Martin Jensen Papers, 1927-1990
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Jensen, Martin
- Title
- Martin Jensen Papers
- Dates
- 1927-1990 (inclusive)Date of CollectionDate of Collection
- Quantity
- 1.38 cubic ft. (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 10025
- Summary
- The Martin Jensen Papers contain correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, telegrams, and technical reports related to Martin Jensen's career in aviation and as a pioneer aviator.
- Repository
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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
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Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Martin Jensen was a pioneer aviator. He was born in 1900 in Jamestown, Kansas. He joined the U.S. Navy in World War I and after the war was a barnstormer and stunt pilot, crossing the country in a biplane that he designed. In 1924, he established the Jensen Flying School at Dutch Flats Airport in San Diego. In 1925, he completed a coast-to-coast flight in an OX-5 Jenny. He placed second in the 1927 Dole Trans-Pacific Air Race, a race from Oakland to Honolulu in which ten pilots died. He piloted the Aloha, an airplane designed by Vance Breese in San Francisco. In the same year he transported the MGM Studios lion, Leo the Lion, in a specially built Ryan airplane. The publicity flight was to go from California to New York, but Jensen crashed in a remote area in Arizona. He was unhurt and the lion was transported to New York by truck. Jensen developed the Jensen trainer for his own Jensen Aircraft Corporation, which he lost in the stock market crash in 1929. After that he was Dean of Aviation and taught aeronautics at Beckley College in Pennsylvania, and he also did show flying for the "New York Daily News" and Tidewater Oil Company. In 1935, he joined Langley Aircraft as first vice president. He worked on the design of a plastic molding known as the Langley Process. In 1940 he went to work for Vincent Bendix at the Bendix Aviation Corporation. In 1944, Vincent Bendix established Bendix Helicopters. As a Bendix designer, Martin Jensen devised the Bendix Model J single-seat helicopter, which used a system of coaxial rotors driven by a 450hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 piston engine. In 1951, he joined Douglas Aircraft. He retired in the mid-1960s in the San Diego area. During his retired years, he spent considerable time researching aircraft wing designs. Jensen died in San Diego on February 8, 1992.
Content Description
The Martin Jensen Papers contain photographs, telegrams, scrapbooks, correspondence, and newspaper clippings about the 1927 James D. Dole Derby Trans-Pacific Air Race in which Jensen took second place to Arthur Goebel. Material also relates to subsequent events related to this race including reunions. There are also photos and newspaper clippings about the 1927 MGM publicity flight in which Jensen piloted a specially designed aircraft that held the MGM mascot lion. There is correspondence, reports, articles, and other printed materials on Jensen's aeronautical developments and other technical issues related to aviation including the Langley Process, wing designs, and helicopter designs. There are photos of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. There is a small amount of material including correspondence and photographs related to his personal life. Also included are copies of some of the donor correspondence Jensen had with the director of the American Heritage Center in the late 1980s that give autobiographical details to Jensen's life.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Preferred Citation
Preferred CitationItem Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Martin Jensen Papers, 1927-1990, Collection Number 10025, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative Information
Arrangement
Box 1 is arranged alphabetically by folder title. Box 2 contains oversized material.
Related Materials
Related MaterialsThere are no known other archival collections created by Martin Jensen at the date of processing.
Acquisition Information
Acquisition InformationThe Martin Jensen Papers were donated by Martin Jensen between 1985 and 1990.
Processing Note
Processing InformationThe collection was processed by John Richard Waggener in February 2007.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Biographical MaterialDates: 1956-1987Container: Box 1, Folder 1
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Description: Correspondence - GeneralDates: 1945-1989Container: Box 1, Folder 2-3
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Description: Correspondence - TechnicalDates: 1939-1989Container: Box 1, Folder 4
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Description: Correspondence - With the American Heritage Center (information about aviation that was copied from the Jensen donor correspondence file)Dates: 1985-1990Container: Box 1, Folder 5
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Description: Dole 1927 Trans-Pacific Air Race - Correspondence and Related DocumentsDates: 1927-1987Container: Box 1, Folder 6
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Description: Dole 1927 Trans-Pacific Air Race - Newspaper ClippingsDates: 1927-1987Container: Box 1, Folder 7
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Description: Dole 1927 Trans-Pacific Air Race - TelegramsDates: 1927-1928Container: Box 1, Folder 8
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Description: Newspaper ClippingsDates: 1927-1987Container: Box 1, Folder 9
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Description: PhotographsDates: 1927-1987Container: Box 1, Folder 10-11
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Description: Publications - Books (related to Jensen)Dates: 1971-1976Container: Box 1, Folder 12
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Description: Publications - Brochures, Programs, Printed Matter (some relate to Jensen)Dates: 1929-1986Container: Box 1, Folder 13
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Description: Stories about aviation and personal life by Martin JensenDates: 1978-1988Container: Box 1, Folder 14-15
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Description: Technical ReportsDates: 1944-1988Container: Box 1, Folder 16-17
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Description: Certificate, and two full-page newspaper articles (one about the Langley Process and one about Martin Jensen breaking an endurance record)Dates: 1929, 1946, 1972Container: Box 2, Folder 1
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Description: Tabloid that contains a story about the 1927 Dole Air RaceDates: 1972Container: Box 2, Folder 2
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Description: Two large scrapbooks that contain newspaper clippings and documents about the 1927 Dole Air RaceDates: 1927Container: Box 2, Folder 3-4
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Aeronautics - United States.
- Aircraft industry - United States.
- Airplane racing - United States.
- Helicopters - United States.
- Transcontinental flights -United States.
- Transpacific flights.
