National Air and Space Museum Archives
LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) Collection
Los Angeles Airways
NASM.2009.0015
Archival Resource Key
2.91 Cubic feet
3.88 Linear feet
4 legal size document boxes; 1 slim legal size document box; 1 28.5 x 1.5 x 22.5 flat box
1945-1997
bulk 1950-1985
LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) was founded by Clarence Belinn as a helicopter airline that operated flights from Los Angeles International Airport to the Disneyland Heliport in Anaheim, Calfornia (located on Disneyland's grounds) and to other area airports.
English
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LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) Collection
Biographical / Historical
LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) was founded by Clarence Belinn as a helicopter airline that operated flights from Los Angeles International Airport to the Disneyland Heliport in Anaheim, Calfornia (located on Disneyland's grounds) and to other area airports. LA Airways operated Sikorsky S-51 and S-55 aircraft and later became the first civilian operator of the Sikorsky S-61 family of aircraft. LA Airways is also noted for obtaining the first regularly scheduled helicopter mail route which was inaugurated on October 1, 1947. Two fatal crashes of flights operated by LA Airways spelled the end of the company. On May 22, 1968, Flight 841, operated in a Sikorsky S-61L, crashed in Paramount, California (en route to Los Angeles after leaving Disneyland) killing all 23 people on board. On August 14, 1968, Flight 417, also operated in a Sikorsky S-61L, crashed in Compton, California (en route to Disneyland from Los Angeles) which resulted in the deaths of all 21 people aboard, including Clarence Belinn's 13-year old grandson, Christopher. The causes of both crashes were failures in the rotor system. After these tragedies, Sikorsky S-61Ls were grounded until the problem could be resolved and helicopter service to Disneyland was discontinued. LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) ceased operations in 1971 upon its purchase by Golden West Airlines. Stephen J. Slade was formerly an employee of LA Airways.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of records relating to LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA) including photographs; news clippings and publications relating to LA Airways; financial records; stockholder information including meeting agendas and notes, annual reports, information about stockholders, and correspondence; operating information such as route maps, pilot instructions, brochures and time tables; documents relating to Civil Aeronautics Board hearings; biographical information on LA Airways staff; and legal documents and correspondence relating to litigation involving LA Airways and the Hughes Tool Company and LA Airway's subsequent bankruptcy.
Arrangement
The materials in this collection had no original order. The processing archivists arranged them into 3 series. Within each series, the materials were arranged chronologically.
Series I: Business Papers
Series II: Publicity
Series III: Photographs
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Stephen J. Slade, gift, 2009
Preferred Citation
LA Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.2009.-0015, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Amanda Buel, 2018. Revised by Allan Janus, 2020.
File unit titles created by the archivists are in brackets, otherwise file unit titles are original.
Aeronautics
Airlines
Helicopters
LA Airways (Los Angeles Airways, Inc) (LAA)
Sikorsky S-61L
Business Records
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1945-1997
[Operating Information, Licenses and Brochures]
Archival Resource Key
1945-1972
1
1
[Operating Information, Licenses and Brochures]
Archival Resource Key
1945-1972
1
2
[Oversize Materials]
Archival Resource Key
1946-1969
6
Scope and Contents
Charts, illustration with annotations, route maps, route schedules, mounted newspaper articles.
Annual and Interim Reports 1947-1960 (C.M. Belinn - Personal)
Archival Resource Key
1
3
Directors. Lombardi, James G.
Archival Resource Key
1949-1959
1
4
Scope and Contents
Bio and correspondence.
[Civil Aeronautics Board Documents]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
1
5
[Civil Aeronautics Board Documents]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
1
6
[Civil Aeronautics Board Documents]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
1
7
[Civil Aeronautics Board Documents]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
2
1
Stockholders Correspondence. Fiscal / Legal
Archival Resource Key
1952-1965
2
2
[Annual Reports, Stockholder Information and Finanical Information]
Archival Resource Key
1955-1970
2
3
[Annual Reports, Stockholder Information and Financial Information]
Archival Resource Key
1955-1970
2
4
[Annual Reports, Stockholder Information and Financial Information]
Archival Resource Key
1955-1970
2
5
[Annual Reports, Stockholder Information and Financial Information]
Archival Resource Key
1955-1970
2
6
Stock Dividend Declarations. Fiscal / Legal
Archival Resource Key
1957-1958
3
1
E.P. 76.3 Public Relations. Special Events - Civic Reception - Marking First Decade of Scheduled Helicopter Transportation
Archival Resource Key
1958-1959
3
2
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence and paperwork related to a civic reception and dinner given by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Aero Club of Southern California honoring the first decade of LA Airways.
Annual and Interim Reports 1960 (C.M. Belinn - Personal)
Archival Resource Key
3
3
Annual Meeting June 10, 1966
Archival Resource Key
1964-1967
3
4
Annual Meeting October 28, 1965
Archival Resource Key
3
5
[Legal Documents / Records Relating to Hughes Sale / Litigation and Bankruptcy]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
3
6
[Legal Documents / Records Relating to Hughes Sale / Litigation and Bankruptcy]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
3
7
[Legal Documents / Records Relating to Hughes Sale / Litigation and Bankruptcy]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
3
8
[Legal Documents / Records Relating to Hughes Sale / Litigation and Bankruptcy]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
3
9
[Legal Documents / Records Relating to Hughes Sale / Litigation and Bankruptcy]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
4
1
LA Airways [Correspondence]
Archival Resource Key
1968-1985
4
2
[Richard M.] Moneymaker [Esq. Correspondence]
Archival Resource Key
1972-1973
4
3
LA Airways Staff Biographical Information
Archival Resource Key
1997
4
4
LA Airways, Inc. Heliports - General Plan. Photographs
Archival Resource Key
UNDATED
4
5
Publicity
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1945-1989
[Clippings / Publications Relating to LA Airways]
Archival Resource Key
1945-1989
4
6
[Oversize Materials]
Archival Resource Key
1946-1969
6
Scope and Contents
Charts, illustration with annotations, route maps, route schedules, mounted newspaper articles.
[LA Airways Articles]
Archival Resource Key
1947-1980
4
8
[The Heligram LA Airways Newsletters]
Archival Resource Key
1954, 1965
4
9
Mr. Belinn
Archival Resource Key
1955, 1967-1968, 1973
4
10
Scope and Contents
Bio, newspaper clippings, magazine articles.
LA Airway Firsts
Archival Resource Key
1958
4
11
Scope and Contents
Promotional publicity.
[Spruce Goose Newspaper Articles]
Archival Resource Key
1980
4
12
Sikorsky [Vertiflite Magazine, May/June 1984]
Archival Resource Key
4
13
Photographs
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
[Photographs]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
5
1
[Photographs]
Archival Resource Key
1951-1970
5
2