Floyd Bennett Field
Encyclopedia
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City
's first municipal airport
. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department (NYPD) still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there. Located in Brooklyn
, it was created by connecting Barren Island to a number of smaller marsh islands by filling the channels
between them with pumped sand from the water's bottom, and it is now physically part of Long Island
. The airport was named after the famed aviator
and Medal of Honor
recipient Floyd Bennett
(a Brooklyn resident at the time of his death from illness during a rescue attempt). It was dedicated on June 26, 1930, and officially opened on May 23, 1931. The IATA airport code
and FAA airfield identifier code was NOP when it was an operational naval air station and later coast guard air station, but now uses the FAA Location Identifier NY22 for the heliport operated there by the NYPD.
Many of the earliest surviving original structures were included in a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places
because of their significance as among the largest collection and best representatives of commercial aviation
architecture from the period, as well as the significant contributions to civil aviation
and military aviation
made there. As such, it was included in 1972 as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area
, managed by the National Park Service
.
The municipal airport site was chosen and designed by famed aviator Clarence D. Chamberlin. His preference was Barren Island
, a 387 acres (1.6 km²) marsh with 33 small islands in Jamaica Bay
, off the southeastern shore of Brooklyn. The site was favorable due to the lack of obstructions nearby, and because it was easily identifiable from the air. After much debate over the merits of other sites within the city (including Governors Island
, the purported favorite of New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia), the site was approved. Six million cubic yards of sand were pumped from Jamaica Bay to connect the islands and raise the site to 16 feet (4.9 m) above the high tide mark. The new airfield's modern, electrically illuminated, concrete runways (when most "airports" still had dirt runways and no night landings) and comfortable terminal facilities with numerous amenities made it among the most advanced of its day, earning a rating of A-1 (the highest) by the United States Department of Commerce
at the time.
LaGuardia pushed for Floyd Bennett Field to replace Newark Airport
in Newark, New Jersey
as the city's de facto main air terminal, including designs and plans to shuttle passengers to and from Manhattan
in flying boat
s. He was only able to persuade American Airlines
to move its Newark operations to the new airport, and many passengers complained that travel from Bennett Field to Manhattan took longer than from Newark. In addition, particularly in the early days of commercial aviation
, freight - not passengers - provided the bulk of profits. As airmail
was a major fraction of air freight at the time, airports having contracts with the United States Postal Service
attracted commercial airlines. Airlines used the cargo area available on passenger aircraft to carry airmail, guaranteeing a profit on empty flights, and often providing more revenue than passenger ticket sales on under-booked flights, which were common. Public skepticism about the safety of this new form of transportation, as well as the Great Depression
, made air travel an expensive luxury. As LaGuardia was never able to convince the Postal Service to move its New York City operations from Newark to Floyd Bennett Field, neither did the airlines relocate. This hindered commercial air activities at the airfield. As a general aviation
airfield, however, it attracted the record-breaking pilots of the Golden Age of Aviation
because of its superior modern facilities and excellent location for flying, hosting dozens of "firsts" and time records as well as a number of air races
in their hey-day, such as the Bendix Cup
.
twice used the field for record-breaking 'round-the-world flights, and developed or adapted technology (such as the Sperry autopilot
) there to aid him. Famous aviatrixes of the era, such as Jackie Cochran
, Laura Ingalls
, and even Amelia Earhart
broke records at this airfield. Howard Hughes
also used Floyd Bennett Field as the start and finish of his July 1938 record-setting circumnavigation of the globe in ninety-one hours (as depicted in the 2004 film The Aviator). Media-savvy pilot Roscoe Turner
was also a frequent visitor at this airfield, often in conjunction with record-breaking flights.
Floyd Bennett Field's most storied flight was probably that of Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan
who, in 1938, after repeatedly being denied permission by the authorities to attempt a non-stop flight to Ireland
, "accidentally" crossed the Atlantic in a second-hand surplus aircraft on a flight registered to go to California
. In the midst of the Great Depression
a hero-starved nation hailed Corrigan for his "accident", even giving him a ticker-tape parade
in Manhattan upon his return. (Authorities had his aircraft crated and sent him and his plane back on a ship.)
On July 16, 1957, then-Major
John H. Glenn, Jr.
, USMC
, set the Transcontinental air speed record
, flying an F8U-1 Crusader
from NAS Los Alamitos
, California to NAS New York - Floyd Bennett Field, in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds. Project Bullet, as the mission was called, provided both the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed, and the first continuous transcontinental panoramic photograph
of the United States
. Glenn was awarded his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross
for the mission.
After the 1930s closure of Naval Air Station Rockaway
across the inlet, a hangar at Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated as Naval Air Reserve Base New York within the larger civilian facility. The New York City Police Department
(NYPD) occupied a hangar for the world's first police aviation unit (fixed-wing at the time, eventually to become a fleet exclusively of helicopters).
In addition, about 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of Floyd Bennett Field along Jamaica Bay was set aside by the city on long-term lease to the United States Coast Guard
(USCG) in 1936, for the creation of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn (CGAS Brooklyn). During World War II
, the civilian airfield was first leased and then sold to the United States Navy
, which subsequently established
Naval Air Station New York (NAS New York) to host several naval aviation
units of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, to include three land-based antisubmarine patrol squadrons, a scout observation service unit, and two Naval Air Transport Service
(NATS) squadrons (processing the majority of the aircraft destined for the Pacific Theater
), while still retaining the Coast Guard Air Station as a tenant.
The pilot Eddie August Schneider
died in a training crash on the tarmac in 1940. NAS New York aircraft patrolled the Atlantic coastline and engaged German U-Boats, sustaining casualties, though this information was kept from the public at the time. In addition, Navy WAVES
(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) served as air traffic controllers in the air station control tower, directing traffic at the busy Naval Air Station, while others served as parachute riggers, packing parachutes and liferafts for use by aviators. Still others performed aircraft maintenance as aviation machinist mates, some of whom also served as “plane captains” for locally based aircraft.
Throughout the remainder of the postwar period and until the early 1970s, NAS New York - Floyd Bennett Field primarily functioned as a support base for units of the Naval Air Reserve
and the Marine Air Reserve
. CGAS Brooklyn continued to operate from NAS New York and the installation also served as a base for units of the New York Air National Guard during the Cold War
.
In the interim, commercial aviation in New York City moved to a new airport in Queens
, which took advantage of the then-new Queens-Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. That airport was quickly renamed LaGuardia Airport
in recognition of that mayor's efforts to bring commercially-viable aviation to New York City.
Most of the land transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in Gateway National Recreation Area. The majority of the remainder, constituting the area occupied by Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn, was officially transferred to the Coast Guard and no longer leased.
CGAS Brooklyn was eventually decommissioned in 1998, following its merger with CGAS Cape May, New Jersey and relocation to the new Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
, New Jersey. The majority of former Coast Guard land then transferred to the National Park Service (a small portion remained in the possession of the USCG parent agency at the time -- the US Department of Transportation -- and a Doppler radar
tower placed there for use by nearby Kennedy International Airport). The NYPD moved their aviation operation from a historic hangar to the former Coast Guard Air Station facilities shortly afterward.
The National Park Service maintains a collection of example aircraft of the type with historic connections to the airfield, and displays them in a 1950s era "nose hangar". In addition, the airport's original Administration Building is partially accessible to the public, including (under escort) the former control tower. The runways have long since been closed, yet are occasionally reopened for fly-in
s.
