SECRETARY'S REPORT 139 



STEPHENSON BEQUEST 



Separate mention was made in the previous report of the bequest 

 of George H. Stephenson of Philadelphia, Pa., to provide for the Air 

 Museum an appropriate statue of Maj. Gen. William Mitchell. 

 During this fiscal year Smithsonian officials with the cooperation of 

 the Fine Arts Commission gave consideration to the designs and 

 capabilities of a number of sculptors. 



SPECIAL EVENTS AND DISPLAYS 



For the annual meeting of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, held 

 on January 18, the Air Museum prepared a display based on the recent 

 development and use of helicopters, featuring as the central unit the 

 prototype example of the "Hoppi-Copter," designed by Edward Pen- 

 tecost as a manually supported helicopter for individual transporta- 

 tion. With this was shown a scale model of the Sikorsky XR-4, 

 which accomplished the first cross-country helicopter trip in America, 

 1942. The original XR-4 is in the Museum collection but is stored 

 for lack of exhibition space. Grouped with the scale model were a 

 number of photographs illustrating the other full-sized helicopters in 

 the collection. Of this group of eight, space is available for exhibit- 

 ing only two. 



The twenty-fifth anniversary of Col. Charles Lindbergh's trans- 

 Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis increased the normally high 

 interest in this airplane. Assistance was given to a number of authors, 

 historians, and photographers who were recording the anniversary 

 and to managers of radio and television programs who included ref- 

 erences to this occasion in their broadcasts. Colonel Lindbergh him- 

 self visited the Museum during this period and sat once again at the 

 controls of his plane as he made some notes on the flights in 1927 ; his 

 commendation upon the excellent condition of this airplane, which has 

 been in the Museum continuously since 1928, was most gratifying. 



In connection with construction of the shop in the Aircraft Build- 

 ing last year a broad space was provided on its outer wall, adaptable 

 for pictorial displays. With the cooperation of Consolidated Vultee 

 Aircraft a series of photographic enlargements was selected and 

 mounted there, illustrating the progress of design throughout the 

 history of that company, ranging from the PT-1 of 1925 to the huge 

 B-36 of today. The Museum intends to rotate this type of exhibit and 

 will be pleased to make this same space available to other aircraft 

 companies for similar displays. 



SURVEY 



The search for desirable specimens to add to the collection, and con- 

 tacts to determine their characteristics and significance were carried 



