Aviation Sights of Long Island

1. Long Island's Aviation Seed				the type in general had been made famous by the
The aviation seed planted on Long Island's Hempstead				Doolittle Raid.
Plains in 1909, when Glenn Curtiss had first flown				The collection also includes several jet fighters. The
above it in his Golden Flyer biplane, had sprouted and				L-39 Albatross, for example, is a 570-mph Soviet
grown over a six-decade period until it had ultimately				trainer which first flew in 1968 and is still in service with
connected its own soil with that of its moon.				16 countries. The Republic F-84 Thunderjet, one of the
Its many aerospace sights, depicting its general				first pure-jet fighters, attained 620-mph speeds and
aviation, commercial, military, and space branches, and				served from 1948 to the Korean War. The RF-84
geographically spread between Garden City and				Thunderflash, also designed by Republic, is a 720-mph
Calverton, recount this journey.				photoreconnaissance aircraft with horizon-to-horizon
2. Cradle of Aviation Museum				photograph capability, and served between 1953 and
The Cradle of Aviation Museum, located on Museum				1971. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, a supersonic
Row in Garden City near the Coliseum, Nassau				fighter and attack bomber, had been most extensively
Community College, and Hofstra University, tells most				deployed in Vietnam in its F-105D guise, carrying more
of Long Island's aerospace story.				than 12,000 pounds of ordnance and achieving
Tracing its origin to 1979, when then-County Executive				1,390-mph speeds. It served for a quarter of a century,
Francis T. Purcell designated funds to restore two				from 1955 to 1980. The General Dynamics F-111, a
aircraft hangars at former Mitchel Field, it displayed				supersonic, March 1.2, variable-geometry strike aircraft,
several dozen aircraft until it closed for renovation in				first flew in 1967, and had seen service in Vietnam,
1995. The 130,000-square-foot, $40 million facility,				Libya, and Iraq.
opening on the 75th anniversary of Lindbergh's				Aside from the aircraft themselves, there are nose
transatlantic flight in 2002, showcases more than 70				and cockpit sections, including those of a
air- and spacecraft, 11 of which are one-of-a-kind				Fairchild-Republic A-10, a Mig-21, a Beech 18/C-45, and
designs, associated with or constructed on Long Island				a Douglas C-47, as well as engines, such as a General
and uncovered during a 20-year search which had				Electric J-47 and an Allison V-1710.
stretched from the bottom of Lake Michigan to				World War II's aviation story is also told by means of
Guadalcanal. They had then been restored and				films, period scenes and dioramas, an extensive model
preserved by retired airline and defense aircraft				and memorabilia collection, vintage vehicles, a "Ready
manufacturer volunteers who collectively contributed				Room," a "Briefing Room," a "Canteen," a gift shop, and
some 650,000 man-hours to the project. The result				era-related music.
had been Long Island's largest, year-round, educational,				Tours are periodically provided to the historic,
recreational, and cultural institution.				five-story, 1943 control tower located in Hangar 4. The
According to New York State Governor George E.				view from the cab, amid vintage radio and radar
Pataki, museum visitors "can see the brief span of				equipment overlooking Republic airport's two runways,
years that brought Long Island from hosting the fragile				provides insight into the controllers' functions, which
biplanes of 1911 to building the Lunar Module that took				often included coordinating vectors from P-47s, A-10s,
mankind to the moon in the sixties. Through these				F-84s, and F-105s enroute to the region's dense air
displays, the Cradle becomes a powerful mirror that				base network comprised of Zahns Airport, then
reflects our own skills, intellect, and ability to conquer				virtually across the road, Grumman in Bethpage, Mitchel
time and space and pays tribute to American				Field in Garden City, the Floyd Bennett Field Naval Air
innovation and pioneering spirit."				Station in Brooklyn, and the Vought factory across
The Cradle of Aviation Museum, dominated by its				Long Island Sound in Connecticut, a network
impressive, four-story, glass atrium Reckson Center,				emphasizing Long Island's early nucleic role in aviation.
