SECRETARY'S REPORT 129 



personnel had to be held — for example, to develop standards for 

 retention or rejection of material for Museum purposes. There was 

 involved, too, the details of the design and procurement of a large 

 variety of essential equipment and supplies to carry on the work. 



INFORMATIONAL SERVICES 



To satisfy the demand for the bureau's informational services, 

 there was required during the year the expenditure of the equivalent 

 of over 2 man-years of the staff's time. Some examples of this great 

 volume of requests received are : 



The National Defense Establishment was assisted by the loan of 

 models of the Navy PBY and Air Force B-25 airplanes which served 

 as the basis for larger models to be used for electronic evaluation tests. 

 The Court of Claims was aided in its investigation of the origin of 

 radio-shielding on aircraft engines. A number of photographs pre- 

 served by the Archives were given correct identification. The com- 

 memorative stamp issued on the forty-sixth anniversary of the Wright 

 Brothers' first flight and the first anniversary of the return to America 

 of the Kitty Hawk, was checked for design, accuracy of technical 

 detail, and text by the staff, working with oflicials of the Post Office 

 Department and the Bureau of Engraving. 



The aeronautics classes of the District of Columbia high schools 

 were supplied with a list of nonmilitary uses of aircraft compiled for 

 their information and discussion. The Aircraft Industries Associa- 

 tion was given facts regarding the Wrights' first engine for use in a 

 research project. The curator served on the committee of the 

 National Aeronautic Association which determined the annual awardee 

 for the Brewer Trophy. Many hobbyist modelmakers were assisted 

 with loans of drawings and photographs, and photographic collectors 

 exchanged prints with the IMuseum to mutual advantage. The 

 Handbook of the National Aircraft Collection, written by the curator, 

 continues to be in great demand, and the ninth edition will shortly 

 be undertaken. The United Service Organization ordered this year 

 a large number of copies for its libraries, and many schools continue 

 to use it as a text. 



The bureau continued, as in former years, to satisfy as far as possible 

 the requests of District of Columbia citizens' groups for illustrated 

 lectures on aviation subjects. 



SURVEY 



Concentration by the staff on operations at the Washington base, 

 and at the field storage facility limited the time available for survey 



