typebook fbf

This book would not have been made possible without my infinite curiousity to learn more. My perserverance has led to a wonderful discovery to share with the rest of the world. It’s about time that we all learn about a hidden gem in the midst of a great city. Thank you to my professors, my friends, my family, and most importantly, GOD.

By Elisabetta DiStefano

FBF | 3

2 | Floyd Bennett Field : Past, Present, & Future

“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” —Amelia Earhart

FBF | 5


In the summer of 2011, I was ready to put some mileage on

my newly purchased olive green Canondale mountain bike. Each bike ride was treated as a challenge for me. Within each of these challenges, I have learned more about my surroundings. Although I am a native New Yorker, I moved to an area of Queens, Howard Beach, that I was only partially familiar with. Unfortunately, it was only until this past summer that I really ventured on uncharted territory on the bike path. Every day I was looking forward to my next cycle ride. I would track my adventures on an iPhone application called: ‘Cyclemeter’.The first landmark that I reached was, Carnarsie Piers. The Piers are also part of the Gateway National Recreation Area (National Park Service) along with several other areas along Jamaica Bay.

After reaching the Riding Academy, I wanted to go over the Mill Basin bridge further into Brooklyn. Bare in mind, I was not prepared for the monumental moment where I finally biked to Floyd Bennett Field. In awe of the enormous green space, I just kept riding and discovering. This marked the moment where my life shifted. Having made the decision of using this as part of my thesis research it led me to realizing my passion in urban planning. Diving deeper into the subject of this desolate space, I struggled with its bureaucratic undertone. As a sore subject

matter, I still wanted to learn more. It was a relentless pursuit to have an understanding of what F.B.F. really was and what it needs … an identity. The reason it has been an unresolved green space with several abandoned area is because every textbook on aviation fails to mention FBF‘s history. So before we move forward, we need to take a look at our past.Floyd Bennett Field is two times the size of Central Park that doesn’t come close to being used on the same level. My hope for this book is to unveil a hidden gem that is in our New York Urban backyard.

Preface

2011 © Elisabetta DiStefano “Jamaica Bay: Bird Life”

FBF | 7


LONG

ISLAND

SOUNDB R O N X

87

95

9A

95

5

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

LOWER BAY

UPPERBAY

RARITAN BAY

HU

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RIV

ER

N e w Y o r k

New Jersey

New JerseyGarden State Parkway

Gard

en S

tate

P

arkw

ay

New

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Tur

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Hylan

Boulevard

Belt Parkway

Belt Parkway

Jackie Robinson

Parkway

Cross Island Parkway

Richm

ond Parkw

ay

Verrazano-NarrowsBridge

OuterbridgeCrossing

Goethals Bridge Flatbush Avenue

Beach ChannelDrive

CrossBay Blvd.

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

S T A T E N I S L A N D

John F. KennedyInternationalAirport

La GuardiaAirport

NewarkInternational

Airport

Breezy Point

Fort Tilden

Jacob Riis Park

FloydBennettField

Miller Field

Great Kills Park

Ho�man Island(no public access)

Swinburne Island(no public access)

PERTHAMBOY

ELIZABETH

NEWARK JERSEYCITY

PlumbBeach

CanarsiePier

BergenBeach

Frank CharlesMemorial Park

FortWadsworth

Statue of LibertyNational Monument

Ellis IslandImmigration Museum

Governors IslandNational Monument

JAMAICA BAY UNIT

SANDY HOOK UNIT

STATEN ISLANDUNIT

Jamaica BayWildlife Refuge

Fort HancockSandy Hook Lighthouse

Ranger Station

295

278

495

495678

27

95

78

287

78

280

9

27

27

278

36

35

678

Sandy HookVisitor Center

Fort WadsworthVisitor Center

Ryan Visitor Center

3 Kilometers

3 Miles

0

0

Park land

Park water

Legislative boundary

GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

North

Archery Range

Permit

Pond

Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

Shore Parkway Bikeway / Rockw

ay Gatew

ay Greenw

ay

(New York City Board of Education)

