The Descriptive Finding Guide for the Gordon Mark Jackson, Jr. Personal Papers SDASM.SC.10225

San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
2019
2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park
San Diego 92101


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
Title: Gordon Mark Jackson, Jr. Personal Papers
source: Jackson, Gordon Mark
Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10225
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet The collection contains working files compiled by Gordon M. Jackson, an engineer at the Convair Division of General Dynamics in San Diego. During his engineering career with Convair, Jackson was recognized as the unofficial historian of the company’s historical production records. Researchers seeking information about the company’s products, back to its formative years and predecessor companies, relied on Jackson’s handwritten spread sheets, documenting company model numbers, years and quantity produced, nicknames, customers and other information of interest, such as geometry, weight, speed and as well as collaborators. Requests were often from highly placed organizations, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Air Force Museum, as well as many noted aviation authors. An earlier Jackson San Diego Air & Space Museum donation may be found at Call Number O/S TL 686.C58.J3, essentially a copy of portions of the current donation. This collection is housed in four boxes, three of those measuring 14 by 12 by 10 inches in the aggregate, as well as a fourth oversize box, measuring 21 by 29 by 4 inches.
Date (bulk): bulk
Abstract: The collection contains working files compiled by Gordon M. Jackson, an engineer at the Convair Division of General Dynamics in San Diego. During his engineering career with Convair, Jackson was recognized as the unofficial historian of the company’s historical production records. Researchers seeking information about the company’s products, back to its formative years and predecessor companies, relied on Jackson’s handwritten spread sheets, documenting company model numbers, years and quantity produced, nicknames, customers and other information of interest, such as geometry, weight, speed and as well as collaborators. Requests were often from highly placed organizations, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Air Force Museum, as well as many noted aviation authors. An earlier Jackson San Diego Air & Space Museum donation may be found at Call Number O/S TL 686.C58.J3, essentially a copy of portions of the current donation.
Physical Description: This collection is housed in four boxes, three of those measuring 14 by 12 by 10 inches in the aggregate, as well as a fourth oversize box, measuring 21 by 29 by 4 inches.

Biographical / Historical

Born 7 September 1931 in Houston, Texas, Gordon M. Jackson was an engineer at Convair in San Diego, a Division of General Dynamics. He first joined the General Dynamics Astronautics Division in 1961, transferring to Convair in 1964. He was assigned to the propulsion fluids group in the mechanical design department, later joining the Modification Engineering Department. During his career with Convair, Jackson was recognized as the unofficial historian of the company’s historical production records. Researchers seeking information about the company’s products, back to its formative years and predecessor companies, relied on Jackson’s handwritten spread sheets, documenting company model numbers, years and quantity produced, nicknames, customers and other information of interest, such as geometry, weight, speed and as well as collaborators. Requests were often from highly placed organizations, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Air Force Museum, as well as from many noted aviation authors. After his Convair retirement. Jackson attended law school, passed the California State Bar, and practiced law in the San Diego area. He passed away in La Mesa, California on June 10, 2018.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research, some restrictions may apply.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

General Dynamics Corporation. Convair Division
Convair Model 48 Charger
General Dynamics Astronautics Division
Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina
Consolidated B-24 Liberator Family
Jackson, Gordon Mark

 

Box 1 of 4

 

Series I: Correspondence and Documents

 

Folder 1 - Letter, J.H. Doolittle (The Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc.) to Major Reuben Fleet (Consolidated Aircraft), 24 January 1929

 

Folder 2 - Original Gordon Jackson Donation Correspondence and Records, San Diego Aerospace Museum, 1986, 2003, 2007 and 2018

 

Folder 3 - TRW Aviation Hall of Fame Calendar, 1969

 

Folder 4 - Obituary, William W. “Bill” Fox (former Convair executive), San Diego Union-Tribune, November 5, 1996

 

Folder 4 - Obituary, William W. “Bill” Fox (former Convair executive), San Diego Union-Tribune, November 5, 1996

 

Folder 6 – Early Chapter Drafts of Convair 50th Anniversary Book

 

Folder 7 – Russian PBY Program Correspondence

 

Folder 8 - Gordon Jackson handwritten diary of his Convair employment and development of his role as historian (over 25 pages – a variety of personnel issues discussed)

 

Folder 9 - Gordon Jackson Convair Employee Suggestion 0-1883 (controversy and court case)

 

Folder 10 - Gordon Jackson Personal Information – World War II Home Addresses

 

