Allan Francis Bonnalie papers

Allan Francis Bonnalie papers, 1893-1974

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Bonnalie, Allan Francis, 1893-
Title: Allan Francis Bonnalie papers
Dates: 1893-1974 (inclusive)
18931974
Quantity: 57.67 cubic feet + oversize (125 boxes)
Collection Number: 05859
Summary: Papers, photographs, and other materials of an aviation pioneer, World War I aviator, and United Airlines executive.
Repository: American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions: Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Allan Francis Bonnalie was a World War I pilot, United Airlines executive, and United States Naval Reserve officer. Bonnalie was born in Denver in 1893 and grew up in San Francisco. While attending Polytechnic High School in San Francisco, he was part of a club that built and flew gliders and airplanes. Bonnalie’s first flight was achieved on November 1, 1911. He joined the U.S. Signal Corps in 1917 and served as a pilot with the British Royal Air Force during World War I. In 1925 he joined the United States Naval Reserve and retired in 1953 with the rank of rear admiral.

Bonnalie worked as a mechanical engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad between 1922 and 1929. He left to join the Boeing School of Aeronautics, based out of Oakland, California, Airport. In 1938, he joined United Air Lines Flight Operations, Western Division, and later became assistant director of flight operations in Chicago. From 1941-1945 he served with the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. He returned to United Airlines in 1945 and was president and general manager of United of Mexico, Lineas Aereas Mexicanas, S.A. (LAMSA). LAMSA was sold by United in 1953 and Bonnalie became director of United's flight training program in Denver, Colorado, until his retirement in 1958. Post-retirement, he made several trips overseas for the U.S. Foreign Operations Administration (FOA) to advise foreign governments on aviation matters. Bonnalie also served on United Airlines Pilot System Board of Adjustment to resolve grievances arising from pilot contracts.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Collection contains materials relating to Allan F. Bonnalie's life and his career in aeronautics. The collection includes a log book (1931-1934); correspondence (1921-1973); miscellaneous maps and charts; scrapbooks (1912-1938); materials on Bonnalie's service in World War I (1918-1921); certificates and military orders; manuscripts of writings by Bonnalie; and journals kept while traveling to Afghanistan, Bolivia and Yugoslavia for U.S. Foreign Operations Administration (1961-1962).

The collection also includes photographs, slides and glass plate negatives of airplanes, Bonnalie, his work with Southern Pacific, and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915; World War I and aeronautics posters; research materials on airways and travel (1930-1955); materials on United Air Lines and LAMSA (1947-1958); an index card file on specifications and features on airplanes and engines; and the manuscript for an unpublished autobiography entitled "A Lifetime in Aviation: The Autobiography of Allan F. Bonnalie" (circa 1974).

The collection also contains 3 16 mm films on LAMSA and Mexico; 3 16 mm and 1 35 mm films on flying and flight training; and 1 8 mm film of a ticker-tape parade in New York City after Charles Lindbergh's trans-atlantic flight (1927); and miscellaneous other materials.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Preservation Note

System Requirements

Lindbergh parade -- film -- 8 mm.

LAMSA and Mexico promotions -- film -- 16 mm.

Flying and flight training -- film -- 16 and 35 mm.

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Allan Francis Bonnalie at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