Model Flying Field

Gateway EnvironmentalStudy Center

Rockway Gateway Greenway

US Park Police NY Field O�ice

Shore Parkway

Enterprise Road

RYAN VISITOR CENTER

JAMAICA BAY

Ranger Road

Visitor Contact Station

MILL BASIN INLET

Permit

Natural Area

Park Nursery

ROCKAWAY INLET

HANGAR ROW HISTORIC DISTRICT

HANGAR B

North Forty

SPORTS CONCESSION

EcologyVillage

Marina

Flatbush Avenue

RAPTOR POINT

Park Administration

Permit

DEAD HORSE BAY

Floy

d Be

nnet

t Blv

d

Permit

Aviation Rd

Permit

ShoreParkwayBikeway

Armed ForcesReserve Center

Permit

North

0.25 Mile

0.25 Kilometer0

0

CampgroundParking

Fishing Bus stop

Car-top boating

Picnic area

Wildlife viewing

Park areaGrasslands ManagementArea (no access)

Floyd Bennett Field Park Map (Gateway National Recreation Area) © 1998 National Park Service

FBF | 9


1931–41FLOYD BENNETT FIELD (FBF)

“GOLDEN AGE OF AvIATION”

AvIATORS AT FBF

RECORD BREAkING FLIGHTS

1928–31BARREN ISL AND

1941–45WORLD WAR II / U.S. NAvY

FBF FOREFRONT OF AvIATION TECNOLOGY

U.S. COAST GUARD

WORLD’S FIRST POLICE AvIATION UNIT

1946–72COLD WAR / POST WW II

“CRADLE OF AvIATION”

1972–NOWGATEWAY NPS AqUISITION

FBF COMMUNITY GARDEN

kISSENA BIkE RACES

AvIATOR SPORTS & RECREATION

OTHER ACTIvITIES

RYAN CENTER (Administration building)

FUTURE 2012–beyond

1 0 | Floyd Bennett Field : Past, Present, & Future

FBF | 1 3

1 2 | Floyd Bennett Field : Past, Present, & Future1 2 | Floyd Bennett Field : Past, Present, & Future

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 customersup for joy-rides. The municipal airport site was chosen and designed by famed aviator Clarence D. Chamberlin. His preference was Barren Island, a 387-acre (1.57 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. There were 3 key reasons why Barren Island site was selected by the Hoover Committee. First, since the late 19th Century the city and federal governments, in response to the urgings of many New York commercial and

industrial leaders, had been planning to create a major shipping harbor out of Jamaica Bay. By 1927 the city’s Department of Docks had spent well over $100,000,000 of city, state, and federal money on the project. The city owned Barren Island, and could achieve two objectives by dredging the main Jamaica Bay channel while using the extracted sand to raise the level of the island to a height suitable for the airport. Also, many New York governmental leaders tought that it made sense to locate the airport near this new industrial and commercial devolopment. Second, Clarence D. Chamberlain, the American aviator who become famous for the Atlantic immediately after Lindbergh, was hired by the city as a consultant on aviation. He preferred the Barren Island site over others because of its location. There was nothing that would interfere with the landing or departing at the field for the airplanes. Since the location of the island was located on Jamaica Bay, the field would easily accomodate seaplanes, which were becoming very popular and were considered to be the most common aircraft to serve the Atlantic coastal area. Finally, the third reason, which is also the most important, is that Barren Island was already owned by the City of New York, so acquiring it was simple. All other proposed sites that were recommended by the Hoover Committee would have to be purchased from the United States Government or private individuals.

Barren Island

1929 thru 1931

FBF | 1 5


Floyd Bennett

1931 thru 1941

Born at Warrensburg, New York, on October 25, 1890, he left school at the age of 17 and became

an auto mechanic and part owner of a service garage. In 1917, he enlisted in the United States Navy and signed up for aviation training, but although he became a capable pilot he was retained for service as an aviation mechanic. His chance for fame came in 1925 when he was assigned to duty with Lieutenant Commander Richard E. Byrd’s naval aviation group attached to D. B. MacMillan’s expedition to Greenland in that year. Both his character and ability caught the attention of his commander, and he soon became Byrd’s close friend and personal pilot. Together they planned a flight over the North Pole, and on a second expedition in the next year they carried out the plan, flying a 3-engine Fokker monoplane, the Josephine Ford, from Spitsbergen to the Pole and back on May 9. Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their feat, one of the rare peacetime awards of the Medal. Byrd was promoted to Commander and Bennett , by Act of Congress, to Warrant