greets visitors with a ceiling-suspended Grumman				Because the American Airpower Museum's collection
F-11A Tiger supersonic fighter in Blue Angels livery and				is predominantly operational, several flight experiences
a 1929 Fleet 2 biplane trainer, symbolically representing				are offered.
the soaring ascent of Long Island's aviation heritage.				Its own, and signature, opportunity, aboard a Douglas
The main exhibits, located in eight galleries in the two				C-47 Skytrain which had last been used by the Israeli
restored Army Air Corps Hangars 3 and 4 which still				Air Force, simulates the famed, D-Day allied invasion of
bear the words "Mitchel Field. Elev 90 Feet" on their				Normandy during the early-morning hours of June 6,
facades, and now designated the Donald Everett				1944.
Axinn Air and Space Hall, are accessed by a second				After donning paratrooper uniforms, helmets, and
floor skywalk at whose entrance a third				modified parachutes in the Ready Room, would-be
ceiling-suspended replica of a 1922 Sperry Messenger				jumpers move to the Briefing Room, where, amid
biplane designed by the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft				wooden benches and period maps, the pending
Company of Farmingdale hangs.				mission is detailed, along with the necessary regrouping
According to the skywalk's plaque, "Long Island has				maneuver behind French hedgerows after parachuting
been at the forefront of American's aviation and				to the ground. French francs are distributed.
space adventure for the past one hundred years...It all				The cohesive, identically clad team now climbs aboard
started here on Long Island's Hempstead Plains."				the twin-engined, olive-green C-47, which is configured
A one-flight descent leads to the first of the museum's				with wooden side benches and actually partook of
galleries, "Dream of Wings." Depicting the triumph of				Normandy operations.
flight with lighter-than-air craft, it demonstrates how				During a recent summer flight, the aircraft taxied out to
balloon, kite, glider, and airship experimentations turned				Republic Airport's Runway 1 and initiated its piston
the dream of flight into reality and led to its				engine-propelled acceleration roll, raising its tailwheel
heavier-than-air successors, displaying aerostatic lift				and surrendering to the flawlessly blue sky while
generation, Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite, an				retracting its undercarriage.
Otto Lilienthal glider, and a 1906 Timmons kite built in				Climbing to 1,200 feet and maintaining a 125-mph
Queens, the museum's oldest flying exhibit. A 20-hp				airspeed, the Douglas twin straddled Long Island's
Glenn Curtiss airship engine, designed two years later,				south shore off of Jones Beach, which simulated the
and a Mineola Bike Shop, demonstrating, in the Wright				similar sands of Normandy.
Brothers' vein, the technology transfer from the bicycle				Upon reaching the designated "drop zone," the
to the aircraft with propellers and wings, round out the				jumpmaster yelled, "Stand up! Check equipment! Hook
exhibits.				up!" and the paratroopers connected their lines to the
The "Hempstead Plains" gallery, the next encountered,				aircraft in preparation for imminent bailout.
represents a 1910 air meet. Amid recordings of turning				Parachute jumping procedures were drilled and the
propellers and accelerating aircraft, a collection of early				actual, 1944 event was recounted. Regrettably, the
designs graces the grass-carpeted field and includes				realism necessarily had to end there.
an original Bleriot XI of 1909, the world's fourth-oldest,				Nevertheless, after relanding, the sensation of the
still-operational airframe; a spruce-and-bamboo replica				D-Day disconnection during the real jump was
of Glenn Curtiss's Golden Flyer, the first				recreated as the temporary troopers climbed out the
heavier-than-air airplane to fly over Long Island; a				aft, left hatch, their Velcro-attached lines separating
replica of a Wright Brothers' Vin Fiz; a Hanriot				with gentle tares, a symbolic disconnection from
monoplane; a Farman biplane, a 1911 Anzani engine; and				machine before being gravity-induced into an
a 1913 Studebaker "motor car."				exponentially accelerating tumble to French soil until the
During World War I, as evidenced by the succeeding				unraveling surfaces of their parachutes blossomed into
gallery, the triumph of flight was transferred into the				arresting airfoils.
