I was in Washington, D.C., last month for a National Air Transportation Association (NATA) maintenance committee meeting. I always enjoy visiting D.C. I'm a history buff, and Washington offers plenty to keep a history buff busy. During the trip, I had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. I had been to the museum once before. Last month's visit gave me the opportunity to spend some more time viewing some of the exhibits that I missed my first time through.
As I walked around the museum, I noticed an exibit dedicated to first flight. The room had the 1903 Wright Flyer in the center with numerous other displays around the room highlighting the events leading to first flight. I thought for sure an exhibit highlighting the the events leading to first flight would mention Charles Taylor. Surely the Smithsonian would mention the father of aircraft maintenance. After a few minutes of walking around the room, I saw a display that had a small toolbox in it. Next to the toolbox was a picture of Charles Taylor. It said that the tools belonged to Charles Taylor, the man who built the engine for the Wright brothers. I had found Charles Taylor in the museum!
History is an important part of who we are. Unfortunately many of us do not know much about the aircraft mechanics who were instrumental in the advancement of aviation. Sure, thanks to the hard work of some dedicated and passionate maintenance professionals, we know about Charles Taylor. But what about other aircraft maintenance pioneers? For example, do you know who Charles Lindbergh's mechanic was? Probably not. Unfortunately Lindbergh's mechanic and other mechanics in history have for the most part gone unnoticed - until now.
We are happy to welcome Giacinta Bradley Koontz (Gia) to our editorial team. Gia is an aviation historian and author. She found the grave of Charles Taylor at the Portal of Folded Wings in Burbank, CA, in 1995, and was a tour guide at the portal until it closed in 2002. I met Gia at the Charles Taylor bust dedication at the Udvar-Hazy museum in August, and soon realized what a great contribution her writing would make to AMT's editorial offering. Writing is Gia's gift and aviation history is her passion. We look forward to her history articles in the pages of AMT. Be sure to read Gia's first AMT article "Finding Charles Taylor" on page 56 of this issue.
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