Mechanic. He and Byrd then began planning for an air crossing of the Atlantic in their second plane, the America. But Bennett suffered serious injuries when the America crashed, opening the way for Charles Lindbergh to make the first trans-Atlantic flight. Bennett was appointed second-in-command of Byrd’s 1928-30 expedition to the South Pole, most of the details he had planned. Before the expedition set out, he and Bernt Balchen (see biography under U.S. Air Force) set out to salvage the Bremen, the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic westwards, which had gone down off the coast of Labrador. On the way Bennett fell ill and died at quebec, Canada, on April 25, 1928. He was mourned throughout the United States as a national hero. He had also been awarded a special medal of the National Geographic Society, with its seal on the reverse side, presented by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926. He was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.

FBF | 1 7


“Golden Age”

1931 thru 1941

Floyd Bennett FIeld

is one of world aviation history’s most notable sites. Throughout the 1930’s at Floyd Bennett Field, many of aviation’s earliest and best -known pioneers, either began, or ended their historic flights on the runways of Floyd Bennett Field. During what has been called aviation’s “Golden Age,” pilots such as Wiley Post, Jacqueline Cochran, Roscoe Turner, Amelia Earhart, and Howard Hughes made significant contributions to aviation through their vision and courage. Each of these record flights served to further the advancement of human flight, and had profound effects on the history of aviation, and of the United States.

FBF | 1 9


Work began on New York City’s first municipal airport on October 29, 1929. This proved to be ominous because this was also the same day that the stock market crashed, bringing on the Great Depression, which lasted through the 1930’s. This was to affect New York’s new airport throughout the years to come. Barren Island was expanded and connected to Brooklyn by landfill, and Flatbush Avenue was extended to provide access to the new airport. Floyd Bennett Field was built to be the most modern airport in the world. In an age when most runways were grass or dirt, Floyd Bennett Field had paved concrete. Its four hangars could house and service the largest airplanes of the day. Facilities were built for seaplanes and flying boats. The Administration Building also served as the terminal, and provided for the comfort of pilots and passengers. The entire airport was meant as an impressive gateway from the air to enter into the nation’s largest city.

FBF | 2 1


1937 - Biplane at Floyd Bennett Field.

1932: Roscoe Turners Bendix winning Wedell-Williams

1934 Stinson for Sale by Edwin Wormald in 1939.

ClassifiCation “a – 1 – a” Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated as New York City’s first municipal airport on May 23, 1931, and received the Civil Aeronautics Board’s highest airport rating of A - 1 - A. Almost immediately, Floyd Bennett Field became an extremely popular site with aviators, especially those seeking to set speed and distance records. Twenty – six around the world or transatlantic flights originated or terminated at the field between 1931 and 1939. In addition there were ten notable cross- country flights began or ended at the field during this time.

The Bendix Trophy and Annette Gipson All-Women Air Races both started at Floyd Bennett Field in 1933. These were two of the most prestigious air races during the 1930’s, and put Floyd Bennett Field at the center of aviation’s “Golden Age.” There are several reasons why New York’s new municipal airport became a favorite of pioneering aviators.

First, its location (on the Atlantic sea board of the United States) set it up as a perfect jump-off site for transatlantic, cross country, and around the world flights. Also, the field had superb facilities, including one of the finest sets of runways in the world. The runways were perfect for long distance or speed flights that required a heavy fuel load. Floyd Bennett Field was ideally suited for the record – breaking flights of the 1930’s, and pilots were quick to extol its advantages and make use of them

FBF | 2 3


Floyd Bennett Field, for all the popularity it had enjoyed with the pioneering aviators of the 1930’s, proved to be a financial burden to New York City. This was due to three major factors. First, throughout its life as a municipal airport, the only way to reach Floyd Bennett Field was by driving along Flatbush Avenue. There were no highways nearby, and mass transit bus service had to travel the same crowded route as automobiles and trucks. This meant that it was inconvenient for most potential passengers to use Floyd Bennett Field. Also, despite its facilities, which were unrivalled by any airport in the world, Floyd Bennett Field was unable to lure the lucrative airmail contract away from Newark Airport, in New Jersey. Newark held the primary contract for the New York metropolitan area. Although Floyd Bennett Field was within the boundary of New York City, it was designated a secondary airmail field, and was only used when Newark Airport was not accessible. This meant that Floyd Bennett Field was destined to lose money.