destruction of man, as the airplane assumed the				Before removing uniforms, passengers are instructed
reciprocal role of a weapon, and Long Island had				to reach into their pockets to retrieve a card which
become the center of military aircraft design, testing,				reveals the identity of their historical double-or that
and production during this time. On display is the first				paratrooper they had represented during the simulated
airplane acquired by Charles Lindbergh, a Curtiss JN-4				mission. The paratrooper, however, had made the
Jenny purchased in 1923 for $500; along with a 1918				actual jump. And the card indicates whether he had
Breese Penguin trainer, the only one of the 250				lived or died as a result of it.
originally produced remaining; an airworthy				Other than the American Airpower Museum's own
Thomas-Morse S4C Scout biplane with its original				C-47 flight experience, vintage aircraft static displays
Marlin machine gun; and the F. Trubee Davison World				and aerial opportunities are scheduled during holidays
War One wooden hangar, which sports the ribbed,				and special occasions, such as during Memorial Day,
uncovered airframe of a Curtiss Jenny with its engine,				the Fourth of July, historical anniversaries, and the
propeller, and fuel tank; and a 160-hp Gnome				annual Labor Day Flight of Aces weekend, the latter
Monosoupope, 1916 engine from France.				created to encourage young people to write about the
During the Golden Age of Aviation, which spanned the				virtues, victories, and achievements of a World War
20-year period from 1919 to 1938, aviation matured,				II-age friend or relative. The winning composition is
evolving from a dangerous sport to a viable				awarded a bomber flight experience. Aircraft have
commercial industry. The motley collection of aircraft in				included the MATS C-121 Constellation; the Berlin Airlift
this gallery includes the sister ship to the original Ryan				"Spirit of Freedom" C-54; the B-17 Flying Fortress; the
NYP Spirit of St. Louis and used during the filming of				B-24 Liberator; the B-25 Mitchell; and the PT-17
the epic tale; an Aircraft Engineering Corporation "Ace,"				Stearman, the last four of which were operated by
which became America's first sport plane; a replica of				the Collings Foundation.
a Curtiss/Sperry Aerial Torpedo; a 1932 Grumman				A post-museum visit dinner at the 56th Fighter Group
F3F-2 Navy Scout fighter; a Brunner Winkle Model A				Restaurant located on the Route 110 side of Republic
Byrd biplane built in Glendale, Queens; an American				Airport, although not affiliated with the museum itself,
Aeronautical Corporation/Savoia Marchetti S-56				both complements and completes a World War II living
amphibian made in Port Washington; and a Grumman				history day. Resembling a 1940 wartime English
G-21 Goose in blue, Pan American Airways System				farmhouse, it further transports the diner to this era
livery.				with its "Officer's Mess" entry; rustic, timbered ceilings;
During World War II, as reflected by its respective				fireplace-adorned dining rooms; World War II-related
gallery, the aircraft produced by Repubic and				photographs, memorabilia, and propellers; simulated,
Grumman had been crucial to US victory, and within				bombed-out patio; Big Band music; and views of replica
the six-year period from 1939 to 1945 depicted, some				P-40, P-47, and Corsair aircraft. The steak and
45,000 airframes had rolled off the production line. On				seafood menu is noted for its signature beer-cheese
display are a powerless Waco CG-4 Troop Glider,				soup.
which had been used to deliver soldiers behind enemy				The American Airpower Museum is a living aviation
lines; a Republic P-47N Thunderbolt; a Grumman F6F				time portal to World War II and Long Island's invaluable
Hellcat, a Grumman TBM Avenger, a Grumman F6F				contribution to its victory of it. A post-museum dinner at
Hellcat, a Douglas C-47 cockpit and nose section, and				the 56th Fighter Group Restaurant provides the
the Sperry Type A-2 lower gun turret which had				culinary cap to it.
