Captain William S. Arnott, was a United Airlines test pilot, and a line pilot who flew nearly every aircraft in United's fleet. Bill joined United in 1946 and worked tirelessly to instill in United's newest pilots a sense of history and accomplishment. Bill had a passion to preserve United's past for future employees. He accumulated artifacts to fill the displays of the "UAHF Historical Collection" at United's Denver Flight Center.

The United Airlines Historical Foundation was inspired by his work and continues to carry on Arnott's dream of "Preserving the Past to Inspire the Future".

The United Airlines Historical Foundation (UAHF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the past of United Airlines and its predecessor companies in order to educate and inspire future generations to pursue a career in the aviation field. It dates back to the late 1960s when United Airlines Management agreed to let the late Captain William  S. “Bill” Arnott display his growing collection of memorabilia in the halls of the company’s Flight Center (DENTK) in Denver, Colorado.

For many years, Bill undertook the project as a solo effort. Then, in 1993, a group of co-workers joined with him to form United Airlines Historical Foundation and have it officially recognized as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

Though United Airlines lends its name and cooperation to the Foundation, UAHF is an independent entity with its own Board of Directors. The Board is comprised of active and retired Pilots, Flight Attendants, Mechanics, Customer Service, Air Freight and Management Representatives.

The United Airlines Historical Foundation (UAHF) is an independent Foundation although United Airlines lends its name and cooperation to the UAHF. The Board of Directors of the Foundation may be comprised of active and retired employees of United Airlines who serve or have worked as pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, store keepers, in ramp service and air freight positions, management and other jobs. Retiree organizations of workers from United Airlines who support the UAHF mission have created alliances with the Foundation. The Association of Flight Attendants-Communication Workers of America Retired Members’ Chapters #29011 at San Francisco (SFO) and #29012 at Los Angeles (LAX); the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 1781 at SFO; the Retired United Pilots Association, the Retired United Airlines Employees Association and Clipped Wings® are now UAHF Alliance affiliate organizations. To learn more about the UAHF Alliance click here.