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  • Pilot Edward Gardner’s aviation helmet
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Pilot Edward Gardner’s aviation helmet

Object Details

Description
Pilot Eddie Gardner wore this leather helmet while flying mail for the Post Office Department’s airmail service from August 1918 to April 1919. The airplanes Gardner flew for the service had open cockpits that exposed him to frigid weather conditions. Airmail pilots were responsible for providing their own gear until the mid 1920s. Gardner’s winter flying gear included this helmet, a leather face mask, his leather flying suit, a leather vest, sheepskin boots, wool socks, and high overshoes. Gardner marked his initials on the helmet, E.V.G., ensuring that other pilots would not be tempted to borrow it when they were going up in cold weather.
Gardner left the airmail service in April 1919 and became a promoter for Nebraska Aviation. He died on May 6, 1921, after crashing while flying stunts in Holdrege, Nebraska.
This helmet and other gear worn and used by Eddie Gardner were eventually presented to Benjamin Lipsner, who had befriended Gardner during the time they worked together.
Reference:
National Archives and Reference Administration, record group 28
Bruns, James H. Turk Bird: The High-Flying Life and Times of Eddie Gardner, Washington, DC: National Postal Museum, 1998.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1918-1919
Object number
1982.0157.520
Wearer
Eddie Gardner, American, 1888 - 1921
Type
Employee Gear
Medium
leather; metal
Dimensions
2.5 x 8.75 x 9.5 in. (6.35 x 22.225 x 24.13 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Topic
The Gilded Age (1877-1920)
The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)
Postal Employees
Record ID
npm_1982.0157.520
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8776c8190-5872-4b14-89b7-299e222d40d4
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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