In October 1939, Municipal Airport Number 2 was opened at North Beach in queens. Later renamed LaGuardia Airport, this new facility had the advantage of being much closer to the business and population center in Manhattan, and was reachable by new highways and bridges. Lastly, for most people air travel was far beyond their means. In the 1930’s, nearly 25 percent of workers were unemployed, and the average salary for those with jobs was less than $1,400 per year. Therefore, very few people could afford the expense of flying. These factors, plus the obvious war clouds gathering around the world, led New York City to sell Floyd Bennett Field to the U. S. Navy in 1941. The navy, which had been a permanent tenant since the field opened, was looking to expand its aviation capabilities in New York. The final civilian flight departed on May 26, 1941, and Naval Air Station - New York was dedicated on June 2.

FBF | 2 5


Hugh HerndonJimmy MatternCapt. J. Errol Boyd

Laura IngallsFelix WaitkusD.W. Tomlinson

Col. Roscoe Turner

Jacqueline Cochran Jimmy Dolittlev

Wiley Post

Howard Hughes

In May of 1927, an unknown airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh flew non – stop from Roosevelt Field, Long Island to Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. His solo flight captured the imagination of the world. Billed as the New York – Paris flight, the fact that it began outside of the city in Nassau County embarrassed New York City’s government. A panel was established, headed by noted aviator Clarence Chamberlain to find a site to build a state–of–the–art airport within the city limits. The panel settled on a site on Barren Island, off of the southern shore of Brooklyn in Jamaica Bay. The site of a small community, a horse rendering plant, and a flying field operated by Paul Rizzo called “Barren Island Airport.” it provided good flying conditions, and room to expand. The shores of Jamaica Bay had been popular with flyers because

of its steady winds and lack of fog. It had been decided that New York City’s first municipal airport would be named in honor of Floyd Bennett. Bennett, a naval aviator and Brooklyn resident, had been the pilot for Commander Richard E. Byrd’s flight over the North Pole in 1926. Both Bennett and Byrd were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their feat. While preparing for a flight over the South Pole in 1928, Bennett crashed on a test flight, breaking several ribs and punturing a lung. Though not fully recovered from his injuries, he joined in the rescue efforts to find two downed transatlantic flyers in quebec, Canada. The weakened Bennett contracted pneumonia in the cold climate, and died at age 38, despite the efforts of Charles Lindbergh to fly a serum to the stricken aviator.

Heroes of the Air and the Search for a Site

John Polando

21–22 September 1935 [Flew from FBF to Ballinrobe, Ireland, on a projected flight to Lithuania

24, May 1939 [Francesco Sarabia flies from Mexico City, 2,350 miles in record time to beat that set by AmeliA eArhArt of 14:19:00 on May 8th, 1935 (10:40:00, Gee Bee Racer).]

FBF | 2 7


Air warfare of World War II was a major component

of World War II in all theatres, and (with anti-air defense) consumed a large fraction of the industrial output of the major powers. Germany and Japan depended on air forces that were closely integrated with land and naval forces; they downplayed the advantage of fleets of strategic bombers, and were late in appreciating the need to defend against Allied strategic bombing. By contrast Britain and the United States took an approach that greatly emphasized strategic bombing, and to a lesser degree, tactical control of the battlefield by air, and adequate air defenses. They both built a strategic force of a large long-range bombers that could carry the air war to the enemy’s homeland. Simultaneously they built tactical air forces that could win air superiority over the battlefields, thereby giving vital assistance to ground troops. They both built a powerful naval-air component based on aircraft carriers, as did Japan; these played the central role in the war at sea. Walking along Floyd Bennett Field’s historic hanger row today you can almost hear the roar of the mighty engines that powered aircraft on their way to patrol the vital sea lanes of the Atlantic during the German U-Boat offensive of 1942. Look into Hanger B and imagine the ground crews receiving newly built planes from companies like Grumman, vought-Sikorsky,

