was built to study spinning characteristics of aircraft. It was an open throat tunnel capable of a maximum speed of 80 mph. NACA engi More
View of the interior of the exit cone of the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT) during its brief period of operation as an open throat design. After the fire, the VDT section engineers decided to convert the tunnel More