Some Pictures from Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field was NY City's first municipal airport.
It is located on Jamaica Bay, just south of Kennedy International Airport.
The airport was opened in 1931; in 1936, the Coast Guard opened an air station;
in 1941 the field was transferred to the U.S. Navy
for use as a Naval Air base; it remained active until it was decommissioned in 1971.
The facility was transferred to the National Park Service, and is now part of the
Gateway National Recreation Area. Most of the field is used for various recreational
activities. The Coast Guard still maintains it's air station, and some hangars are
used by the NYC Police department.
A more complete history
was complied by Richard Lamirande and posted on the excellent
"Aviation Enthusiast Corner" web site.
Floyd Bennett Field played an important part in many flying records. It is located perfectly as the destination of west-east transcontinental flights and as the departure point for west-east transatlantic flights. In addition, it has long enough run ways to allow a fuel-heavy plane to take off.
- Roscoe Turner
- Navy Transcontinental Flights (incl. John Glenn)
- The 1933 Annette Gipson All-Woman Air Race
- Search and Rescue Helicopter Development
The Ryan
Visitor
Center
Click rainbow above to see New York, New York forecast.
The building that housed the original control tower and passenger terminal
when Floyd Bennett Field was NYC's airport is now the Park Service's
William Fitts Ryan Visitor Center.
The Ryan Visitor Center is the principal visitor center within the recreation area. It was named for U.S. Congressman William Fitts Ryan, in commemoration of the leadership and contributions that Representative Ryan made with respect to the creation and establishment of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
The Park Service is currently renovating the interior and exterior.
This is the view of the main entrance to the building.
The architectural detail above the main entrance is particularly
interesting.
A beautiful stained glass window is located under the skylight
in the entrance hall of the terminal.
Some of the Hangars:
There are a number of hangars remaining at Floyd Bennett Field. These are
photographs of various details of the old hangars located in the vicinity of
the Ryan Visitor Center.
This hangar is located to the north of the Visitor Center. It is one of three
identical hangars near-by the Visitor Center. This hangar is used by the NY
Police Department for some of their helicopters.
These are the main doors of a hangar similar to the one shown above.
Below is a close-up of the "wings" centered above the door.This is the center section of another hangar.
Below is a close-up of the concrete relief at the top.
You never know what you'll find in the parking lot at Floyd Bennett Field!
