The Frank Coffyn Collection

What was it really like to be a pioneer aviator? The Frank Coffyn Collection of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum tells the real life story of the people who helped introduce the airplane to America. This project, sponsored by the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, has been a collaboration between the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, the Wright Experience, and Cognitive Applications to identify, sort, and publish the images for the first time.

By inspecting the images in detail online and in person, the extensive knowledge and historical archives of the Wright Experience and Cognitive Applications were used to identify and classify the collection, storing the information in the database. This system forms the backbone of our website.

The publication of this website represents the first step of an ongoing process to fully study and identify the images in the collection. As further details emerge about the images, they will be added to the database. We welcome input from both scholars and members of the public who may have further knowledge about the images in the collection. Contact us if you would like to submit information for consideration.