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Syracuse University Flight Activities Photographs

An inventory of the photographs at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Halsey Van Allen
Date: 2022



Historical Note

The Seneca Flying School was a subsidiary of Syracuse University that was formed in 1940 as a result of the Civilian Pilot Training Act of 1939. The act had the stated objective of providing students enough training to obtain a private pilot certificate but came out of the United States' informal push to prepare itself to join World War II. Syracuse University oversaw administration of the school and provided teaching staff and classrooms. The Civil Aeronautics Authority also provided instructors. The first class of sixty students began their studies July 1, 1940, and classes would continue until at least February 1942. The school's students were primarily Syracuse University students or alumni and many if not all of the graduates of the school went on to join the U.S. Air Force. A Syracuse University professor, Leslie A. Bryan, served as the director of the Seneca Flying School until 1946. The school's primary location was at the Syracuse Municipal Airport in Camillus, New York, where its offices, classrooms, and repair bays were located. It had additional auxillery fields at Cicero and Baldswinville, New York, and additional classrooms near Syracuse University's main campus. Additional research proved inconclusive to when Syracuse University flight activities stopped at the school.


Scope and Content Note

The Syracuse University Flight Activities Photographs consist of photographs and their captions originally compiled into a binder documenting the Seneca Flying School's activities. The photographs and captions document the facilities and daily operations of the organization and its people. Of special note are the photographs of the line crew on the ground, which was composed entirely of young women.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions related to this collection.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

The University Archives has a clipping file on Leslie A. Bryan, the director of the program, which has additional information on the creation of the Seneca Flying School.


Selected Search Terms

Names

Civilian Pilot Training Program (U.S.)
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Airplanes -- Piloting.
Flight schools.
Flight training.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Photograph albums.
Photographs.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syracuse University Flight Activities Photographs,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

There is no acquisition information available for this collection.

Processing Information

The photographs were removed from their original binder and plastic enclosures because of preservation concerns. The photographs were placed in mylar sleeves. The photographs and captions were placed in an acid-free folder and box.


Arrangement

The original arrangement has been preserved.


Table of Contents

Photographs


Inventory