and General Motors, testing them, and then commissioning some 46,000 aircraft. Imagine the Air Ferry Squadron One (vRF-1)¹ pilots soaring off to deliver Wildcats, Hellcats, and Avengers to Navy and Marine aviation units on their way to fight in the major battles of the Pacific during World War II. Floyd Bennett Field’s heritage in both civil aviation and military aviation is long and rich. However, its greatest impact on United States history took place during World War II when the “Janes who made the planes” and the men who tested and delivered the aircraft made Naval Air Station New York (Floyd Bennett Field) the busiest naval air station in the nation. By reducing the processing time for aircraft from 10 days (1941) to three days (1943) they insured that the huge number of aircraft flowing off the assembly lines reached U.S. and Allied forces. Located in Brooklyn, NY, today Floyd Bennett Field is preserved by the National Park Service as part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Although it lacks the bustle of the past, it is not silent. In Hangar B, volunteers contribute thousands of hours annually restoring vintage aircraft that once flew from the field. visitors tour the airfield learning its proud story: its defense of the nation during World War II as it guarded ships leaving New York Harbor, as well as its role in one of the greatest industrial feats of all time, giving wings to the armed forces of the United States.

FBF_

1946 thru 1972

FBF | 2 92 8 | Floyd Bennett Field : Past, Present, & Future

Lt. Cmdr. E. Richard klages of Stony Brook and Cmdr. John W. Mahoney of valley Stream check their flight plansbefore taking off from the Norfolk Air Station. Mahoney commands reserve unit.

Sonar man Paul D. Ananos of Flushing operates sonar detection gear on board helicopter. He obtains signals from an underwater buoy.

naval Air Station (NAS) New York was home to the largest naval aviation squadron ever

assembled, Air Ferry Squadron One (vRF-1). On December 1, 1943, it also became headquarters of the Naval Air Ferry Command which controlled all naval air ferry operations throughout the United States. Three naval air stations were the operating bases of the Naval Air Ferry Command--NAS New York, home of vRF-1 and vRF-4, NAS Columbus (Ohio), where vRF-2 was based and NAS Terminal Island (Los Angeles, CA), home of vRF-3.

Approximately 100,000 new aircraft were commissioned into active service and delivered by all naval air ferry squadrons during the war. Major transcontinental and coastal air ferry routes were laid out allowing for frequent stops at designated airports. Ferry service units or auxiliary ferry service units were located at these stopover airports to keep planes serviced and in flying trim. For ferrying purposes the United States was divided into an eastern zone and a western zone with the Mississippi River the boundary.

FBF | 3 1


With a lease executed in January of 1936, the Coast Guard was on it’s way to opening an Air

Station on Floyd Bennett Field. Dedication ceremonies were set for April 23, 1938. There were parades and public officials. Special guests were taken from the U. S. Barge Office at the Battery aboard the Coast Guard tugs Comanche and Manhattan to the sea plane landing at the field. The ceremony was conducted by Rear Admiral R.R. Waesche, Commandant, U. S. Coast Guard, who came from Washington aboard a large Coast Guard cutter. er means failed to reach the firefighters.A rescue hoist was developed as were several pickup harnesses. This equipment received its first real test at the Navy’s air-sea rescue demonstration held off Manasquan, N. J. on October 2, 1944, when 4 men were picked up from a rubber raft and 0 miles south of Goose Bay Labrador. The Coast Guard and Army Air Forces teamed up to rescue the crew. Two men were badly burnt in the PBY when it caught fire after crashing in the wilderness. Several days passed before a USAAF C-54 spotted their distress signal. Two RCAF rescue ski planes, dispatched to the scene, landed safely. One managed to take off with several survivors. A blizzard prevented any further attempts during the next two days. When the weather cleared, the first plane returned and landed, but the snow was too soft for either plane to take offwith a load, so they were flown out without passengers. The 9 men left behind would be stranded for weeks until the lakes thawed sufficiently for float planes to land. Fortunately, a Sikorsky HNS Helicopter was available at Air Station Brooklyn. It was disassembled, loaded on a C-54 and flown to Goose Bay. When it was reassembled, Lt. August kleisch, USCG, flew the helicopter to a base camp that had been set up at Lake Herr about 146 miles south of Goose Bay, which could be supplied by ski planes. kleisch had to make 9 trips into the crash site, each trip averaging an hour and a half, bringing out one man at a time. This rescue mission really showed the versatility of the helicopter.