As the area of natural grassland
s in the region has declined from its historic range due to urban sprawl
(see: Hempstead Plains
), the Grasslands Restoration And Management Project (GRAMP) was created to maintain a majority of the expanse of open grassland in the middle of the historic former airfield. The purpose is to compensate in a small way for the impact to the native flora and fauna that depend on such habitat lost on Long Island. The program is a joint venture of the National Park Service as the land management agency, and the Audubon Society.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has divisions located on the historic former airfield. The department's aviation base, with its fleet of Bell Jet Ranger helicopters, is housed in space leased from the National Park Service that was once the United States Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn, and is also now headquarters for the NYPD Emergency Services Unit. The Driver Training Unit is also located there, using a section of former runway to teach officers to operate many different vehicles used by the department.
In 2006, four of the eight original airport hangars were adapted for reuse
and leased as a business concession
for community-based sports and entertainment complex. However, the historical integrity of some of the hangars has been alleged to be compromised thereby, in contradiction to the protections
supposedly imposed by their inclusion on the National Register and under their management by the NPS.
The former airfield also accommodates public camping
, with 46 campsites. Floyd Bennett Field campground, however, is classified as primitive - with only portable toilet
s, and no electricity provided. Still, it is the only public campground maintained by the National Park Service that is within the limits
of an American city, and the only legal campground in New York City. In 2011, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
announced that he wants Floyd Bennett Field to feature the largest urban campground in the United States - with 90 campsites by 2013, and the possibility of 600 total campsites sometime in the future.
Runway 15-33: One of the original runways constructed in 1929, this 3100 feet (944.9 m) x 100 feet (30.5 m) concrete runway was lengthened to 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) in 1936. It was then modified to become the 4500 feet (1,371.6 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) taxiway
T-10 in 1942. It runs parallel to the original hangars along Flatbush Avenue.
Runway 6-24 (Old): The second of the original two runways constructed in 1929, this 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) x 100 feet (30.5 m) concrete runway became taxiway T-1 and T-2 in 1942. It runs perpendicular to the original hangars along Flatbush Avenue, from the Administration Building/Control Tower to the more modern Hangar B.
Runway 6-24 (New): Constructed in 1942, this 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) runway was lengthened to 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) in 1952. It runs perpendicular to Flatbush Avenue on the North side of the field.
Runway 1-19: Constructed in 1936, this 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) x 150 feet (45.7 m) runway was lengthened to 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) in 1942. It was again lengthened to 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) at an unknown date and was the longest runway at the airport. It runs from the vicinity of the current main public entrance to the field at the South end of Flatbush Avenue, to the North corner of the field near the Mill Basin inlet.
Runway 12-30: Constructed in 1936, this 3200 feet (975.4 m) x 150 feet (45.7 m) runway was lengthened to 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) in 1942. It was again lengthened to 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) at an unknown date. It runs from the former Coast Guard Hangar to the Northwest corner of the field near Flatbush Avenue. For many years, the US Coast Guard used 2500 feet (762 m) of this runway for helicopter operations. Now the NYPD Aviation Unit uses this same segment.
6/26/30 - Airport Dedication.
A crowd of 25,000 attended this aerial demonstration led by Charles Lindbergh
and Jimmy Doolittle
. A flotilla of 600 US Army Air Corps aircraft circled the field as part of the airport dedication. Admiral Byrd, Mayor Walke
r and his wife, and Mrs. Floyd Bennett were present at the dedication of the airport.
7/28-30/31 - FBF to Istanbul, Turkey Flight.
Russell Norton Boardman (age 33) and John Louis Polando (29) flew a Bellanca CH Pacemaker
high-wing monoplane named Cape Cod, registration NR761W, powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, to Istanbul in 49:20 hours establishing a distance record of 5011.8 miles (8,065.7 km), the first known record flight whose distance surpassed either English (5,000 mi) or metric (8,000 km) mark. As the runway at FBF was just 5000 feet (1,524 m) long, they needed to remove a fence and clear a parking lot to add another thousand feet to meet their required takeoff distance. The phone and electric utilities even took down poles along Flatbush Avenue.
7/28-29/31 - FBF to Moylegrove, Wales Flight.
Just 18 minutes after Boardman and Polando departed, Hugh Herndon Jr. and Clyde Pangborn
flew a Red Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket
, named Miss Veedol (registration NR-796W) and powered by a 425 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, to Moylegrove, Wales in 31:42 hours. They stopped in Japan on their flight around the world and finally landed at FBF on 10/17/31. The aircraft was later named "The American Nurse" and was lost in the Atlantic Ocean without a trace in 1932.
6/3/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt.
Stanislaus F. Hausner attempts a transatlantic flight from FBF to Warsaw
, Poland, in a Bellanca CH Pacemaker, named Rose Marie and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, and makes a forced landing at sea. He is rescued by a British tanker 8 days later.
7/5-6/32 - Failed Round-the-World Attempt.
James Mattern and Bennett Griffin
flew a Lockheed Vega
, powered by two Pratt & Whitney
Wasp engines, from FBF to Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, and then non-stop to Berlin, Germany in 18:41 hours. They continued as far as Borisov, Russia in this failed round-the-world flight attempt.
8/23 (25?) - 9/11/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt.
Colonel George Hutchinson
and his family flew a Sikorsky amphibian, powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines, from FBF, but made a forced landing off the coast off Greenland. They were rescued two days later by a British trawler. In addition to the Colonel, his wife Blanche, daughters Kathryn and Janet Lee, a crew of five manned the aircraft.
8/29/32 - Transcontinental Record.
James G. Haizlip flew a Weddell-Williams powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California
, in 10:19 hours, establishing a new transcontinental record.
8/29/32 - Failed Transcontinental Record.
Roscoe Turner also flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 10:58:39 hours, but was beat by Haizlip.
9/13/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt
William Ulbrich flew a Bellanca Skyrocket powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF with passengers Dr. Leon Pisculli and Edna Newcomber, but was lost at sea.
11/14/32 - Transcontinental Record.
Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Burbank, California, in 12:33 hours, establishing a new East-West record.
6/2/33 - Transcontinental Record.
Lieutenant Commander Frank Hawks
flew a Northrop Gamma, powered by a Wright Whirlwind
engine, from Los Angeles, California to FBF, in 13:26:15 hours, establishing a new West-East non-stop record.
6/11-12/33 - FBF to Haiti Flight.
Captain J. Errol Boyd, Robert G. Lyon, and Harold P. Davis flew a Bellanca monoplane, powered by a Wright Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Saint Marc, Haiti in about 24 hours.
6/15/33 - Failed Round-the-World Attempt.
James J. Mattern flew a Lockheed Vega, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from FBF across the Atlantic, and makes a forced landing in Siberia. He later flew part of the way back to New York.
7/1/33 - Transcontinental Record.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 11:30 hours, establishing a new East-West record.
7/1-8/12/33 - Balbo's Transatlantic Flight.
Italian Air Force General Italo Balbo
led a group of 25 Savoia-Marchetti
S-55X seaplanes, powered by twin 750 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso engines, from Orbetello, Italy, to Amsterdam
, Iceland
, Labrador
, and Chicago
. After two airplanes crashed along the journey, the group of 23 planes stopped at FBF for 6 days on their way back to Rome, Italy. The flight marked the 10th anniversary of Benito Mussolini
's rise to power.
7/15-17/33 - Transatlantic Flight followed by a Fatal Crash.
