Sterling B. Smeltzer Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division Collection

The collection largely represents the type of work the Service Engineering Department and the Technical Publications Group at the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company performed. In his many positions within the company, Smeltzer worked on, or oversaw many publications including handbooks and brochures. The materials in the collection span from 1918-1950, but the bulk concerns the time period from 1930-1950. The collection is divided into four series: Business Files, Published Material, Blueprints, and Photographs.

Series I: Business Files The Business Files consist of technical documents, newsletters, and internal Engineering Department records from 1925-1950. The records contain instructions on the departments drafting procedures, and the maintenance and repair of aircraft. Particular attention should be paid to the Engineering Department folder, which gives insights into how the department was organized, what types of problems it dealt with, as well as information directly relating to Smeltzer as a worker.

Series II: Published Materials This series contains materials published by both Curtiss-Wright, its subsidiary Travel Air, and other institutions from 1929-1940. Of specific interest are brochures of early model Curtiss airplanes that list the planes specifications and equipment. The brochures also contain pictures of the planes, pilots, and occasionally passengers. There are also two parts price lists for Curtiss "Robin" Airplanes, a dictionary of the 1,000 most used aviation terms and two histories of aviation.

Series III: Blueprints Consisting of two blueprings form 1915-1918, the series includes a plain view assembly diagram of airplane model JN3 from 1915, and an erection and elevation view for airplane JNGHB.

Series IV: Photographs The photographs span from 1918-1949 with some gaps. Of particular interest is the folder of Curtiss Airplanes which shows many of the planes in flight, while others show pilots and mechanics. The Foreign Visitors folder has a newspaper article and photograph of Smeltzer with visitors from France and Bolivia. This series also includes a photograph of two women holding oversized Christmas greetings cards, and an unidentified airshow including a picture of the captured German airplane "Alles Kaputt"