Favorite of: Rod Walters, Supplier Quality Manager

I started collecting Airstream emblems in the mid-1990s; I saw them as pieces of art that someday could be viewed as an historical timeline of sorts. The emblems I collected came from various sources including Engineering prototypes (some of which are one of a kind). One emblem in particular was very unique and my personal favorite, due to the interesting story that surrounds the travel trailers it was created for and the fact that it is the only emblem with a foreign language (Chinese) written on it. 

I was Quality Manager at that time, and we were instructed to remove all identifying labels and badging from a handful of China-bound travel trailers. Why? Xing Ke QI in China owned an existing registration to the Airstream name, and Airstream itself could not ship any travel trailers to China bearing the Airstream name.  

This seemed unbelievable at the time to us here in Jackson Center, Ohio. We had to remove the Airstream name from the front and rear end shells of trailers we’d already built, and watch many more come down the line without the Airstream logo. 

Without the Airstream logo, we were proud to include an emblem which still bore the Flying Cloud name in English and Chinese characters, as well as the American flag. While the trailers didn’t bear the Airstream name, nothing could discount the fact that...we put the same effort into each of these travel trailers as we and past generations of Airstream associates have done for over 80 years–right here in the USA. Eventually, Airstream was able to obtain the Airstream trademark in China for travel trailers and other goods. 

Favorite of: Samantha Martin, Archivist & Historian

As Airstream’s Archivist & Historian, I often say that it’s impossible for me to select just one favorite Airstream item. So, I have decided to break the rules and choose a collection: the series of Sounscriber discs and audio tapes that were generously donated by the WBCCI and on behalf of the Helen Byam Schwamborn Estate.

These discs were used by Wally Byam to record messages while traveling on the famous Airstream caravans that he could send to Airstream leadership, business associates, and loved ones back home. He would also receive replies via these same discs and tapes. 

Wally’s messages would include caravan news, as well as any problems that he had encountered with travel trailers while on the trip. Wally was devoted to putting his product to the ultimate test, traveling across rugged terrains around the world, and using what he had learned from these tests to make improvements back at the factory. 

The Soundscriber discs and audio tapes are special to me because we were able to have the recordings digitized and can now hear the voices of Wally, his wife Stella, Helen Byam Schwamborn, Art Costello, Andy Charles, and more. After researching, preserving, and sharing the history of these inspiring individuals for years, it is incredibly special for me to be able to hear their voices for the first time and it brings their stories of adventure to life in a new way.