Captain Steponas Darius
and Stasys Girėnas
flew a Bellanca CH-300
, named Lituanica
and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Soldin, Germany, (now Mysliborz in Poland
) were they were killed in a crash. They were attempting a flight to Kaunas
, Lithuania
. This was the 7th transatlantic flight and 2nd in a total distance covered without landing.
7/15-22/33 - Round-the-World Flight.
Wiley Post flew a Lockheed Vega (registration N-105W) named Winnie Mae, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, around the world in 7 days, 18:49:30 hours. He was the first to fly around the world solo. During that flight, he covered 15596 miles (25,099 km) in 4 days, 19:36 hours, establishing a new record. A crowd on 50,000 people gathered at FBF to see him arrive.
8/5-7/33 - FBF to Syria Flight
Lt. Maurice Rossi and Paul Codos flew a Bleriot 110, powered by a Hispano Suiza engine, from FBF to Rayak, Syria in about 55 hours, and established a distance record of 5657.4 miles (9,104.7 km).
9/2/33 - Crash.
Francisco de Pinedo was killed in a crash during takeoff from FBF.
9/25/33 - West-East Record Flight.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from Burbank, California
, to FBF, in 10:04:55 hours, establishing a new West-East record.
2/28/34-4/25/34 - South American Flight.
Laura H. Ingalls
flew a Lockheed Air Express, powered by a Pratt & Whitney engine, from Glenn Curtiss Airport, North Beach, NY, on a 17000 miles (27,358.8 km) tour of South America, including a solo flight across the Andes
. She returned to FBF after the flight.
5/14-15/34 - FBF to Rome Flight.
George R. Pond and Cesare Sabelli flew a Bellanca Pacemaker, named Leonardo da Vinci and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, in an attempted non-stop flight from FBF to Rome, but were forced to land at Lahinch, Ireland, after 32:00 hours due to a fuel system problem. Later they flew to Rome. This was the 8th transatlantic flight.
5/27-28/34 - Paris to FBF Flight.
Lt. Maurice Rossi and Paul Codos flew a Bleriot 110, powered by a Hispano Suiza engine, from Paris, France to FBF in 38:27 hours, the second non-stop flight from Europe to America. In August 1933, both men had flown from FBF to Rayak, Syria.
9/1/34 - West-East Record Flight.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from Burbank, California, to FBF, in 10:02:57 hours, beat his old record (9/25/33) by about 2 minutes, and established a new West-East record.
1/15/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
Major James H. Dolittle flew an "American Airlines
Airplane Development" Vultee, powered by a Wright Cyclone
engine, non-stop from Los Angeles, California, to FBF in 11:59 hours, and established a transcontinental non-stop record for a passenger transport airplane.
2/20-21/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
Leland S. Andrews also flew an American Airlines Airplane Development Vultee, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, non-stop from Los Angeles, California, to FBF in 11:34:16 hours (beat Dolittle by almost a half-hour) and established a new transcontinental non-stop record for a passenger transport airplane.
4/30/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
D.W. Tomlinson flew a TWA
Douglas DC-1
, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, non-stop from Burbank, California, to FBF in 11:05:45 hours (beat Andrews by almost a half-hour).
5/16-17/35 - Speed Records.
D.W. Tomlinson and J.S. Bartles flew a TWA Douglas DC-1, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, and established 14 speed records at FBF, demonstrating the increasing efficiency of transport planes and engines with heavy loads.
5/18/35 - Speed Records.
D.W. Tomlinson and J.S. Bartles flew a TWA Douglas DC-1, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, and established 8 more speed records at FBF, further demonstrating the increasing efficiency of transport planes and engines with heavy loads.
7/11/35 - Laura H. Ingalls flew a Lockheed Orion, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Burbank, California, establishing an East-West record for women.
7/18-8/16/35 - FBF to Norway Flight.
Thor Solberg flew a Leoning amphibian, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Bergen, Norway, via Canada, Greenland, and Iceland.
9/12/35 - Laura H. Ingalls flew a Lockheed Orion, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from Burbank, California, to FBF, establishing a West-East record for women (Return trip from her 7/11/35 flight).
9/21-22/35 - Attempted Flight to Lithuania.
Felix Waitkus (Feliksas Vaitkus) (1907-1956) flew a Lockheed Vega, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Ballinrobe, Ireland, on a projected flight to Lithuania.
3/22/36 - The U.S. Postal Service rejected Floyd Bennett Field's application for the Air Terminal. This signals the failure of the field as a passenger airport as the airlines relied on the U.S. Mail contracts for revenue and would not schedule flights to FBF.
4/21/36 - Miami to New York Speed Record.
Howard Hughes flew a Northrop Gamma
, powered by a Wright Cyclone
engine, from Miami to FBF in 4:21:32, establishing an intercity speed record.
9/2-3/36 - Attempted Round-trip Flight to London.
Harry Richman
and Richard T. Merrill flew an Airplane Development Vultee named Lady Peace, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Llwyncelny, Wales, in 18:38 hours on an attempted round-trip flight to London, England.
9/4/36 - East-West Record Flight.
Louise Thaden
and Blanche Noyes
flew a Beechcraft
, powered by a Wright Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 14:55:01, and established an East-West transcontinental speed record.
10/6-7/36 - Attempted Flight to Stockholm.
Kurt Bjorkvall flew a Bellanca Pacemaker, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp
engine, in an attempted flight form FBF to Stockholm
, Sweden. He was forced doen in the Atlantic off the Irish coast.
10/28-30/36 - Record Non-stop Flight to London.
Captain James A. Mollison
flew a Bellanca Flash
, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Croydon Airport
in London, England, not only making record time from Newfoundland, but was the first pilot to fly non-stop to London in 13:17 hours.
12/14/36 - New York to Miami Speed Record.
Major Alexander de Seversky flew a Seversky Sev 3, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Miami, Florida, establishing a new speed record of 5:46:30 hours.
12/17/36 - National Aviation Day
On this day a celebration of the 33rd anniversary or the Wright Brothers
first flight at Kitty Hawk
, NC, was held.
5/9-10/37 - Flight to London.
Richard T. Merrill flew a Lockheed Electra
Model 10, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from FBF to Croyden Airport in London, England, with a stop in Essex, in 20:59 hours.
5/13-14/37 - Flight from London.
Richard T. Merrill and John S. Lambie flew a Lockheed Electra Model 10, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, back from London to FBF, via Massachusetts, with photos of the coronation of George VI in 24:22:25 hours.
7/10-14/38 - Round-the-World Flight
Howard Hughes flew a Lockheed 14N Super Electra (registration NX-18973), powered by two 900 hp Wright Cyclone engines, around the world in 3 days, 19:08:10 hours, testing new navigation equipment. A crowd of 25,000 people came to FBF to see him arrive.
7/17-18/38 - The Flight of "Wrong Way" Corrigan.
Douglas Corrigan
flew a Curtiss Robin
, powered by a 165 hp Wright Whirlwind, J-6 engine, non-stop from FBF to Dublin, Ireland, in 28:13 hours. After being denied permission to make the flight to Ireland, he filed a flight plan to California, and flew to Ireland. The 31-year old pilot departed at 5:15 a.m. and claimed to have trouble with his compass and never admitted otherwise. Corrigan died on 12/9/95 at the age of 88 years.
8/10-11/38 - FW-200 Lands at FBF.
