![Amelia Earhart Plaque at Portal of the Folded Wings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Amelia_Earhart_Plaque_at_Portal_of_the_Folded_Wings.jpg)
The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation is in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The shrine is a structure of marble, mosaic, and sculpted figures and is the burial site for fifteen pioneers of
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
. Designed by
Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr. and sculptor, Federico Augustino Giorgi, it was built in 1924 as the entrance to Pierce Brothers
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California.
The cemetery has an entrance called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for aviation ...
. Aviation enthusiast James Gillette was impressed by the rotunda's close proximity to the airport and Lockheed Aircraft Company. He conceived a plan to use the structure as a shrine to aviation and worked to that end for two decades. 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
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
(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
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...
Aeronautical Foundation, this shrine stands as a lasting tribute.
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
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
Burials
*
Bertrand Blanchard Acosta
Bertrand Blanchard Acosta (January 1, 1895 – September 1, 1954) was a record-setting aviator and test pilot. He and Clarence D. Chamberlin set an endurance record of 51 hours, 11 minutes, and 25 seconds in the air. He later flew in the Spa ...
(1895–1954), co-pilot with Admiral Richard Byrd in 1927
*
Jimmie Angel
James "Jimmie" Crawford Angel (August 1, 1899December 8, 1956) was an American aviator after whom Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall in the world, is named.
Early life
James Crawford Angel was born August 1, 1899, near Cedar Valle ...
(1899–1956), discoverer of
Angel Falls
Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela.
It is the world's tallest unint ...
– his ashes were later removed and scattered over the falls.
*
Walter Richard Brookins
Walter Richard Brookins (July 11, 1889 – April 29, 1953) was the first pilot trained by the Wright brothers for their exhibition team.
Biography
Brookins was born in July 1889 in Dayton, Ohio to Clara Belle Spitler (1873–1947) and Noah Holsa ...
(1889–1953), flew for the Wright brothers
*
Mark Mitchell Campbell
Mark Mitchell Campbell (December 31, 1897 – June 21, 1963) was a barnstormer, movie stunt man, Lockheed executive from 1934 to 1960. He was the co-founder of the Silver Wings Fraternity in California.
Biography
He was born on December 31, ...
(1897–1963), stunt pilot and aircraft designer
*
John Franklin Bruce Carruthers (1889–1960), Chaplain of the Portal of the Folded Wings and air historian. His
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
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 Eaton (1891–1966), Colonel and early pilot who built airplanes for Lincoln Beachy
*
Winfield Bertrum Kinner
Winfield Bertrum "Bert" Kinner (December 16, 1882 – July 4, 1957) was an American aircraft engine designer and designer of the first folding wing aircraft. Kinner founded Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation in Glendale, California which p ...
(1882–1957), a.k.a. Bert Kinner, built "Kinner" airplanes. Amelia Earhart flew a Kinner.
*
Augustus Roy Knabenshue (1876–1960), balloon and dirigible pilot who flew in the
Dominguez Air Meet in 1910 and manager of the Wright brothers exhibition team, the "Wright Fliers."
*
John Bevins Moisant (1868–1910), won the Statue of Liberty Race in 1910; first to carry a passenger across the English Channel.
*
Matilde Moisant
Matilde Josephine Moisant (September 13, 1878 – February 5, 1964) was an American pioneer aviator, the second woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's license.
Early life
Moisant was born on September 13, 1878 in Earl Park, India ...
(1878–1964), the second licensed female pilot in the United States in 1911
*
Elizabeth Lippincott McQueen (1878–1958), one of Los Angeles's first female pilots
*
James Floyd Smith (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 Smith
Hilder Florentina Youngberg Smith (August 10, 1890 – January 11, 1977) was an aerial acrobat, parachutist, and pioneer aviator. She was one of California's first female pilots and the first woman to fly an airplane from LAX. Hilder was a m ...
(1890–1977), aerial acrobat and parachute jumper. She was married to James Floyd Smith.
*
Carl Browne Squier (1893–1967), World War I 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
Charles Edward Taylor (May 24, 1868 – January 30, 1956) was an American inventor, mechanic and machinist. He built the first aircraft engine used by the Wright brothers in the ''Wright Flyer'', and was a vital contributor of mechanical skil ...
(1868–1956), machinist for the Wright brothers who helped design and build the first engine for the Wright Flyer flown at Kitty Hawk
The Burbank Aviation Museum, inside the shrine, is open on the first Sunday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m.
References
External links
The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation*
*
{{San Fernando Valley
*
Cemeteries in Los Angeles
Buildings and structures in the San Fernando Valley
Monuments and memorials in Los Angeles
North Hollywood, Los Angeles
History of aviation
History of the San Fernando Valley
Buildings and structures completed in 1924
Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in California
National Register of Historic Places in the San Fernando Valley
Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles
1924 establishments in California
20th century in Los Angeles
1920s architecture in the United States
Arches and vaults
Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in California