Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation
Encyclopedia
The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation is in Burbank, California
. The shrine is a 75 feet (22.9 m) structure of marble, mosaic and sculpted figures, and is the burial site for 13 pioneers of aviation. It was built in 1924 as the entrance to Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
. It was dedicated in 1953 by aviation enthusiasts who wanted a final resting place for pilots, mechanics and other pioneers of flight.
On May 27, 1996, it was rededicated by Dr. Tom Crouch, Chairman of the Aeronautics Department at the National Air and Space Museum
of the Smithsonian Institution
.
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. The shrine is a 75 feet (22.9 m) structure of marble, mosaic and sculpted figures, and is the burial site for 13 pioneers of aviation. It was built in 1924 as the entrance to Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
. It was dedicated in 1953 by aviation enthusiasts who wanted a final resting place for pilots, mechanics and other pioneers of flight.
Dedicated to the honored dead of American aviation on the 50th anniversary of powered flight, December 17, 1953, by Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker USAF (retired). Beneath the memorial tablets in this sacred portal rest the cremated remains of famous flyers who contributed so much to the history and development of aviation. The bronze plaques upon the marble walls memorialize beloved Americans who devoted their lives to the advancement of the air age. Administered under
The auspices of the Brookins-Lahm-Wright Aeronautical Foundation, this shrine stands as a lasting tribute. Trustees, Valhalla Memorial Park.
On May 27, 1996, it was rededicated by Dr. Tom Crouch, Chairman of the Aeronautics Department at the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Burials
- Bertrand Blanchard Acosta (1895-1954), co-pilot with Admiral Richard Byrd in 1927
- Walter Richard BrookinsWalter Richard BrookinsWalter Richard Brookins was the first pilot trained by the Wright brothers for their exhibition team.-Biography:...
(1889-1953), flew for the Wright brothers - Mark Mitchell Campbell (1897-1963), stunt pilot and aircraft designer
- John Franklin Bruce CarruthersJohn Franklin Bruce CarruthersJohn Franklin Bruce Carruthers was a reverend who ministered to early aviators. His son, John Franklin Bruce Carruthers presented the Carruthers Aviation Collection to Claremont McKenna College in 1950. Through subsequent gifts and purchases the collection contains about 4,000 volumes...
(1889-1960) Chaplain of the Portal of the Folded Wings, and air historian. His epitaphEpitaphAn epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
reads: "At the grave, when my warfare is ended. Though no flowers emblazon the sod. May a prayer mark the good I intended. Leaving all decoration to God." - Warren Samuel EatonWarren Samuel Eaton-Biography:He was born on June 12, 1891 in South Dakota and moved to Los Angeles, California with his parents. He died on June 22, 1966 and was buried in the Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation.-References:...
(1891-1966), Colonel and early pilot who built airplanes for Lincoln Beachy - Winfield Bertrum KinnerWinfield Bertrum KinnerWinfield Bertrum "Bert" Kinner was an American aircraft engine designer and constructor. Kinner founded Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation in Glendale, California which produced radial engines and aircraft....
(1882-1957), aka Bert Kinner, built 'Kinner' airplanes. Amelia Earhart flew a Kinner. - Augustus Roy KnabenshueAugustus Roy KnabenshueAugustus Roy Knabenshue was an American aeronautical engineer and aviator.-Biography:He was born on July 15, 1875 in Lancaster, Ohio....
(1876-1960), balloon and dirigible pilot who flew in the Dominguez Air Meet in 1910 - John Bevins Moisant (1868-1910), won the Statue of Liberty Race in 1910; first to carry a passenger across the English Channel.
- Matilde MoisantMatilde MoisantMatilde E. Moisant was an American pioneer aviator. She was the second woman in the country to get a pilot's license.- Early life :...
(1878-1964), the second licensed female pilot in the United States in 1911 - Elizabeth Lippincott McQueenElizabeth Lippincott McQueenElizabeth Lippincott McQueen was the founder of the Women's International Association of Aeronautics.-Biography:...
(1878-1958), one of Los Angeles's first female pilots - James Floyd SmithJames Floyd SmithJames Floyd Smith or J. Floyd Smith was a test pilot and instructor for Glenn Martin and was a manufacturer of parachutes. He built and flew his own plane in 1912 and invented the manually operated parachute for the Army in 1918...
(1884-1956), test pilot and instructor for Glenn Martin and manufacturer of parachutes. He built and flew his own plane in 1912 and invented the free-type manually operated parachute for the Army in 1918. - Hilder Florentina SmithHilder Florentina SmithHilder Florentina Youngber Smith was a pioneer aviator. She was one of California's first female pilots and the first woman to fly an airplane from LAX.-Biography:...
(1890-1977), aerial acrobat and parachute jumper. She was married to James Floyd Smith. - Carl Browne Squier (1893-1967), WWI aviator, barnstormer, test pilot, and salesman. As Vice President of Lockheed Aircraft he sold Charles and Anne Lindbergh their Sirius airplane in 1931.
- Charles Edward Taylor (1868-1956), machinist for the Wright brothers who helped design and build the first engine for the Wright Flyer flown at Kitty Hawk