Alfred Henke, Rudolph von Moreau, Paul Dierberg, and Walter Kober, flew a prototype Focke-Wulf
FW-200 (registration D-ACON), named Brandenberg and powered by four Pratt and Whitney 875 hp Hornet engines, non-stop from Berlin, Germany, to FBF in a record time of 24:50:12 hours.
8/13-14/38 - FW-200 Departs from FBF.
Alfred Henke, Rudolph von Moreau, Paul Dierberg, and Walter Kober, flew the same Focke-Wulf FW-200, powered by four Pratt and Whitney 875 hp Hornet engines, non-stop from FBF back to Berlin, Germany, in a record time of 19:55:01 hours, cutting the previous record of Wiley Post by 5:50 hours.
12/3/38 - Women's West-East Transcontinental Record.
Jacqueline Cochrane flew a Seversky, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from Burbank, California, to FBF in 10:27:55 hours, setting the women's West-East transcontinental record.
5/24/39 - Mexico City to FBF Flight.
Francisco Sarabia flew a Gee Bee
Racer from Mexico City to FBF in 10:45 hours, beating the non-stop record flight time of 14:19 hours set by Amelia Earhart on 5/8/35. Sarabia was killed in a crash from Washington D.C. on 6/7/39.
10/15/39 - Laguardia Airport
Dedicated.
FBF's possibility of commercial success is doomed by the opening of this $45 million, 558 acres (2 km²) airport, located at the site of the old North Beach Airport. Almost 300,000 people attended the ceremony for the field named after Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's first municipal airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department (NYPD) still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there. Located in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, it was created by connecting Barren Island to a number of smaller marsh islands by filling the channels
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
between them with pumped sand from the water's bottom, and it is now physically part of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. The airport was named after the famed aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Floyd Bennett
Floyd Bennett
Floyd Bennett was an American aviator who piloted Richard E. Byrd on his attempt to reach the North Pole in 1926.-Biography:...
(a Brooklyn resident at the time of his death from illness during a rescue attempt). It was dedicated on June 26, 1930, and officially opened on May 23, 1931. The IATA airport code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
and FAA airfield identifier code was NOP when it was an operational naval air station and later coast guard air station, but now uses the FAA Location Identifier NY22 for the heliport operated there by the NYPD.
Many of the earliest surviving original structures were included in a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
because of their significance as among the largest collection and best representatives of commercial aviation
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
architecture from the period, as well as the significant contributions to civil aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and military aviation
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
made there. As such, it was included in 1972 as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Scattered over Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York and Monmouth County, New Jersey, it provides recreational opportunities that are rare for a dense urban environment, including ocean...
, managed by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
History
Prior to the opening of Floyd Bennett Field in 1930, a compacted dirt runway existed on the island and was generously referred to as "Barren Island Airport", but was used primarily by one pilot who took customers up for joy-rides.The municipal airport site was chosen and designed by famed aviator Clarence D. Chamberlin. His preference was Barren Island
Barren Island, Brooklyn
Barren Island was originally an island east of the southern end of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in Jamaica Bay. The area is separated from the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens by the Rockaway Inlet....
, a 387 acres (1.6 km²) marsh with 33 small islands in Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
, off the southeastern shore of Brooklyn. The site was favorable due to the lack of obstructions nearby, and because it was easily identifiable from the air. After much debate over the merits of other sites within the city (including Governors Island
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, the purported favorite of New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia), the site was approved. Six million cubic yards of sand were pumped from Jamaica Bay to connect the islands and raise the site to 16 feet (4.9 m) above the high tide mark. The new airfield's modern, electrically illuminated, concrete runways (when most "airports" still had dirt runways and no night landings) and comfortable terminal facilities with numerous amenities made it among the most advanced of its day, earning a rating of A-1 (the highest) by the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
at the time.
LaGuardia pushed for Floyd Bennett Field to replace Newark Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
as the city's de facto main air terminal, including designs and plans to shuttle passengers to and from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s. He was only able to persuade American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
to move its Newark operations to the new airport, and many passengers complained that travel from Bennett Field to Manhattan took longer than from Newark. In addition, particularly in the early days of commercial aviation
Commercial aviation
Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for hire to transport passengers or cargo...
, freight - not passengers - provided the bulk of profits. As airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
was a major fraction of air freight at the time, airports having contracts with the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
attracted commercial airlines. Airlines used the cargo area available on passenger aircraft to carry airmail, guaranteeing a profit on empty flights, and often providing more revenue than passenger ticket sales on under-booked flights, which were common. Public skepticism about the safety of this new form of transportation, as well as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, made air travel an expensive luxury. As LaGuardia was never able to convince the Postal Service to move its New York City operations from Newark to Floyd Bennett Field, neither did the airlines relocate. This hindered commercial air activities at the airfield. As a general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airfield, however, it attracted the record-breaking pilots of the Golden Age of Aviation
Golden Age of Aviation
The Golden Age of Aviation was the period between World War I and World War II in which civil aviation, fueled by many daring and dramatic record-breaking feats, became popularized...
because of its superior modern facilities and excellent location for flying, hosting dozens of "firsts" and time records as well as a number of air races
Air racing
- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...
in their hey-day, such as the Bendix Cup
Bendix trophy
The Bendix Trophy is a U.S. aeronautical racing trophy. The transcontinental, point-to-point race, sponsored by industrialist Vincent Bendix founder of Bendix Corporation, began in 1931 as part of the National Air Races. Initial prize money for the winners was $15,000...
.
Notable aviators and flights
Famed aviator Wiley PostWiley Post
Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed American aviator, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits. His Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's...
twice used the field for record-breaking 'round-the-world flights, and developed or adapted technology (such as the Sperry autopilot
Autopilot
An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. An autopilot can refer specifically to aircraft, self-steering gear for boats, or auto guidance of space craft and missiles...
) there to aid him. Famous aviatrixes of the era, such as Jackie Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...
, Laura Ingalls
Laura Ingalls (aviator)
-Birth:She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Francis Abbott Ingalls I and Martha Houghtaling . Martha was the daughter of David Harrison Houghtaling of Kingston, New York, who was a descendant of Jan Willemsen Hoogteling, who arrived in New York on May 9, 1661.Regarding her mother, Laura wrote: "My...
, and even Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
broke records at this airfield. Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
also used Floyd Bennett Field as the start and finish of his July 1938 record-setting circumnavigation of the globe in ninety-one hours (as depicted in the 2004 film The Aviator). Media-savvy pilot Roscoe Turner
Roscoe Turner
Roscoe Turner was an aviator who was a three time winner of the Thompson Trophy.-Background:Turner was born in Corinth, Mississippi, the eldest son of a poor but respectable farmer. He came to realize that he did not want to be a farmer and found that he was attracted to mechanical devices instead...
was also a frequent visitor at this airfield, often in conjunction with record-breaking flights.
Floyd Bennett Field's most storied flight was probably that of Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan was an American aviator born in Galveston, Texas. He was nicknamed "Wrong Way" in 1938. After a transcontinental flight from Long Beach, California, to New York, he flew from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, to Ireland, though his flight plan was filed to return to Long...
who, in 1938, after repeatedly being denied permission by the authorities to attempt a non-stop flight to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, "accidentally" crossed the Atlantic in a second-hand surplus aircraft on a flight registered to go to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In the midst of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
a hero-starved nation hailed Corrigan for his "accident", even giving him a ticker-tape parade
Ticker-tape parade
A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in a built-up urban setting, allowing large amounts of shredded paper to be thrown from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a celebratory effect by the snowstorm-like flurry...
in Manhattan upon his return. (Authorities had his aircraft crated and sent him and his plane back on a ship.)
