Andrew Lech was an aviation model maker. His highly detailed models have been displayed at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the San Diego Air & Space Museum. His models date back to the 1920s.

Andrew Lech (1905 – 1991) was a postal worker in Chicago, Illinois. He lived in the suburb of Aurora. He retired from the post office in approximately 1940. He began making scale models on a part-time basis while in high school. He began work on the Spirit of St. Louis model in 1931. It was completed in 1933. It had a wingspan of 36 inches and featured working systems, including fully functioning control systems. In 1940 he was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution to provide structural and external view drawings of the Spirit of St. Louis. He also constructed fifty precise scale models of various 1900 to 1930s aircraft. In addition, he was commissioned by a patron in Orange County in 1967 to build scale models of experimental aircraft as well as models that were proposed, but never executed. This commission also included dioramas of WWI airdromes.

0.36 Cubic Feet One Box

Some copyright may be reserved. Consult with the library director for more information.

The collection is open to researchers by appointment.