FBF | 3 3


With a lease executed in January of 1936, the Coast Guard was on it’s way to opening an

Air Station on Floyd Bennett Field. Dedication ceremonies were set for April 23, 1938. There were parades and public officials. Special guests were taken from the U. S. Barge Office at the Battery aboard the Coast Guard tugs Comanche and Manhattan to the sea plane landing at the field. The ceremony was conducted by Rear Admiral R.R. Waesche, Commandant, U. S. Coast Guard, who came from Washington aboard a large Coast Guard cutter. There was music (Semper Paratus) by the Coast Guard Academy Band and luncheon was served inside the Coast Guard hangar. It was hosted by Captain Thomas M. Malloy, the Station’ s first Commanding Officer, and Commodore J. S. Baylis, USCG, then Commander Third Coast Guard District, New York. Until the outbreak of World War II, the activities of the Air Station were mainly concerned with what now has become recognized as air-sea rescue. In the early days of the War, when submarine menace was acute and combat planes were unavailable, the patrol and utility aircraft attached were armed with depth charges and served at least in a harassing capacity. As the submarine menace subsided and combat aircraft became available to the Navy, the aid of Coast Guard aircraft was no longer needed.

By a directive from the Chief of Naval Operations, dated November 19, 1943, the station was designated a helicopter training base. Three Sikorsky HNS helicopters were assigned. Shortly after this, the British Admiralty requested that the Coast Guard train a number of pilots and mechanics for them. Four British helicopters were assigned for this purpose. A number of pilots were also trained for the USAAF, the U.S. Navy, and the C.A.A. CDR Frank A. Erickson was placed in charge of the helicopter training and became Commanding Officer of the Air Station from December 1943 until February 1945.

The task of organizing the training unit was completed on June 1, 1944. Regular production trainers were now available in sufficient quantities to start the training of regular classes. By the end of the first year of operations, over one hundred pilots and one hundred and fifty mechanics had been trained to fly and service these aircraft. Over 3000 hours had been flown by the HNS helicopters attached to Air Station Brooklyn. The HNS trainers were of limited operational value, but there was one mission for which the aircraft was ideally suited. The Brooklyn Navy Yard requested that tests be run to determine the feasibility of using helicopters as targets for radar calibrations of vessels undergoing overhaul in the Navy Yard. The tests proved so successful that the Navy Yard requested that helicopters be assigned for this work from the Chief of Naval Operations. The trainers were used on several occasions for rescue and relief missions. Blood plasma was flown to the wreckage of the U. S. S. Turner after it exploded in New York harbor; a youngster was rescued from a sandbar in Jamaica Bay and firefighting equipment was dropped to firemen fighting a blaze on a railroad trestle, when other means failed to reach the firefighters.A rescue hoist was developed as were several pickup harnesses. This equipment received its first real test at the Navy’s air-sea rescue demonstration held off Manasquan, N. J. on October 2, 1944, when 4 men were picked up from a rubber raft and landed aboard the cutter Cobb in slightly less than ten minutes. Now and then during helicopter training little incidents occurred which livened up the routine. The following incident is as related by CDR. Erickson: On one occasion a “nonconformist” RAF autogiro pilot was approaching for a landing in an HNS along aflight path which took him over a concrete seawall when the aircraft suddenly lost lift. Fortunately, the main landing gear hooked on the inside of the seawall so

that the aircraft could not roll backwards. It just sat there rocking back andforth with its tail over the seawall. LCDR Red Lawrence rushed out of the operations office, crawled into the left seat and flew the helicopter out for him. It didn’t take long to find out the cause of the accident. The pilot was STONED! The station wardroom had a beer mess that was supposed to be closed until after working hours. The Commanding Officer was not aware of it, but some of the students were having a few after breakfast. That was the end of the beer mess. On a more serious note, on April 21, 1945, a Canadian PBY-SA had been forced down 180 miles south of Goose Bay Labrador. The Coast Guard and Army Air Forces teamed up to rescue the crew. Two men were badly burnt in the PBY when it caught fire after crashing in the wilderness. Several days passed before a USAAF C-54 spotted their distress signal. Two RCAF rescue ski planes, dispatched to the scene, landed safely. One managed to take off with several survivors. A blizzard prevented any further attempts during the next two days. When the weather cleared, the first plane returned and landed, but the snow was too soft for either plane to take offwith a load, so they were flown out without passengers. The 9 men left behind would be stranded for weeks until the lakes thawed sufficiently for float planes to land. Fortunately, a Sikorsky HNS Helicopter was available at Air Station Brooklyn. It was disassembled, loaded on a C-54 and flown to Goose Bay. When it was reassembled, Lt. August kleisch, USCG, flew the helicopter to a base camp that had been set up at Lake Herr about 146 miles south of Goose Bay, which could be supplied by ski planes. kleisch had to make 9 trips into the crash site, each trip averaging an hour and a half, bringing out one man at a time. This rescue mission really showed the versatility of the helicopter.