On July 16, 1957, then-Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
John H. Glenn, Jr.
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, USMC
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, set the Transcontinental air speed record
Transcontinental air speed record
-Transcontinental air speed record:-Junior transcontinental air speed record:-Women's transcontinental air speed record:For the women's record, only in-flight time is counted*1930 Ruth Nichols 13 hours and 21 minutes...
, flying an F8U-1 Crusader
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...
from NAS Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos Army Airfield
Los Alamitos Army Airfield is a military airport located one mile southeast of central Los Alamitos, and within its city limits, in Orange County, California, USA.- Facilities :Los Alamitos Army Airfield has two runways:...
, California to NAS New York - Floyd Bennett Field, in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds. Project Bullet, as the mission was called, provided both the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed, and the first continuous transcontinental panoramic photograph
Panoramic photography
Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as wide format photography. The term has also been applied to a photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Glenn was awarded his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for the mission.
Non-commercial activity
Naval Air Station Rockaway
Naval Air Station Rockaway adjoined Fort Tilden on the western portion of the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It was established on transferred municipal property in 1917 during American involvement in World War I, and was demolished in 1930 to make way for Jacob Riis Park...
across the inlet, a hangar at Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated as Naval Air Reserve Base New York within the larger civilian facility. The New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
(NYPD) occupied a hangar for the world's first police aviation unit (fixed-wing at the time, eventually to become a fleet exclusively of helicopters).
In addition, about 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of Floyd Bennett Field along Jamaica Bay was set aside by the city on long-term lease to the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
(USCG) in 1936, for the creation of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn (CGAS Brooklyn). During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the civilian airfield was first leased and then sold to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, which subsequently established
Naval Air Station New York (NAS New York) to host several naval aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
units of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, to include three land-based antisubmarine patrol squadrons, a scout observation service unit, and two Naval Air Transport Service
Naval Air Transport Service
The Naval Air Transport Service or NATS, was a branch of the United States Navy from 1941 to 1948. At its height during WW II, NATS’s totaled four wings of 18 squadrons that operated 540 aircraft with 26,000 personnel assigned....
(NATS) squadrons (processing the majority of the aircraft destined for the Pacific Theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
), while still retaining the Coast Guard Air Station as a tenant.
The pilot Eddie August Schneider
Eddie August Schneider
Eddie August Henry Schneider set three transcontinental airspeed records for pilots under the age of twenty-one in 1930. His plane was a Cessna Model AW with a Warner-Scarab engine, one of only 48 built, that he called "The Kangaroo". He set the east-to-west, then the west-to-east, and the...
died in a training crash on the tarmac in 1940. NAS New York aircraft patrolled the Atlantic coastline and engaged German U-Boats, sustaining casualties, though this information was kept from the public at the time. In addition, Navy WAVES
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) served as air traffic controllers in the air station control tower, directing traffic at the busy Naval Air Station, while others served as parachute riggers, packing parachutes and liferafts for use by aviators. Still others performed aircraft maintenance as aviation machinist mates, some of whom also served as “plane captains” for locally based aircraft.
Throughout the remainder of the postwar period and until the early 1970s, NAS New York - Floyd Bennett Field primarily functioned as a support base for units of the Naval Air Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
and the Marine Air Reserve
4th Marine Aircraft Wing
The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States...
. CGAS Brooklyn continued to operate from NAS New York and the installation also served as a base for units of the New York Air National Guard during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
In the interim, commercial aviation in New York City moved to a new airport in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, which took advantage of the then-new Queens-Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. That airport was quickly renamed LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
in recognition of that mayor's efforts to bring commercially-viable aviation to New York City.
National Park Service acquisition
NAS New York was deactivated in 1971 and its tenant squadrons and personnel transferred to other naval air stations. A joint Armed Forces Reserve Center supporting non-flying units remained and is the now the airfield's sole surviving military activity.Most of the land transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in Gateway National Recreation Area. The majority of the remainder, constituting the area occupied by Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn, was officially transferred to the Coast Guard and no longer leased.
CGAS Brooklyn was eventually decommissioned in 1998, following its merger with CGAS Cape May, New Jersey and relocation to the new Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located 9 miles northwest of Atlantic City at the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey...
, New Jersey. The majority of former Coast Guard land then transferred to the National Park Service (a small portion remained in the possession of the USCG parent agency at the time -- the US Department of Transportation -- and a Doppler radar
Doppler radar
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that makes use of the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by beaming a microwave signal towards a desired target and listening for its reflection, then analyzing how the frequency of the returned signal has been...
tower placed there for use by nearby Kennedy International Airport). The NYPD moved their aviation operation from a historic hangar to the former Coast Guard Air Station facilities shortly afterward.
Current day
Fly-in
A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes.Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or in a farmer's field.Fly-ins can be aimed at specific...
s.
As the area of natural grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s in the region has declined from its historic range due to urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
(see: Hempstead Plains
Hempstead Plains
The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island in New York state in what is now Nassau County. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island by the Harbor Hill Moraine, later approximately the route...
), the Grasslands Restoration And Management Project (GRAMP) was created to maintain a majority of the expanse of open grassland in the middle of the historic former airfield. The purpose is to compensate in a small way for the impact to the native flora and fauna that depend on such habitat lost on Long Island. The program is a joint venture of the National Park Service as the land management agency, and the Audubon Society.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has divisions located on the historic former airfield. The department's aviation base, with its fleet of Bell Jet Ranger helicopters, is housed in space leased from the National Park Service that was once the United States Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn, and is also now headquarters for the NYPD Emergency Services Unit. The Driver Training Unit is also located there, using a section of former runway to teach officers to operate many different vehicles used by the department.
In 2006, four of the eight original airport hangars were adapted for reuse
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
and leased as a business concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
for community-based sports and entertainment complex. However, the historical integrity of some of the hangars has been alleged to be compromised thereby, in contradiction to the protections
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
supposedly imposed by their inclusion on the National Register and under their management by the NPS.
The former airfield also accommodates public camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, with 46 campsites. Floyd Bennett Field campground, however, is classified as primitive - with only portable toilet
Portable toilet
Portable toilet are simple portable enclosures containing a chemical toilet which are typically used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large gatherings and events. Most of the portable toilets have black open-front-U-shaped toilet seat with cover...
s, and no electricity provided. Still, it is the only public campground maintained by the National Park Service that is within the limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
of an American city, and the only legal campground in New York City. In 2011, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
announced that he wants Floyd Bennett Field to feature the largest urban campground in the United States - with 90 campsites by 2013, and the possibility of 600 total campsites sometime in the future.
Runways
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
T-10 in 1942. It runs parallel to the original hangars along Flatbush Avenue.
Runway 6-24 (Old): The second of the original two runways constructed in 1929, this 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) x 100 feet (30.5 m) concrete runway became taxiway T-1 and T-2 in 1942. It runs perpendicular to the original hangars along Flatbush Avenue, from the Administration Building/Control Tower to the more modern Hangar B.
Runway 6-24 (New): Constructed in 1942, this 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) runway was lengthened to 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) in 1952. It runs perpendicular to Flatbush Avenue on the North side of the field.
Runway 1-19: Constructed in 1936, this 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) x 150 feet (45.7 m) runway was lengthened to 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) in 1942. It was again lengthened to 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) at an unknown date and was the longest runway at the airport. It runs from the vicinity of the current main public entrance to the field at the South end of Flatbush Avenue, to the North corner of the field near the Mill Basin inlet.
