Jane Spencer collection, 1940-2002

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Summary

Creators:
Spencer, Jane, 1922-2007
Abstract:
The Jane Spencer collection contains writings, correspondence, flight logs, lists, printed matter, videotapes of interviews, clippings, and photographs relating to the British Air Transport Auxiliary, an organization of civilian British and American and other foreign pilots of both sexes to ferry military aircraft during World War II. The collection includes writings by and interviews of pilots.
Extent:
3 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box (1.6 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Jane Spencer collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains material collected by Jane Spencer for the ATA History Project, an effort to document American participation in the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), an organization of civilian pilots who ferried military aircraft during World War II. Formed in 1939, the ATA transported planes for the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Fleet Air Arm, and the British Army. Its membership included women pilots, elderly pilots, and pilots with disabilities from twenty-eight countries. Because of the nature of their work, pilots were asked to fly different types of planes and were not required to receive an initial checkout before flying planes new to them. The ATA ended its services in 1945, when Spencer became the last women or foreign pilot to fly for the organization.

The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) file contains material collected from ATA pilots, including correspondence, logbooks, and diaries, as well as materials created after World War II documenting the ATA. A significant portion of the material comes from Roy William Reisert, including diaries and logbooks from his time as an ATA pilot. Also included are letters of ATA pilot Emily Chaplin written in 1942 and 1943. Much of the collection consists of materials that were created after World War II, such as the newsletters of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association, an organization formed in 1946 for former members of the ATA. The file contains materials on Spencer's efforts to document the ATA as part of the ATA History Project, including information sheets collected from former pilots. Recorded interviews of ATA pilots can be found in the Air Transport Auxiliary videotapes.

Source: British Air Transport Auxiliary. http://www.airtransportaux.com

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1922
Born
1934
Received first flight instruction
1936
Apprentice, airplane repair shop
1940
Received ground instructor's license
1941
Received commercial license and instructor's rating
1941-1942, circa
Instructor, Civilian Pilot Training Program
1943-1945
Ferry Pilot, First Officer, Air Transport Auxiliary
1945
Became the last foreign pilot or woman to fly for Air Transport Auxiliary
1946-1955
Photographer
1956-1965
Technical writer and researcher
1965
Bachelor of Science in humanities, Johns Hopkins
1968
Master of Liberal Arts, John Hopkins
1980s-1990s, circa
Collected material for ATA History Project

Source: British Air Transport Auxiliary, Jane Plant Spencer. http://www.airtransportaux.com/members/plant.html

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1980.
Arrangement:

The collection is organized into three series: Air Transport Auxiliary file, Air Transport Auxiliary videotapes, and Oversize material and artifacts.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Jane Spencer collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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