SECRETARY’S REPORT 131 
Force Day at Bolling Field, D. C. When the Navy’s Douglas Sky- 
streak established a new world speed record of 650.6 miles per hour 
on August 20-25, 1947, this event was soon featured in the Museum 
by a representative display which included a 1:16-size scale model 
of the Skystreak, a drawing showing its functional parts, autographed 
photographs of the pilots, and views of the plane in flight. May 
15, 1948, marked the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of 
air mail on a permanet scheduled basis. The Air Museum had an 
outstanding display ready for the anniversary. Special exhibits were 
also prepared by the staff on the occasions of meetings of the Smith- 
sonian’s Board of Regents and the Air Museum’s Advisory Board. 
INFORMATIONAL SERVICES 
The Air Museum conducts public relations and educational services 
through correspondence, by telephone, and by personal contact, a 
function that requires more curatorial attention than any other phase 
of the Air Museum’s work. The Department of Education of the 
State of California adopted the Handbook of the National Aircraft 
Collection as a reference book for use in schools and ordered a number 
of copies. The American Helicopter Society was given drawings 
and texts to illustrate early rotor experiments. The Air Transport 
Association was furnished details on the first commercial air load, 
and the curator served as judge for the annual Science Fair held in 
Washington, May 3, 1948. The Boeing Aircraft Co. and the Curtiss- 
Wright Corp. required photographs of pioneer types of their own 
historic craft. Technical charts prepared by the Douglas Aircraft 
Co., Inc., were checked and corrected for historic accuracy. 
The regrettable death of Orville Wright and the expected return 
to America of the famous aeroplane invented and flown by him and 
his brother brought a flood of requests for information on Wright 
aircraft and details of the brothers’ lives. 
Acknowledgments.——Many sources were consulted by the staff in 
order to accomplish their duties. The curator wishes to acknowledge 
the valued help of Dr. W. R. B. Acker of the Freer Gallery in trans- 
lating Japanese inscriptions on ex-enemy equipment and Dr. Waldo 
L. Schmitt of the National Museum in making German translations; 
the aid by Charles Burgess of the Department of the Navy in review- 
ing the development of lighter-than-air craft; the constant assistance 
of Alfred Verville, also of the Department of the Navy, in locating 
and evaluating naval objects of museum interest; and the supplying, 
by the Department of the Air Force, through Lt. Robert Strobell, of 
Wright Field, of extensive data on ex-enemy aircraft. The Naval Air 
Reserve Training Unit, Anacostia NAS, provided expert technical 