Runway 12-30: Constructed in 1936, this 3200 feet (975.4 m) x 150 feet (45.7 m) runway was lengthened to 5000 feet (1,524 m) x 300 feet (91.4 m) in 1942. It was again lengthened to 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) at an unknown date. It runs from the former Coast Guard Hangar to the Northwest corner of the field near Flatbush Avenue. For many years, the US Coast Guard used 2500 feet (762 m) of this runway for helicopter operations. Now the NYPD Aviation Unit uses this same segment.
Timeline
This is an incomplete sampling of some of the most significant events at Floyd Bennett Field (FBF) during the Golden Age of Aviation6/26/30 - Airport Dedication.
A crowd of 25,000 attended this aerial demonstration led by Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
and Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
. A flotilla of 600 US Army Air Corps aircraft circled the field as part of the airport dedication. Admiral Byrd, Mayor Walke
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James , was the mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932...
r and his wife, and Mrs. Floyd Bennett were present at the dedication of the airport.
7/28-30/31 - FBF to Istanbul, Turkey Flight.
Russell Norton Boardman (age 33) and John Louis Polando (29) flew a Bellanca CH Pacemaker
Bellanca CH-300
-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Szurovy, Geza. Bushplanes. St. Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7603-1478-0.* Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 149.-External links:* *...
high-wing monoplane named Cape Cod, registration NR761W, powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, to Istanbul in 49:20 hours establishing a distance record of 5011.8 miles (8,065.7 km), the first known record flight whose distance surpassed either English (5,000 mi) or metric (8,000 km) mark. As the runway at FBF was just 5000 feet (1,524 m) long, they needed to remove a fence and clear a parking lot to add another thousand feet to meet their required takeoff distance. The phone and electric utilities even took down poles along Flatbush Avenue.
7/28-29/31 - FBF to Moylegrove, Wales Flight.
Just 18 minutes after Boardman and Polando departed, Hugh Herndon Jr. and Clyde Pangborn
Clyde Pangborn
Clyde Edward Pangborn also known as "Upside-Down Pangborn" was an American aviator who performed aerial stunts during the 1920s...
flew a Red Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket
Bellanca CH-400
-See also:...
, named Miss Veedol (registration NR-796W) and powered by a 425 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, to Moylegrove, Wales in 31:42 hours. They stopped in Japan on their flight around the world and finally landed at FBF on 10/17/31. The aircraft was later named "The American Nurse" and was lost in the Atlantic Ocean without a trace in 1932.
6/3/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt.
Stanislaus F. Hausner attempts a transatlantic flight from FBF to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland, in a Bellanca CH Pacemaker, named Rose Marie and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, and makes a forced landing at sea. He is rescued by a British tanker 8 days later.
7/5-6/32 - Failed Round-the-World Attempt.
James Mattern and Bennett Griffin
Bennett Griffin
Bennett Hill Griffin was an American aviator. Griffin was born in Mississippi in 1895, but was raised in Oklahoma arriving around 1900. In 1932, Griffin along with Jimmie Mattern attempted to break the world record for aerial circumnavigation set by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty...
flew a Lockheed Vega
Lockheed Vega
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Allen, Richard Sanders. Revolution in the Sky: Those Fabulous Lockheeds, The Pilots Who Flew Them. Brattleboro, Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1964....
, powered by two Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
Wasp engines, from FBF to Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, and then non-stop to Berlin, Germany in 18:41 hours. They continued as far as Borisov, Russia in this failed round-the-world flight attempt.
8/23 (25?) - 9/11/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt.
Colonel George Hutchinson
George Hutchinson
George Henry Hutchinson was a professional footballer who played for Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur, Guildford City, Leeds United, Halifax Town & Skegness Town. He served in the RAF during National Service and was stationed at Ballykelly in Northern Ireland & RAF Cosford...
and his family flew a Sikorsky amphibian, powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines, from FBF, but made a forced landing off the coast off Greenland. They were rescued two days later by a British trawler. In addition to the Colonel, his wife Blanche, daughters Kathryn and Janet Lee, a crew of five manned the aircraft.
8/29/32 - Transcontinental Record.
James G. Haizlip flew a Weddell-Williams powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in 10:19 hours, establishing a new transcontinental record.
8/29/32 - Failed Transcontinental Record.
Roscoe Turner also flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 10:58:39 hours, but was beat by Haizlip.
9/13/32 - Failed Transatlantic Attempt
William Ulbrich flew a Bellanca Skyrocket powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF with passengers Dr. Leon Pisculli and Edna Newcomber, but was lost at sea.
11/14/32 - Transcontinental Record.
Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Burbank, California, in 12:33 hours, establishing a new East-West record.
6/2/33 - Transcontinental Record.
Lieutenant Commander Frank Hawks
Frank Hawks
Frank Monroe Hawks served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was known during the 1920s and 1930s as a record breaking aviator, using a series of Texaco-sponsored aircraft, setting 214 point-to-point records in the United States and Europe...
flew a Northrop Gamma, powered by a Wright Whirlwind
Wright Whirlwind
The Wright R-975 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of about 975 in³ and power ratings of 300-450 hp...
engine, from Los Angeles, California to FBF, in 13:26:15 hours, establishing a new West-East non-stop record.
6/11-12/33 - FBF to Haiti Flight.
Captain J. Errol Boyd, Robert G. Lyon, and Harold P. Davis flew a Bellanca monoplane, powered by a Wright Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Saint Marc, Haiti in about 24 hours.
6/15/33 - Failed Round-the-World Attempt.
James J. Mattern flew a Lockheed Vega, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from FBF across the Atlantic, and makes a forced landing in Siberia. He later flew part of the way back to New York.
7/1/33 - Transcontinental Record.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 11:30 hours, establishing a new East-West record.
7/1-8/12/33 - Balbo's Transatlantic Flight.
Italian Air Force General Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo was an Italian Blackshirt leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force , Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa , and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.After serving in...
led a group of 25 Savoia-Marchetti
Savoia-Marchetti
-History:The original company was founded in 1915 as SIAI . After World War I gained the name Savoia, when it acquired the Società Anonima Costruzioni Aeronautiche Savoia, an Italian aircraft company founded by Umberto Savoia in 1915.The name Marchetti was added when chief designer Alessandro...
S-55X seaplanes, powered by twin 750 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso engines, from Orbetello, Italy, to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. After two airplanes crashed along the journey, the group of 23 planes stopped at FBF for 6 days on their way back to Rome, Italy. The flight marked the 10th anniversary of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's rise to power.
7/15-17/33 - Transatlantic Flight followed by a Fatal Crash.
Captain Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius was a Lithuanian-American pilot....
and Stasys Girėnas
Stasys Girenas
Stasys Girėnas was a Lithuanian-American pilot....
flew a Bellanca CH-300
Bellanca CH-300
-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Szurovy, Geza. Bushplanes. St. Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7603-1478-0.* Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 149.-External links:* *...
, named Lituanica
Lituanica
Lituanica was an Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane flown from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean by Lithuanian-American pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in 1933...
and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Soldin, Germany, (now Mysliborz in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) were they were killed in a crash. They were attempting a flight to Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. This was the 7th transatlantic flight and 2nd in a total distance covered without landing.
7/15-22/33 - Round-the-World Flight.
