Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation interior 2015-05-09

Amelia Earhart Plaque at Portal of the Folded Wings

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 The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

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 List of waterfalls by hei ...

– 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 John Franklin Bruce Carruthers (August 31, 1889 – January 13, 1960) was a reverend who ministered to early aviators. His son, John Franklin Bruce Carruthers, presented the Carruthers Aviation Collection to Claremont McKenna College, in Cla ...

(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 Warren Samuel Eaton (June 12, 1891 – June 22, 1966) was a pioneer aviator. 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 Porta ...

(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 Augustus Roy Knabenshue (July 15, 1876 – March 6, 1960) was an American aeronautical engineer and aviator. Biography Roy Knabenshue was born July 15, 1876, in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of Salome Matlack and Samuel S. Knabenshue. Samuel ...

(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 John Bevins Moisant (April 25, 1868 – December 31, 1910), known as the "King of Aviators," was an American aviator, aeronautical engineer, flight instructor, businessman, and revolutionary. He was the first pilot to conduct passenger fli ...

(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 Elizabeth Lippincott McQueen (January 1, 1878 – December 25, 1958) was the founder of the Women's International Association of Aeronautics. Biography She was born on New Year's Eve in 1878 in Salem County, New Jersey. Elizabeth's parents ...

(1878–1958), one of Los Angeles's first female pilots *

James Floyd Smith James Floyd Smith (17 October 1884 – 18 April 1956) was an inventor, aviation pioneer, and parachute manufacturer. With borrowed money, he built, then taught himself to fly his own airplane. He worked as a flight instructor and test pi ...

(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 ski ...

(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