6 Images

This warm flight jacket belonged to Chauncey Spencer. In 1939 Spencer flew with Dale White in an open-cockpit airplane from Chicago to New York to Washington, D.C. to promote racial equality in civil and military aviation. At the nation's capital, Spencer met with Harry S. Truman, then a senator from Missouri, and other political leaders to advocate an end to racial exclusion in aviation.

Display Status

This object is on display in Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight

Object Details

Date

1939

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT-Flight Clothing

Manufacturer

Guiterman Bros.

Physical Description

civilian flight suit

Dimensions

Clothing: 139.7 × 63.5 × 20.3cm (4 ft. 7 in. × 2 ft. 1 in. × 8 in.)
Display (L x W x D) (with helmet A20190301000): 174 × 63.5 × 38.1cm (5 ft. 8 1/2 in. × 2 ft. 1 in. × 1 ft. 3 in.)

Materials

Wool, cotton, German-silver, nickel plating, steel, Sheep skin

Inventory Number

A20190299000

Credit Line

Gift of Chauncey E Spencer II

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.

Deep dives

    The Douglas World Cruiser World Flight Crews Deep dive

    The First People to Fly Across the Country, the Ocean, and More

    You may also like

      Chauncey E. Spencer and Dale L. White Story

      How One 1939 Flight Helped Advocate for Black Military Pilots

      Black and white portrait. Story

      African American Pioneer Dale White and the 1939 Goodwill Flight