Wiley Post flew a Lockheed Vega (registration N-105W) named Winnie Mae, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, around the world in 7 days, 18:49:30 hours. He was the first to fly around the world solo. During that flight, he covered 15596 miles (25,099 km) in 4 days, 19:36 hours, establishing a new record. A crowd on 50,000 people gathered at FBF to see him arrive.
8/5-7/33 - FBF to Syria Flight
Lt. Maurice Rossi and Paul Codos flew a Bleriot 110, powered by a Hispano Suiza engine, from FBF to Rayak, Syria in about 55 hours, and established a distance record of 5657.4 miles (9,104.7 km).
9/2/33 - Crash.
Francisco de Pinedo was killed in a crash during takeoff from FBF.
9/25/33 - West-East Record Flight.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, to FBF, in 10:04:55 hours, establishing a new West-East record.
2/28/34-4/25/34 - South American Flight.
Laura H. Ingalls
Laura Ingalls (aviator)
-Birth:She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Francis Abbott Ingalls I and Martha Houghtaling . Martha was the daughter of David Harrison Houghtaling of Kingston, New York, who was a descendant of Jan Willemsen Hoogteling, who arrived in New York on May 9, 1661.Regarding her mother, Laura wrote: "My...
flew a Lockheed Air Express, powered by a Pratt & Whitney engine, from Glenn Curtiss Airport, North Beach, NY, on a 17000 miles (27,358.8 km) tour of South America, including a solo flight across the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. She returned to FBF after the flight.
5/14-15/34 - FBF to Rome Flight.
George R. Pond and Cesare Sabelli flew a Bellanca Pacemaker, named Leonardo da Vinci and powered by a 300 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind engine, in an attempted non-stop flight from FBF to Rome, but were forced to land at Lahinch, Ireland, after 32:00 hours due to a fuel system problem. Later they flew to Rome. This was the 8th transatlantic flight.
5/27-28/34 - Paris to FBF Flight.
Lt. Maurice Rossi and Paul Codos flew a Bleriot 110, powered by a Hispano Suiza engine, from Paris, France to FBF in 38:27 hours, the second non-stop flight from Europe to America. In August 1933, both men had flown from FBF to Rayak, Syria.
9/1/34 - West-East Record Flight.
Colonel Roscoe Turner flew a Weddell-Williams, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, from Burbank, California, to FBF, in 10:02:57 hours, beat his old record (9/25/33) by about 2 minutes, and established a new West-East record.
1/15/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
Major James H. Dolittle flew an "American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Airplane Development" Vultee, powered by a Wright Cyclone
Wright Cyclone
Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by Curtiss-Wright and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.-Background:...
engine, non-stop from Los Angeles, California, to FBF in 11:59 hours, and established a transcontinental non-stop record for a passenger transport airplane.
2/20-21/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
Leland S. Andrews also flew an American Airlines Airplane Development Vultee, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, non-stop from Los Angeles, California, to FBF in 11:34:16 hours (beat Dolittle by almost a half-hour) and established a new transcontinental non-stop record for a passenger transport airplane.
4/30/35 - Passenger Transport Record Flight.
D.W. Tomlinson flew a TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
Douglas DC-1
Douglas DC-1
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-00050-1....
, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, non-stop from Burbank, California, to FBF in 11:05:45 hours (beat Andrews by almost a half-hour).
5/16-17/35 - Speed Records.
D.W. Tomlinson and J.S. Bartles flew a TWA Douglas DC-1, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, and established 14 speed records at FBF, demonstrating the increasing efficiency of transport planes and engines with heavy loads.
5/18/35 - Speed Records.
D.W. Tomlinson and J.S. Bartles flew a TWA Douglas DC-1, powered by twin Wright Cyclone engines, and established 8 more speed records at FBF, further demonstrating the increasing efficiency of transport planes and engines with heavy loads.
7/11/35 - Laura H. Ingalls flew a Lockheed Orion, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Burbank, California, establishing an East-West record for women.
7/18-8/16/35 - FBF to Norway Flight.
Thor Solberg flew a Leoning amphibian, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Bergen, Norway, via Canada, Greenland, and Iceland.
9/12/35 - Laura H. Ingalls flew a Lockheed Orion, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from Burbank, California, to FBF, establishing a West-East record for women (Return trip from her 7/11/35 flight).
9/21-22/35 - Attempted Flight to Lithuania.
Felix Waitkus (Feliksas Vaitkus) (1907-1956) flew a Lockheed Vega, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Ballinrobe, Ireland, on a projected flight to Lithuania.
3/22/36 - The U.S. Postal Service rejected Floyd Bennett Field's application for the Air Terminal. This signals the failure of the field as a passenger airport as the airlines relied on the U.S. Mail contracts for revenue and would not schedule flights to FBF.
4/21/36 - Miami to New York Speed Record.
Howard Hughes flew a Northrop Gamma
Northrop Gamma
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1....
, powered by a Wright Cyclone
Wright Cyclone
Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by Curtiss-Wright and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.-Background:...
engine, from Miami to FBF in 4:21:32, establishing an intercity speed record.
9/2-3/36 - Attempted Round-trip Flight to London.
Harry Richman
Harry Richman
Harry Richman was an American entertainer. He was a singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s....
and Richard T. Merrill flew an Airplane Development Vultee named Lady Peace, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Llwyncelny, Wales, in 18:38 hours on an attempted round-trip flight to London, England.
9/4/36 - East-West Record Flight.
Louise Thaden
Louise Thaden
Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden was an aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy.-Birth and education:...
and Blanche Noyes
Blanche Noyes
Blanche Noyes was an American pioneering female aviator who was among the first ten women to receive a pilot's license. She was Ohio's first licensed female pilot in 1929.-Biography:...
flew a Beechcraft
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
, powered by a Wright Whirlwind engine, from FBF to Los Angeles, California, in 14:55:01, and established an East-West transcontinental speed record.
10/6-7/36 - Attempted Flight to Stockholm.
Kurt Bjorkvall flew a Bellanca Pacemaker, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp
Pratt & Whitney Wasp
-External links:*...
engine, in an attempted flight form FBF to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden. He was forced doen in the Atlantic off the Irish coast.
10/28-30/36 - Record Non-stop Flight to London.
Captain James A. Mollison
Jim Mollison
James Allan Mollison was a famous Scottish pioneer aviator who set many records during the rapid development of aviation in the 1930s.-Early years:...
flew a Bellanca Flash
Bellanca 28-90
|-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989* Underwood, John. "A Racer for Ireland, Bombers for Spain." Air Classics Vol. 11, no. 10, October 1975.-External links:* *...
, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from FBF to Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
in London, England, not only making record time from Newfoundland, but was the first pilot to fly non-stop to London in 13:17 hours.
12/14/36 - New York to Miami Speed Record.
Major Alexander de Seversky flew a Seversky Sev 3, powered by a Wright Cyclone engine, from FBF to Miami, Florida, establishing a new speed record of 5:46:30 hours.
12/17/36 - National Aviation Day
On this day a celebration of the 33rd anniversary or the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
first flight at Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk....
, NC, was held.
5/9-10/37 - Flight to London.
Richard T. Merrill flew a Lockheed Electra
Lockheed Model 10 Electra
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2...
Model 10, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from FBF to Croyden Airport in London, England, with a stop in Essex, in 20:59 hours.
5/13-14/37 - Flight from London.
Richard T. Merrill and John S. Lambie flew a Lockheed Electra Model 10, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, back from London to FBF, via Massachusetts, with photos of the coronation of George VI in 24:22:25 hours.
