Neal V. Loving Collection

Neal Loving's life has come to symbolize the true human spirit for he arose out of disastrous life events to become recognized as one of the "African American Pioneers in Aviation."

SERIES 1. Correspondence. This series contains three boxes of correspondence related to Neal V. Loving's professional career, aircraft, and personal relationships. They are divided chronologically by year or decade and alphabetized by sender's last name within each folder. Any unidentifiable correspondence has been placed in the back of the folder for the respective year. Correspondence relating to his hospital stay in 1944 can be located in Series 8, Photo Album/Scrapbooks. Correspondence to Neal Loving's family following his death can be located in Series 11, Personal/Awards.

SERIES 2. College Career- Wayne State University. Neal Loving graduated from Wayne State University in 1961 at the age of 45. This series contains four files that hold several college project reports, including his W-2 Roadable Aircraft Project. Also included in this series is his Wayne State University admissions information and his Bachelor of Science diploma.

SERIES 3. Flight Logs and Flight Certificates. This series contains nine files that are divided along the lines of individual flight log dates that span his entire flying career. The flight log dates begin in 1938 and end in 1994. Included in his flight logs are details of every flight he piloted. Several flights have interesting notations such as those taken after his medical recovery and one entry even describes a near miss with a Navy jet aircraft. Also included in this series are his pilot certificates, FAA medical certificates, Temporary Ground Instructor Certificate, and a photo of one of the aircraft he flew, a BT-13.

SERIES 4. Civil Service Career- United States Air Force. The largest series in the collection which consists of 19 files. This series covers Neal Loving's civil service career with the United States Air Force from 1961 to his retirement in 1982. Loving kept detailed records of his work for the Air Force as an engineer with the Flight Dynamics Laboratory. Loving's specialty was Clean Air Turbulence and its aeronautical effects. Some notable features of this series include a Who's Who information booklet of Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory personnel, research conference information attended by Loving, and Loving's government reports and publications that featured his research. Loving also kept detailed travel records (TDY) from 1962 to 1981. The TDY records are divided by the years in which Loving maintained them. Also included in this series are several official United States Air Force photos that feature Loving. Loving's passport photo is also included in the series.

SERIES 5. Aircraft- Personal/Wayne Aircraft Company/ Wayne School of Aeronautics Aircraft. This series contains three files and one oversized file of aircraft blueprints. This series contains information Loving documented and saved relating to his personal aircraft that he built, the WR-1, "Loving's Love" (N351C) and the WR-3 (N553A). The information includes flight information, various inquiries and design information relating to the WR-3. Also included in this series are blueprints from Loving' s Wayne School of Aeronautics. The blueprints are mainly of the WR-1, but also include other concepts, such as the "Loving's Love III," that Loving had drawn blueprints for. The series also contains a three-view drawing of a Wayne Glider as well as a specification chart and brochure produced by the Wayne Aircraft Company to advertise its new product.

SERIES 6. Loving's Love: A Black American's Experience in Aviation. This series contains five files that consist of the original draft of Neal Loving's book, Loving's Love: A Black American's Experience in Aviation, published in 1994, correspondence with his publisher, the Smithsonian Institution Press, and photographs that were submitted by Loving for publication with the book. A sixth file contains reviews of the book and information concerning appearances Neal Loving made to promote the book.

SERIES 7. Photographs. This large series contains 11 files. It is divided chronologically by his career and then by aircraft type. Included in this series are some excellent early photographs of Loving' s Wayne Aircraft Company and his World War II Civil Air Patrol unit. Also included in this series are a large number of photographs featuring his own aircraft, the WR-1, WR-2, and WR-3. There are also photographs from consumers that built their own aircraft using Loving's plans. A photo album from the Blacks in Aviation Convention, 1995, which features prominent African American aviators is included in this series.

SERIES 8: Photo Album/Scrapbooks. This oversized file contains three files. The first file contains several pages from one of Neal Loving's photo albums. The pages include photographs of the Aero Mechanics School, the Wayne Aircraft Company, and his Civil Air Patrol unit. The "Brown Scrapbook" is a record of Neal Loving's recovery after his 1944 aircraft accident. Included in this scrapbook are correspondence, cards, and photographs. The "Green Scrapbook" is a record of Loving's life in the 1950s. Included in this scrapbook are clippings from magazine articles, such as Ebony, as well as photographs and newspaper clippings.

SERIES 9. Clippings. This series contains 10 files that feature both newspaper and magazine clippings directly related to Neal Loving, his friends and family, and other aviation topics. The clippings are divided by those that are related to his career, aircraft, personal awards, and his personal accomplishments.

SERIES 10. Films/Videos/Audio Tape. This series contains seven files which consist of three amateur films, three videos, and one audio tape. The films, from the 1950s and 1960s, are those of both his, and other midget aircraft. The three videos include his WR-3 in flight in 1984, an interview by Dayton's WHIO television, a 1995 television talk show featuring Loving's Love, and a National Management Association video that featured Neal Loving in 1995. The audio tape features an interview of Neal Loving by Yvonne Duffy.

SERIES 11. Personal/Awards. This series contains twelve files. Within these files are the numerous awards that were bestowed upon Neal Loving throughout his life. This series includes those awards received during his professional career, those that are related to his aircraft, his personal and family accomplishments, and handicapped related awards. Also included in this series are documents from special functions Loving attended. This series also contains his last resume which documents his career, papers, awards, and honors. Another file in this series contains Neal Loving's obituary, eulogies presented at his funeral, letters of condolence sent to his family, and published tributes remembering Neal Loving's life.

SERIES 12. Lectures. This series contains seven files. This series primarily consists of lecture outlines used by Neal Loving at his many speaking engagements. This series includes outlines used in presentations at aviation clubs, civic organizations, museums, and schools. The series also contains a short biography detailing Neal Loving's life and accomplishments.

SERIES 13. Professional Affiliations. This series contains 18 files. Within this series is documentation of the various professional organizations to which Neal Loving belonged. Some of the files contain correspondence, membership rosters, and information regarding club events.

SERIES 14. Miscellaneous Aviation-Related Material. This series contains six files. Two files contain aeronautical journals, two other files contain documents regarding fellow aviators, and the last two files contain aviation-related project papers.