The material was received from Allan F. Bonnalie in 1975.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was listed in 1975. The listing was updated and coded for online use by D. Claudia Thompson in June 2016.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Professional and Personal MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
110	Artifacts: Fragment of cloth from Wright Brothers Airplane flown at Kitty Hawk, signed by Orville Wright	undated
110	Artifacts and Souvenirs: Pocket Watch, Name Tag, 1918 Bullet Fragments, "Pantograph" Drawing Device, Paper Balloon, Recipe, Passenger Lists, etc.	1918-1953
6	Biographical Information: Resume, Statement of Military Service	undated
57	Biographical Information: Newspaper, "Colorado's Pioneers of the Sky," article in Empire Magazine	1969
9	Biographical Information: Printed Material (Polytechnic Yearbook, City of Oakland Periodical)	1912, 1933
	Boeing School of Aeronautics:
Box
10, 110	Books and Bulletins	1929-1936
10-13	Notes and Notebooks, regarding aviation	1923-1939
10-11	Papers on Aviation, by A.F. Bonnalie or no author	1937-1957
11	Prospectus	1937
11	Reports of Stockholders	1936-1937
Box
5, 55, 110	Certificates and Plaques: Commissions, Diplomas, Honors, Membership	1912-1959
6	Comic Book, "Admiral Bonnalie"	undated
6	Contracts and Consultant Information: Yugoslavia, Author's Contract, International Cooperation Administration	1954-1961
1-4	Correspondence	1921, 1931-1973
109	Correspondence: Memoranda from Economic Controls Administration	1959
109	Correspondence: Memoranda to Naval Reserve Officers	1934-1952
109	Correspondence: Memoranda on Small Air Carriers in Foreign Countries	1954
109	Correspondence: Memoranda on U.S. Aid Mission to Bolivia	1943-1972
5-6	Correspondence, Personal, includes cards and invitations	1949-1952, undated
14	Early Birds Aviation Organization: Letters, Programs, Newsletters, Plaque, Membership Lists	1940-1974
55	Graphs of Airplane Performance	undated
6	Itineraries	1951-1952
6	Legal Documents, Personal: Estate of Mollie Harris	1960
15-22, 49-51, 56	Lineas Aeras Mexicanas S.A. (LAMSA) Material: Contracts, Reports, Financial Records, Memos, Airport Layouts, Scrapbook	1941-1955
	Manuscripts and Other Writings, by A.F. Bonnalie:
Box
35-37	"Air Carrier Fundamentals" by Bonnalie, Bradbury, and Johnson	1956
38	"Airport Study, The Capacity of Air Carrier Terminals" (includes research material)	undated
38	"Air Transport Development Project - Afghanistan" (includes equipments study, memorandum, charts and tables, travel vouchers, itineraries)	1962
38	"Air Transportation"	undated
38	"Air Transportation"	1937
38	"Air Transportation"	1955
38	"Air Transport Fundamentals"	1956
33	"The Airway and the Airport"	undated
38	"The Application of Air Transportation in Underdeveloped Country"	undated
31	"A Brief Chronological History of Transport Aviation"	undated
31	"The Capacity of Air-Carrier Terminals," published in Mechanical Engineering	May 1942
31	"The Challenging Future"	undated
31	"The Changing Future"	undated
34	"Chapter 1: First Develop the Power" (includes research material)	undated
34	"Chapter I: World Transportation"	1955
34	"Chapter 3: Airline Revenue"	undated
34	"Chapter III: The Story of Air Transportation" (2 versions)	undated
38	"Chapter 7: The Aircraft Power Plant"	undated
34	"Chapter 7: An Introduction to Air Carrier Operations"	undated
34	"Chapter VII: Location"	undated
34	"Chapter VIII: The Cost-Revenue Relationships in Air Tranportation"	undated
34	"Chapter 8: A Discussion of Some Factors of Equipment Design" (includes research material)	undated
33	"Chapter 8: Route and Airway - Location and Design"	undated
33	"Chapter 9: The Air Carrier Terminal"	undated
34	"Chapter 10: Progress Report on Equipment"	undated
34	"Chapter 11: A Discussion of Some Factors of Equipment Design"	undated
34	"Chapter 12: Route Performance of the Transport Airplane"	undated
