The Alva R. DeGarmo Collection consists of DeGarmo's army records; logbooks; Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines correspondence; material documenting his World War II activities; newspaper articles; photographs; and Western Air Lines anniversary items.
Alva R. DeGarmo (1899-1988) enlisted in the Army Air Service, soloing in 1920 in a Curtiss JN-4 at March Field, Riverside, CA. He was in the Air Service for three years before joining the Air Reserve Corps. During his service he patrolled the Mexican boarder and spotted forest fires in Oregon. After resigning from the Air Service and a brief stint in barnstorming, he worked for two years with Western Air Lines, being one of their first four pilots, the "Four Horseman." After two years he changed to Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines, flying with them until 1939. During World War II DeGarmo helped ferry bombers and transport planes across the Atlantic under the Pan American subsidiary, Atlantic Airways, and later during the War he took over a Pan American Miami to Rio De Janeiro passenger route. Towards the end of the war he worked for Curtiss Wright on C-46 fuel problems. He ended his aviation career with a short stint as a Lockheed test pilot after the war.
Identifier
NASM.1992.0049
Creator
DeGarmo, Alva R., 1899-1988
Date
1916-1986
Provenance
Richard and Bernice DeGarmo, gift, 1991, 1992-0049, NASM
Extent
1.04 Linear feet
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the following: Army records; logbooks; Boeing Air Transport/United Air Lines correspondence; material documenting his World War II activities; newspaper articles; photographs; and Western Air Lines anniversary items.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement note
The Alva R. DeGarmo Collection is arranged by content type.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Citation
Alva R. DeGarmo Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0049####, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Topics
Aeronautics Aeronautics, Military Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States Air pilots Periodicals