Series II: Photographs or Illustrations

 

Folder 11 – Consolidated 1928 PT-3 donated to San Diego Aerospace Museum in 1969 (San Diego Aero-Space Museum Brochure (Altitude 400 Feet, undated), three photos and newspaper article)

 

Folder 12 - Consolidated XP4Y-1 Corregidor (Model 31 - 1939)

 

Folder 13 – Color 8.5x11 inch marketing prints of Convair aircraft (T-29 (2), B-36 (3), 440 (2), F-102A, F-106A (2), R3Y-2 (2), 880, 990 (4), F-111A/B (3) – some water damage

 

Series III: Books, Journals and Magazines (all publications in Series III have been transferred to the general collection)

 

Series IV: Personalized Books, Journals and Magazines (All publications in Series IV remain in the Jackson collection and are signed by the author and dedicated to Jackson for his support, or involve his historical activities)

 

Folder 14 - PBY: Angel of Mercy, Angel of Death, Roscoe “Ros” Creed (typed manuscript), 1963

 

Folder 15 - Convairiety and General Dynamics News (11): 12 December 1956, 23 January 1957, 11 October 1961, 12 September 1962, 28 June 1967, 20 September 1967, 20 September 1967, 29 November 1967, 15 October 1969, 6 December 1969, and April 1986 Issues (include articles referencing company historical records) – Note: all issues also located in Museum collection.

 

Folder 16 - (Manual) AN 01-60FFA-1, Flight Handbook (Reprint), USAF Series T-6G Aircraft, 1952, 1953 (Christmas gift from Jackson’s sons, with gift certificate for T-6 flight)

 

PBY, The Catalina Flying Boat (Signed and Dedication by Author), Roscoe Creed, Naval Institute Press, 1985

 

The Stinsons (Signed and Dedication by Author), John W. Underwood, Heritage Press, 1969

 

Over the Wing (Signed and Dedication by Author), The Bill Chana Story, William F. Chana, Copy World, 2003

 

Box 2 of 4

 

Series V: Historical Company Records

 

Folder 1 - Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, Report Number ZM-019, General Index to Engineering Reports, 1944

 

Folder 2 - Convair/Consolidated/Vultee/Stinson/Stout Aircraft Quantity Since

 

Folder 3 - Listing – Convair Naval Aircraft/Convair Military Aircraft

 

Folder 4 - Listing – Aircraft by Model Number

 

Folder 5 - Listing – Aircraft by Contract Number

 

Folder 6 - Historical Information Requests (requestor – requests - remarks), 1967-1970

 

Folder 7 - Consolidated Trainer Pricing (1926)

 

Folder 8 - Pan American Airways Deliveries, 1931-1934

 

Folder 9 - American Airplane Specifications/Articles (1933-1935)

 

Folder 10 - Aircraft Year Book – Consolidated Products (1928-1931)

 

Folder 11 – Newspaper Articles (B-24)

 

Folder 12 - Historical Chart – Vultee Aircraft, 1933-1945

 

Folder 13 - Historical Chart – Consolidated/Convair Aircraft

 

Folder 14 - Historical Chart – Evolution of Boeing Aircraft

 

Folder 15 - Various Field Service Bulletins: B-24/PBY/Other Consolidated Aircraft, 1943

 

Folder 16 – Convair Plant 50th Anniversary Newspaper

 

Folder 17 - B-24 Variant Production Records by Contract

 

Folder 18 - Consolidated Aircraft Acceptance Records (1940-1943)

 

Folder 19 - Delivery Schedule by Consolidated Division (1945-1946)

 

Folder 20 - Acceptance Schedule by Division

 

Folder 21 - Aircraft Deliveries by Consolidated Facilities, by Aircraft Type (1944-1946)

 

Folder 22 – Convair Plant Closing Newspaper Articles

 

Folder 23 - Hours per Pound Comparison, Major Aircraft Manufacturing Companies, 1942

 

Folder 24 - Summary of Consolidated Modification Man-hours by Division (1943-1945)

 

Folder 25 - Consolidated Man-hours Expended by Aircraft/Weight (1943-1945)

 

Folder 26 - Employment Records by Division (1943-1945)

 

Folder 27 - Floor and Yard Area Records by Division (1943-1945)

 

Folder 28 - Consolidated Vultee Executive List (1945)

 

Folder 29 - Consolidated and Affiliate Aircraft (1945)

 

Folder 30 - Stinson History – Reprint (1963)