20	"Corporate and Legal History of United Air Lines, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries, 1946-1955, Chapter VII - Lineas Aereas Mexicanas, S.A."	1963
8	"DC-8 Notebook" (printed)	1958
31	"The Development of Air Transportation, Chapter 2" (includes research material)	1928-1932
31	"The Development of Air Transportation Equipment"	undated
31	"The Dimensions of Flight"	undated
31	"A Discussion of the Economics of Airline Equipment Design"	1934
31	"A Discussion of Trends and Developments of Transportation, Chapter 1"	1955
31	"Dissent by A.F. Bonnalie, 29 Jan. 1971" (regarding hearing on airline accident before Federal Aviation Administration)	1971
61	"Elementary Principles of Airline Passenger Transportation" (reprints)	1938
31	"Flight Plan '56"	1956
31	"Follow the Beam," published in Western Flying	November 1932
31	"The Fundamental Dimensions of Transportation"	undated
31	"Gadgets and Safety" and "When Does a Safety Device Mean Safety?"	undated
31	"Importance of Technical Aviation Training" (Boeing School of Aeronautics)	1937
32, 39	"Jet Air Transport"	1961-1965
33	"Lecture Outline on Air Transportation"	undated
111	"A Lifetime in Aviation: the Biography of Allan F. Bonnalie" as told to Wayne Lundberg	undated
34	Manuscript Outlines: "Airline Economy"; "Chapter Organization"; "Outline of Aviation Science"; "Air Transportation"	undated
33	"Random Comments"	undated
33	"Rough Notes on the Development of Air Transportation Organization and Facilities in Under-Developed Countries"	1954
61	"Safety and Economic Aspects of Flight Simulators" (preprint and reprints)	1956
33	"Safety and Reliability of Air Transportation"	undated
33	"Some Airline Fundamentals" (includes research materials)	undated
33	"Some Economic Factors of Airline Personnel Training," "Theory of Flight," and miscellaneous material on air transportation	undated
39	"Some Notes on the Margin"	undated
33	"Something About Cosmology and Other Prospective Sciences"	1960
33	"Summary of Progress in Air-Carrier Ancellary Equipment"	undated
33, 61	"Toward Economic Airline Equipment" (includes research material and preprint)	1939
33	"Trained Personnel for Airlines," published in Professional Engineer	November 1935
33	United States Airlines	undated
33	World War I Service of A.F. Bonnalie	undated
Box
52, 54	Map of Route to Cabin Belonging to A.F. Bonnalie; Topographic Survey of Area	1955
6-7	Military Papers: Certificates, Letters, Orders, etc.	1918-1945
5-6	Miscellaneous Personal	1931-1972
6	Newspaper Clippings: Biographical	undated
72	Notebook: Aeronautical notes	undated
40	Notebook: Afghanistan Trip	1962
40	Notebook: Bolivia Trip	1962
72	Notebook: Spanish Language Studies (2 items)	undated
40	Notebook: Yugoslavia Trip	1961
9,71	Notes, regarding aviation	undated
6, 9	Pilot's Log Books of A.F. Bonnalie	1911-1951
64	Report: "Aviation Training Center Study Jugoslovenski Aerotransport" (2 studies)	1961
64	Report: "Report of Air Survey Team, Indonesia"	1960
40-42, 58, 115	Research Material, regarding Air France, aviation, aeronautical engineering, flight operations, personnel, defense, etc.	1931-1959
56	Scrapbooks: Miscellaneous Personal and Professional (4 items)	1912-1938
20	Scrapbook: Presented to President Aleman of Mexico, regarding LAMSA	1950
56	Scrapbook: Stamp Album	undated
6	Scrapbook: U.S. Air Service Aircraft Data Book	circa 1917-1918
109	Specifications for Airplanes	undated
109	Speech by A.F. Bonnalie to Air Force Cadets	1958
109	Technical Papers by Bonnalie, regarding airline safety and capacity	1941, 1959
	United Airlines:
Box
57	Calendars	1956, 1958
23	Contracts, Air Mail	1934
23	Contracts with Pilots	1948-1970
23	Flight Plans, Schedules, and Time Tables	1936-1972
22, 24-30, 109-110, 112	Manuals, Newsletters, Reports, and other Printed Material	1940-1963
Box
7, 9, 56	World War I: Orders and Communications, Maps and Charts, Manuscript, Diagrams, Printed Material, Scrapbook	1918-1919
9	World War I: "War Aces" Periodical	1932

