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Use the USAF Engineering Division Finding Aid
(please read the instructions below first)
Introduction
Most aviation enthusiasts enjoy reading books and
articles about aviation that are well researched, complete and factual. Writing
such works is a difficult endeavor. Source material is scattered all over the
globe and is often poorly indexed. The AEHS has always strived to make it easier
for authors and researchers to find material about engines and the
aircraft they powered. One of the best sources in the US for this kind of
information is the US National Archives and Records Administration, which holds
aviation-related records from numerous US Government agencies, including the
Federal Aviation Administration, US Air Force, US Army and US Navy. This
describes an effort by the AEHS to produce and on-line catalog (or "finding
aid", in Archives-speak) that will assist researchers in using records of the US
Air Force Engineering Division, one of the best sources of aviation history on
the planet!
Why is this necessary? What is a Finding
Aid?
Most of the material that a researcher needs to write
about aviation history is located in archives, not libraries. Unlike libraries
where researchers can browse among the shelves of books, archives require that
researchers request the material they wish to view. Archives
staff members then retrieve the requested material, and return it to storage once the
researcher is done with it. While in use, the material must remain in a secure
“reading room” at the archives – it cannot be “checked out”. Get the subtle
“Catch-22” here? One must know exactly what material to request, even if one
does not know exactly what material to request!!!
To help alleviate this dilemma, archives provide “finding aids” that are similar to the card catalogs in libraries, although rarely as well organized. In the case of the records of USAF Engineering Division, the finding aid at the National Archives is especially poor, which has resulted in the underutilization of what is probably the single most valuable source of aviation history in the US. The condition of the USAF Engineering Division finding aid is not the fault of the National Archives - it is what was provided by the Air Force when the records were shipped from Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Since that time, the National Archives has had neither the staff nor the funding to improve on it. The AEHS has provided this searchable on-line finding aid for the records of the Engineering Division at the US National Archives II.
Three major elements comprise the collection of USAF Engineering Division Historical Records (more background). These are the Correspondence Files (also known as the Sarah Clark Files), the Research & Development Project Case Files, and the Microfilmed Memorandum Reports. The R&D Project Case Files and Memorandum Reports are further divided according to the Engineering Division organization that originated the records (or collection, as in the case of the Air Force Technical Museum). A Historical Outline for Certain Engineering Division Organizations (101K PDF) is available.
The AEHS finding aid allows researchers to perform keyword searches across all Engineering Division Correspondence Files and certain Engineering Division Organizations. It also allows more detailed searches within correspondence and each organization's records. Please remember that the object of this finding aid is to tell one where the records are located at the National Archives II. One must still travel to the Archives in order to view the records. The finding aid makes a visit to the Archives much more productive. Every record that is in this collection is part of Record Group 342. The Record Group, in conjunction with the four-digit RD # (for Correspondence and R&D Project Case Files) or Document # (for Memorandum Reports), is required to actually get the physical document box containing the desired record when one visits the Archives.
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Begin by searching across all Engineering Division Correspondence and Organizations using one or more keywords that might uniquely identify the object of your search. Try not to be too specific or your search results may exclude citations that are misspelled or spelled differently. For example, "1820" would be preferable to "R-1820-97" because the latter would exclude "R-1820", "R1820" and "Wright 1820" from the search results.
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Once you have some idea of what the results set contains, you might refine your search further by performing more detailed searches within specific organizations. The data produced by detailed searches varies from one organization to another, but once you are familiar with the below, you should have no trouble applying what you have learned to any organization.
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Instructions for Searching Across ALL Engineering Division Correspondence and Organizations.
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Instructions for Searching the Correspondence (aka Sarah Clark) Files.
Use the USAF Engineering Division the Finding Aid
Help Grow this Resource!
This program is profoundly important because it will aid future generations of aviation historians in the accurate reporting of aviation history. Completing it will require time and money. The AEHS solicits your patience and your tax-deductible donations.
Please donate using a check or money order mailed to:
AEHS
USAF Engineering Division Finding Aid
1019 OLD MONROVIA RD NW STE 201
HUNTSVILLE, AL 35806
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Thank you for your support!