 

Folder 31 - Convair T-29 Series – Variant History

 

Folder 32 - Appendix, Consolidated/Convair History Book

 

Folder 33 - Convair, Engineering Department Instruction, Model Number Assignments, 1958-1961

 

Folder 34 - Collection, 3-View Images, Janes/AYB

 

Folder 35 - Jane’s Articles on Consolidated Aircraft (1940s)

 

Folder 36 - World War II Flying Boats – Reprint (William Green)

 

Folder 37 - The Consolidated Liberator – Reprint (William Green)

 

Folder 38 - The Jet Aircraft of the World, Reprint (1948-1953)

 

Folder 39 - Article, The Consolidated P-30A/ PB-2A Fighter (Wings, 1974)

 

Folder 40 - Pamphlet, Managair, Convair Management Club, 25th Anniversary (1967)

 

Folder 41 - U.S. Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida, 50 Years of Naval Aviation (1966)

 

Folder 42 - Miscellaneous Correspondence – Historical Records (1967-1970)

 

Folder 43 – “Jot It” Aircraft Notes

 

Box 3 of 4

Physical Description: Folder 1 – Spreadsheets (11 by 17 inch), aircraft produced from 1923 by Convair and predecessor companies - columns by model number, designation, customer, name, first delivery, number built, by whom, where built, mission, description, span, length, gross weight, maximum speed and remarks (not all information provided for all products) Consolidated Aircraft Notebook (4x6 inches), miscellaneous information about each Consolidated aircraft model through history Aviation Index Notebook (4x6 inches), miscellaneous information about predecessor company aircraft through history
 

Box 4 of 4 SERIES VI: Miscellaneous information (magazine articles, posters, diagrams, pamphlets, drawings, cutaways, prints, sketches

Physical Description: World War I Aircraft Prints, with extensive story captions, Leach Corporation Heritage of the Air Collection, 1960s Aircraft Prints (10 x 12 inch), F-105, F-4D, A6a, F-100, F4H and World War I Allied Vultee Aircraft, Inc., marketing portfolio of current Vultee aircraft (late 1930s), frameable black and white or sepia tone oversize prints (11x14 inch): V-12, P-61 (3 images), Hughes Racer and YA-19 (2 images) Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas, marketing portfolio of current Consolidated Vultee aircraft (1940s), frameable oversize color prints (15x18 inch): Stinson Sentinel, Vultee Valiant, PBY, Coronado, Liberator Express and Liberator “Vultee Presents, A Series of Color Prints suitable for Framing,” Vultee Aircraft, Inc., marketing portfolio of World War II Vultee aircraft (mid-1940s), oversize color prints (15x18 inch): Valiant (4 images), Vengeance (2 images), Vigilant, Vanguard and Stinson Voyager (all water damaged) “A Portfolio of Aircraft & Missiles,” Convair Division of General Dynamics, marketing portfolio of current Convair aircraft (late 1950s), frameable oversize color prints (16x20 inch): F-102A, RB-36, 880, 990, R3Y-2, R4Y, XFY-1, T-29 and B-58 “A Portfolio of Aircraft & Missiles,” Convair Division of General Dynamics, marketing portfolio of current Convair aircraft (late 1950s), frameable oversize color prints (16x20 inch): R3Y-1, T-29, XFY-1 and B-58 “A Portfolio of Aircraft & Missiles,” Convair Division of General Dynamics, marketing portfolio of current Convair aircraft (late 1950s), frameable oversize color prints (16x20 inch): 440, T-29 (2 images), XFY-1 (2 images), B-58, 600, 880, 990 (4 images), R3Y-1 (2 images), F-102A (2 images) and F-111A (2 images) – some water damage Oversize color prints of Convair products (primarily 16x20 inch, several are by artists, others are photographic prints), Coronado, RB-36, F-102A (3 images), 880, 990 (2 images), F-111A (2 images), Pogo, R3Y-1, R3Y-2 (2 images), T-29, 440, 600, R-4Y, B-59 and Charger Oversize Coca Cola Advertisements (2), B-24 and PBY, 1944 Large Format, Aircraft War Production Council Proclamation, 1943 TRW, 1968 Calendar, features historic (1911-1964) frameable color prints (12x16 inch) TRW, 1969 Calendar, features small TRW Hall of Fame pictures and biographies, with historic frameable color prints (12x16 inch) Poster (16x20 inch), Advanced Aircraft and Missiles produced by Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation (circa 1960)