Series II. Visual and Audio Visual MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
118	Collage: Four Relics of the Wright Brothers (photo of first flight with piece of original fabric, photo of original drawing of first plane, side-view of plane in flight, photo of original hanger and fragment of wood from it)	circa 1903
54-55	Drawings: "A" Frame Cabin	1960-1971
53-55, 114	Drawings: Aviation-related equipment; Hybrid auto-airplane; unidentified	1935-1968
74	Drawings: Bonnalie as First Lieutenant; Augustus Post	1918, 1948
43-46	Lantern Slides, Glass: Airplanes; Air Races; Aeronautical Engineering, History of Naval Aviation; Commercial Aviation; Bicycles; Aircraft Engines	1902-1952
54	Lithographs by Charles H. Hubbell of aviation subjects	undated
	Motion Pictures:
Box
73	"Lindberg's Transatlantic Flight"; "New York City Parade" (8mm)	undated
73	"Training for Aviation" (35mm)	undated
73	"Boeing School of Aeronautics," R.A. Graham, film #269 (14 minute, 16mm)	undated
73	"Mexico #1"; "Mexico #2: Taxco, Acapulco #1, Acapulco Divers #2, Taricutin Volcano" (16mm)	undated
73A	"Air Chute Jumpers Train on Ground"; "Landing Speed Determination Test Film"; "Learn to Fly in the Fog" (35mm)	undated
56	Boeing School of Aeronautics Activities (16mm)	undated
57	"LAMSA, Skyway to Mexico" (16mm, color)	undated
57	National Parks, etc. (16mm)	undated
56	"Early Aviation" (16mm)	undated
73	"Air Transportation, Behind the Scene of a Coast-to-Coast Flight" (35mm film strip)	undated
Box
75A, 75B, 75C, 117	Negatives, Glass Negatives, and Interpositives	undated
	Photographs - Aviation:
Box
76	Aerial Views	undated
76	Aero Design Aircraft	undated
76	Air Mail Service	circa 1920s
76	Airplane Construction	undated
76	Airplane Engines and Controls	undated
76	Bi-planes (unidentified)	undated
76	Boeing Aircraft	undated
76	Boeing Aircraft - 707	undated
76	Boeing School of Aeronautics	1929-1938
76	Boeing School of Aeronautics - Glider and Experimental Aircraft	1930-1933
76	Burgess Aircraft	1912-1914
76	DeHavilland Aircraft	undated
76	Dirigibles	1932, 1964
76	Douglas Aircraft	1958, undated
76	Early Birds (Organization)	1963-1970
76	Early Flight	circa 1900-1928
76	Experiment (unidentified)	undated
76	Fairchild Aircraft	undated
76	Farman Aircraft	undated
76	Flight School (unidentified)	undated
76	Fokker Aircraft	circa 1918
76	Ford Aircraft	1930, undated
76	French Aircraft	undated
76	Gliders - Germany	undated
76	Hamilton Aircraft	undated
76	Hybrid Auto-Airplane	undated
76	Lineas Aereas Mexicanas (LAMSA)	1945-1952
77	Lineas Aereas Mexicanas (LAMSA) - Crash	1945-1952
77	Lineas Aereas Mexicanas (LAMSA) - Personnel	1945-1953
77	Lockheed Aircraft	undated
77	Martin Aircraft	undated
77	Miscellaneous Aviation-related	undated
77	Pilots and Other People	1910-1942
77	Polytechnic High School Aero Club (San Francisco)	1911-1912
77	Seaplanes	1925-1964
77	Sopwith Aircraft	circa 1918
77	Soviet Union Aircraft	1929
77	United Airlines	undated
77	United Airlines - Airplane Interiors	1938-1958
77	United Airlines - Executives and Personnel	1938-1958
77	United Airlines - Flight Operations	1938-1940
77	United States Navy	1945, undated
77	World War I Aircraft	1917-1918
77	World War I Aircraft with Bonnalie and Others	1917-1918
77	World War I - People	1917-1919
77	Wright Aircraft	1902-1914
77	Wright Aircraft - Model B	1910-1912, undated
77	Wright, Orville and Wilbur	1909-1946
77	Wyoming Air Service Aircraft	undated
	Photographs - Personal:
Box
74	Birds in Flight (probably San Francisco Harbor)	undated
74	Bonnalie, Allan F.	1893-1971
74	Bonnalie, Allan F. and Military Groups	1929-1940
74	Bonnalie, Allan F. and Others	1928-1971
74	Bonnalie, Allan F. with Family and Friends	1937-1947, undated
74	Bonnalie Cabin (Evergreen, Colorado)	1956-1958
74	Bonnalie Homes and Neighborhoods (includes Falls Church VA and Oak Park IL)	1940-1943
74	Dancers and Nudes	undated
74	Mexico	1947-1951
74	Miscellaneous	undated
74	Niagara Falls (?)	1941
55, 57A	Oversize	undated
74, 116	Panama-Pacific International Exposition (San Francisco, California)	1915
116	People	before 1930
116	People	1930s
116	People	1940s
116	People	1950s-1970s
117	People	undated
117	People - "Nancy" on Envelope	1948-1950
117	Places (Unidentified)	1936, 1938
117	Places (Unidentified)	1940-1941
117	Places (Unidentified)	undated
117	Places (Unidentified Cave)	undated
117	San Francisco Earthquake(?)	circa 1906
117	Ships and Boats (probably San Francisco Harbor)	undated
117	Tractor	undated
117	Yosemite National Park	1933
117	Zoo	1939
	Photographs - Southern Pacific Railroad:
Box
117	Lucin, Utah	1920s
117	Palisade	1920s
117	Quarries - Santa Margarita and Cushing	1920s
117	Southern Pacific - Engines, Machinery, etc.	1922-1929
117	Wilmington (California) Tie Treating Plant	1924
Box
47	Slides (Color): Airplanes; Washington D.C., California, Virginia, New Orleans, Niagara Falls; Mexico; etc.	1945-1949
118	Watercolor: "Mexicanos" (in celebration of 15th anniversary of LAMSA, depicting a quinceañera dance)	1949
118	Watercolor: "Elevando Al Cometa" (cartoon of 5 men flying a kite labeled "LAMSA")	1948