7/10-14/38 - Round-the-World Flight
Howard Hughes flew a Lockheed 14N Super Electra (registration NX-18973), powered by two 900 hp Wright Cyclone engines, around the world in 3 days, 19:08:10 hours, testing new navigation equipment. A crowd of 25,000 people came to FBF to see him arrive.
7/17-18/38 - The Flight of "Wrong Way" Corrigan.
Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan was an American aviator born in Galveston, Texas. He was nicknamed "Wrong Way" in 1938. After a transcontinental flight from Long Beach, California, to New York, he flew from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, to Ireland, though his flight plan was filed to return to Long...
flew a Curtiss Robin
Curtiss Robin
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.-External links:* * ****...
, powered by a 165 hp Wright Whirlwind, J-6 engine, non-stop from FBF to Dublin, Ireland, in 28:13 hours. After being denied permission to make the flight to Ireland, he filed a flight plan to California, and flew to Ireland. The 31-year old pilot departed at 5:15 a.m. and claimed to have trouble with his compass and never admitted otherwise. Corrigan died on 12/9/95 at the age of 88 years.
8/10-11/38 - FW-200 Lands at FBF.
Alfred Henke, Rudolph von Moreau, Paul Dierberg, and Walter Kober, flew a prototype Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.-History:...
FW-200 (registration D-ACON), named Brandenberg and powered by four Pratt and Whitney 875 hp Hornet engines, non-stop from Berlin, Germany, to FBF in a record time of 24:50:12 hours.
8/13-14/38 - FW-200 Departs from FBF.
Alfred Henke, Rudolph von Moreau, Paul Dierberg, and Walter Kober, flew the same Focke-Wulf FW-200, powered by four Pratt and Whitney 875 hp Hornet engines, non-stop from FBF back to Berlin, Germany, in a record time of 19:55:01 hours, cutting the previous record of Wiley Post by 5:50 hours.
12/3/38 - Women's West-East Transcontinental Record.
Jacqueline Cochrane flew a Seversky, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, from Burbank, California, to FBF in 10:27:55 hours, setting the women's West-East transcontinental record.
5/24/39 - Mexico City to FBF Flight.
Francisco Sarabia flew a Gee Bee
Granville Brothers Aircraft
Granville Brothers Aircraft was an aircraft manufacturer in operation from 1929 until its bankruptcy in 1934. The firm was located at the Springfield Airport in Springfield, Massachusetts...
Racer from Mexico City to FBF in 10:45 hours, beating the non-stop record flight time of 14:19 hours set by Amelia Earhart on 5/8/35. Sarabia was killed in a crash from Washington D.C. on 6/7/39.
10/15/39 - Laguardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
Dedicated.
FBF's possibility of commercial success is doomed by the opening of this $45 million, 558 acres (2 km²) airport, located at the site of the old North Beach Airport. Almost 300,000 people attended the ceremony for the field named after Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.
Other uses
- Since 1993, FBF has hosted a weekly bicycle racingBicycle racingBicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
series sponsored by Kissena Cycling Club that continues to attract cyclists from all over the Tri-state AreaNew York metropolitan areaThe New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
. The strong prevailing winds and rough pavement make the race challenging, yet it still brings racers to the airfield every Tuesday evening during the summer months. - The Civil Air PatrolCivil Air PatrolCivil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
's Floyd Bennett Composite Squadron regularly meets at the former airfield. - A small portion of the former airfield contains the only overnight campsite in a park within New York City: Ecology Village. It is an environmental education program for students and specially trained teachers in cooperation with the New York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of EducationThe New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
. In the summer, the campgrounds are available on a permit basis for non-profit organizations and specially trained and certified adult leaders. - Since 1995, Floyd Bennett Field has often been the site of the annual Gateway to the Nations - New York City Native American Heritage Celebration organized by the Redhawk Native American Arts Council.
- South section of FBF is home to the 6th Communication Battalion of United States Marine Corps Reserve since July 1997
- After the crash of American Airlines Flight 587American Airlines Flight 587American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, a borough of New York City, New York, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 12, 2001. This is the second deadliest U.S...
into Belle HarborBelle Harbor, QueensBelle Harbor is an upscale neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is a tightly-knit, upper class community located on the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula, the southernmost area of the borough. While there are no formal boundaries for the area, Belle Harbor is often used to...
in the nearby Rockaway Peninsula on November 12, 2001, one of Floyd Bennett's hangars was used as a makeshift morgueMorgueA morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
for the crash victims. - Far from many of the brightest of nearby city lights, the former airfield offers among the best dark sky sites in the five boroughs. The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York meets there one night a month from May to December for observingAmateur astronomyAmateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
- ConcordeConcordeAérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
G-BOAD was moved by agreement with the Aviator SportsAviator Sports and RecreationAviator Sports and Events Center is a concession for the National Park Service operating in New York City’s historic first municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field, which opened its hangars in 1931 and was decommissioned in 1972. Floyd Bennett Field in Southeast Brooklyn is now part of the 4th most...
concession to their entertainment complex on Floyd Bennett Field in December 2006http://www.aviatorsports.com/ and was on display there for almost two years while the aircraft's regular home, the USS IntrepidIntrepid Sea-Air-Space MuseumThe Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum is a military and maritime history museum with a collection of museum ships in New York City. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street on the West Side of Manhattan. The museum showcases the World War II aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the submarine , a Concorde...
, was moved out of its regular dock in Manhattan to be rehabilitated. Concorde's owner, British AirwaysBritish AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, wished to see that their historic plane stay on public display in New York City until the Intrepid reopened. The nose cone of the aircraft was knocked off by a truck during an event hosted by the sports center, which cost Aviator a huge amount of money. The modern supersonic Concorde has no historic connection to the airfield. - The New York Daily News reported on December 14, 2010, that Andrew Murstein was considering the field as a possible site for a NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
track. Mr. Murstein is president of Medallion Financial Corp. which owns Richard Petty Motorsports.
In popular culture
- In his best-selling novel "NetherlandNetherlandNetherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
", Joseph O'NeillJoseph O'Neill (born 1964)Joseph O'Neill is a Irish novelist and non-fiction writer. O'Neill's novel Netherland was awarded the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.-Life:...
locates the site of the character Chuck Ramkissoon's proposed New York Cricket Club and ground on Floyd Bennett Field The character and events are based on reality.
- The field appears in the 2007 crime drama We Own The NightWe Own the NightWe Own the Night is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by James Gray and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. It is the third film directed by Gray, and the second film to feature Phoenix and Wahlberg together, the first being The Yards...
.
- The field is used as a makeshift headquarters for Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
in the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, with Raven Software having assisted in development...
.
Sources
- Blakemore, Porter R. Historic structures report, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Denver Service Center, Mid-Atlantic/North Atlantic Team, Branch of Historic Preservation (1981)
- Delano, Michael P., Notable Flights at Floyd Bennett Field. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (1981) (Derived from Historic Structures Report).
External links
- Floyd Bennett Field Visitor Information
- The Floyd Bennett Field Task Force
- Historic Floyd Bennett Field
- National Park Service: Floyd Bennett Field Historic District
- National Park Service: Gateway National Recreation Area
- Floyd Bennett Field: Naval Aviation's Home in Brooklyn, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- United States Marine Corps: 6th Comm BN
- AirNav information for NY22: NYPD Air Operations Heliport (Floyd Bennett Field)