This collection contains materials related to the life and work of Mort W. Brown (1908- ), the first (retired) Chief Pilot of Production Flight Test with the Cessna Aicraft Company, working from 1937 to 1972.

The collection contains 92 manuscripts, written/compiled between the early twentieth century and early twenty-first century. These manuscripts range from television and movie scripts to flight logs, accident report, personal recollections, and biographies/memoirs. Subjects include (but are not limited to) early flight, World War I, World War II, women avioators, air ships, and flight testing.

During September 1942, World War II Rear Admiral Eddie R. Sanders was a Lt. Commander at NAS Anacostia working as a test pilot. Early that month he received orders to precede to NAS San Diego to examine and test fly a recently capture Mitsubishi A6M2 fighter, the first to have been captured intact by US forces. His evaluation of the aircraft helped Allied forces develop tactics to overcome the “Zero,” as the A6M2 was called by the Allies.