Series III. Printed Materials and Technical WritingsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
52	Atlases: Aviation; United States and Canada Highways; World	1931-1936
109	Book List: Parks Air College	1942
78-80, 110	Books: regarding Aluminum, Aviation, Boeing School of Aeronautics, Commercial Aviation, Economics, Engineering, Weather, World War II, etc.	1911-1962
109	Bulletins: Flight Safety Foundation	1954
62, 87	Catalogs: Aeronautical Engineering, Models, Books, etc.	1917-1970
57	Calendars	1939-1962
63	Directories: Aviation, Air Races	1931-1955
85, 88-108	Government Documents: Air Mail, Civil Aeronautics Administration, Engineering, Motor Vehicle Transportation, National Parks, Naval Aviation, Navigation, Policies, etc.	1923-1966
49-55, 58, 113-114	Maps, Charts, Blueprints: Aviation, Airways, Roads, Geographic, Weather, etc.	1915-1965
58	Miscellaneous Information about Various Aviation Companies: Royal Dutch Airlines, Lockheed, Lufthansa, Polish, Pan American	1933-1939
8-9	Newspaper and Magazine Clippings	1917-1969
72	Notebooks: Douglas Aircraft; Curtiss Wright	1931-1940
9	Notes Extracted from Aeronautical Publications	undated
30, 79, 81-87, 109-110	Pamphlets: Aircraft and Aviation, Military Aviation, Air Transportation, Flying Boats, Nuclear Weapons, etc.	1930-1972
9, 85	Pilot Handbooks: from Pratt and Whitney, Curtiss-Wright, Stanaco, etc.	1935-1955
57A, 110-111	Posters and Prints: Airplanes; Aviation History; World War I; etc.	undated
6, 61, 63, 110	Preprints and Reprints of articles (not by Bonnalie), regarding aviation, navigation, sea power, economics, transportation policy, etc.	1925-1970
60	Proceedings of Aeronautical Conferences	1941, 1953
59-60	Programs of Aeronautical Meetings, Air Races, etc	1933-1970
52	Record Book: Bitasora de Vuelos	1950
58, 64-71	Reports and Occasional Papers (not by Bonnalie), regarding aeronautical engineering, commercial aviation development, flight operations, Boeing School of Aeronautics, aviation company annual reports, etc.	1933-1968
58, 61, 109	Speeches (not by Bonnalie), regarding commercial aviation, aeronautical engineering, supersonic transport, wartime operations, baggage handling, etc.	1939-1970
71, 109	Technical Papers (not by Bonnalie), regarding aviation and aerodynamics	1940-1960
109	Thesis: "Possibilities of Stratosphere Flights," Boeing School of Aeronautics	1937
81	Thesis: "Trayectoria de Despegue del Douglas DC-3A-S163G"	1949
81	Thesis: "Tren de Atenizaje"	1950
52	Time Tables for various airlines	1935-1962

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Aeronautics -- Research.
Aeronautics, Commercial -- Mexico.
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States.
Naval aviation.
Transatlantic flights.
Voyages and travels.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations.

Personal Names

Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974.

Corporate Names

Great Britain. Royal Air Force.
Lineas Aereas Mexicanas, S.A.
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)
Southern Pacific Railroad Company.
United Air Lines, inc.
United States. Army. Signal Corps.
United States. Foreign Operations Administration.

Geographical Names

Afghanistan -- History.
Bolivia -- History -- 1938-1982.
Mexico -- History -- 1946-1970.
Yugoslavia -- History -- 1945-1980.

Form or Genre Terms

Artifacts.
Journals.
Maps.
Motion pictures.
Negatives.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Bonnalie, Allan Francis, 1893- -- Lifetime in Aviation.

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