FBF | 3 5


With a lease executed in January of 1936, the Coast Guard was on it’s way to opening an

Air Station on Floyd Bennett Field. Dedication ceremonies were set for April 23, 1938. There were parades and public officials. Special guests were taken from the U. S. Barge Office at the Battery aboard the Coast Guard tugs Comanche and Manhattan to the sea plane landing at the field. The ceremony was conducted by Rear Admiral R.R. Waesche, Commandant, U. S. Coast Guard, who came from Washington aboard a large Coast Guard cutter. There was music (Semper Paratus) by the Coast Guard Academy Band and luncheon was served inside the Coast Guard hangar. It was hosted by Captain Thomas M. Malloy, the Station’ s first Commanding Officer, and Commodore J. S. Baylis, USCG, then Commander Third Coast Guard District, New York. Until the outbreak of World War II, the activities of the Air Station were mainly concerned with what now has become recognized as air-sea rescue. In the early days of the War, when submarine menace was acute and combat planes were unavailable, the patrol and utility aircraft attached were armed with depth charges and served at least in a harassing capacity. As the submarine menace subsided and combat aircraft became available to the Navy, the aid of Coast Guard aircraft was no longer needed.

By a directive from the Chief of Naval Operations, dated November 19, 1943, the station was designated a helicopter training base. Three Sikorsky HNS helicopters were assigned. Shortly after this, the British Admiralty requested that the Coast Guard train a number of pilots and mechanics for them. Four British helicopters were assigned for this purpose. A number of pilots were also trained for the USAAF, the U.S. Navy, and the C.A.A. CDR Frank A. Erickson was placed in charge of the helicopter training and became Commanding Officer of the Air Station from December 1943 until February 1945.

The task of organizing the training unit was completed on June 1, 1944. Regular production trainers were now available in sufficient quantities to start the training of regular classes. By the end of the first year of operations, over one hundred pilots and one hundred and fifty mechanics had been trained to fly and service these aircraft. Over 3000 hours had been flown by the HNS helicopters attached to Air Station Brooklyn. The HNS trainers were of limited operational value, but there was one mission for which the aircraft was ideally suited. The Brooklyn Navy Yard requested that tests be run to determine the feasibility of using helicopters as targets for radar calibrations of vessels undergoing overhaul in the Navy Yard. The tests proved so successful that the Navy Yard requested that helicopters be assigned for this work from the Chief of Naval Operations. The trainers were used on several occasions for rescue and relief missions. Blood plasma was flown to the wreckage of the U. S. S. Turner after it exploded in New York harbor; a youngster was rescued from a sandbar in Jamaica Bay and firefighting equipment was dropped to firemen fighting a blaze on a railroad trestle, when other means failed to reach the firefighters.A rescue hoist was developed as were several pickup harnesses. This equipment received its first real test at the Navy’s air-sea rescue demonstration held off Manasquan, N. J. on October 2, 1944, when 4 men were picked up from a rubber raft and landed aboard the cutter Cobb in slightly less than ten minutes. Now and then during helicopter training little incidents occurred which livened up the routine. The following incident is as related by CDR. Erickson: On one occasion a “nonconformist” RAF autogiro pilot was approaching for a landing in an HNS along aflight path which took him over a concrete seawall when the aircraft suddenly lost lift. Fortunately, the main landing gear hooked on the inside of the seawall so

that the aircraft could not roll backwards. It just sat there rocking back andforth with its tail over the seawall. LCDR Red Lawrence rushed out of the operations office, crawled into the left seat and flew the helicopter out for him. It didn’t take long to find out the cause of the accident. The pilot was STONED! The station wardroom had a beer mess that was supposed to be closed until after working hours. The Commanding Officer was not aware of it, but some of the students were having a few after breakfast. That was the end of the beer mess. On a more serious note, on April 21, 1945, a Canadian PBY-SA had been forced down 180 miles south of Goose Bay Labrador. The Coast Guard and Army Air Forces teamed up to rescue the crew. Two men were badly burnt in the PBY when it caught fire after crashing in the wilderness. Several days passed before a USAAF C-54 spotted their distress signal. Two RCAF rescue ski planes, dispatched to the scene, landed safely. One managed to take off with several survivors. A blizzard prevented any further attempts during the next two days. When the weather cleared, the first plane returned and landed, but the snow was too soft for either plane to take offwith a load, so they were flown out without passengers. The 9 men left behind would be stranded for weeks until the lakes thawed sufficiently for float planes to land. Fortunately, a Sikorsky HNS Helicopter was available at Air Station Brooklyn. It was disassembled, loaded on a C-54 and flown to Goose Bay. When it was reassembled, Lt. August kleisch, USCG, flew the helicopter to a base camp that had been set up at Lake Herr about 146 miles south of Goose Bay, which could be supplied by ski planes. kleisch had to make 9 trips into the crash site, each trip averaging an hour and a half, bringing out one man at a time. This rescue mission really showed the versatility of the helicopter.

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Air warfare of World War II was a major component

of World War II in all theatres, and (with anti-air defense) consumed a large fraction of the industrial output of the major powers. Germany and Japan depended on air forces that were closely integrated with land and naval forces; they downplayed the advantage of fleets of strategic bombers, and were late in appreciating the need to defend against Allied strategic bombing. By contrast Britain and the United States took an approach that greatly emphasized strategic bombing, and to a lesser degree, tactical control of the battlefield by air, and adequate air defenses. They both built a strategic force of a large long-range bombers that could carry the air war to the enemy’s homeland. Simultaneously they built tactical air forces that could win air superiority over the battlefields, thereby giving vital assistance to ground troops. They both built a powerful naval-air component based on aircraft carriers, as did Japan; these played the central role in the war at sea. Walking along Floyd Bennett Field’s historic hanger row today you can almost hear the roar of the mighty engines that powered aircraft on their way to patrol the vital sea lanes of the Atlantic during the German U-Boat offensive of 1942. Look into Hanger B and imagine the ground crews receiving newly built planes from companies like Grumman, vought-Sikorsky,

and General Motors, testing them, and then commissioning some 46,000 aircraft. Imagine the Air Ferry Squadron One (vRF-1)¹ pilots soaring off to deliver Wildcats, Hellcats, and Avengers to Navy and Marine aviation units on their way to fight in the major battles of the Pacific during World War II. Floyd Bennett Field’s heritage in both civil aviation and military aviation is long and rich. However, its greatest impact on United States history took place during World War II when the “Janes who made the planes” and the men who tested and delivered the aircraft made Naval Air Station New York (Floyd Bennett Field) the busiest naval air station in the nation. By reducing the processing time for aircraft from 10 days (1941) to three days (1943) they insured that the huge number of aircraft flowing off the assembly lines reached U.S. and Allied forces. Located in Brooklyn, NY, today Floyd Bennett Field is preserved by the National Park Service as part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Although it lacks the bustle of the past, it is not silent. In Hangar B, volunteers contribute thousands of hours annually restoring vintage aircraft that once flew from the field. visitors tour the airfield learning its proud story: its defense of the nation during World War II as it guarded ships leaving New York Harbor, as well as its role in one of the greatest industrial feats of all time, giving wings to the armed forces of the United States.

1946 thru 1972

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Cold War

1946 thru 1972

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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 (40,000 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.

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1970’s : Post War

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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 boats. 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.

Gateway (National Park Service)

1972 thru Now

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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 boats. 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.

Ryan Center (Administration Building)

1929 thru 1931

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THE NEXT JEWEL IN NEW YORK’S URBAN PARK CROWN

A REPORT BY THE FLOYD BENNETT FIELD BLUE RIBBON PANEL

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Page 6–7 Map Source: Gateway National Recreation Area National Park Service (nps.gov/gateway)

Page 12–13 Map Source:

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