protected the undersides of B-17 and B-24 long-range				4. Bayport Aerodrome Living Aviation Museum
bombers.				The Bayport Aerodrome Living Aviation Museum,
The pure-jet engine, as evidenced by the Jet Age				created by the Bayport Aerodrome Society to
Gallery, revolutionized military aviation by endowing				preserve and present early-20th century aviation at a
aircraft with unprecedented speed, range,				representative turf airport, is a 24-hangar complex of
maneuverability, and attack capability, and Grumman				privately owned antique and experimental aircraft
Aircraft Corporation had been instrumental in this				located at Bayport Aerodrome.
development, having designed more than 40 civilian				The aerodrome, three miles southeast of Long Island
and military types which totaled some 33,000				MacArthur Airport, is a nontowered field with a single,
airframes and provided employment for 200,000 Long				150-foot-wide by 2,740-foot-long grass/turf runway
Island residents. Its military aircraft, particularly, had				(18-36) and 45 based single-engine aircraft. Of its
played crucial roles in numerous conflicts, including				average 28 daily movements, 98 percent are local,
those in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Balkans,				with the remainder transient. Designated Davis Field
Afghanistan, and Iraq. On display are several				from 1910 to 1952, it had then been renamed Edwards
Grumman designs, inclusive of an E-2 Hawkeye				Airport until 1977, whereafter it had been acquired by
airborne early warning/command-and-control aircraft,				the Town of Islip. On January 22, 2008, it was listed on
an F9F-7 Cougar, the forward fuselage of an F-14				the National Register of Historic Places, a feat proudly
Tomcat, and an A-6 Intruder cockpit simulator, while				proclaimed by its plaque, which reads: "Bayport
Republic Aviation is represented by an F-84B				Aerodrome. Only L.I. public airport w/ grass runways.
Thunderjet, an F-105B supersonic fighter, and an A-10A				National Historic status 2008."
Thunderbolt cockpit section. A Boeing 727 nose and				Formed in 1972 for the very purpose of preserving
cockpit section and a Westinghouse J-34 turbine				such an era, the Bayport Aerodrome Society
engine round out the exhibits.				conducts complementary tours on weekends
The "Contemporary Aviation" gallery features air				between June and September of its operational
traffic control radar screens which emphasize the				aircraft collection, which includes Piper Cubs, Waco
congested JFK, La Guardia, and Newark airport triplex,				biplanes, N2S Stearmans, Fleet Model 16Bs, Byrds, and
along with their secondary airports of Long Island				PT-22s. There is also a small museum.
MacArthur and Westchester County's White Plains,				5. Grand Old Airshow
and Farmingdale's Republic Airport, the states' busiest				The Grand Old Airshow, first held in 2006 at
general aviation/reliever field.				Brookhaven's Calabro Airport, was created to
The "Exploring Space" gallery, the last of the eight,				transport spectators to earlier, biplane and World War II
depicts the dramatic transition from atmospheric flight				eras and showcase Long Island aviation.
to vacuumless space and emphasizes Long Island's				Calabro Airport itself is a 600-acre, nontowered,
rich contribution to this aerospace sector. Its exhibits				municipal field which was constructed during the
include a Goddard A-series rocket; a Grumman orbiting				Second World War to provide logistical support for the
astronomical observatory; a Grumman echo adapter; a				Army Air Corps, but was acquired by the Town of
life-size model of the Sputnik satellite which had been				Brookhaven in 1961, whose Division of General Aviation
presented by the Soviet Union and whose original				now operates it. The field, sporting two
hardware had launched the Space Race; a Grumman				runways-4,200-foot Runway 6-24 and 4,224-foot
Rigel ramjet missile from 1953; a Grumman Lunar				Runway 15-33-is home to three fixed-base operators
Module simulator; and a Rockwell Command Module				which offer tie-down pads, T-hangars, conventional
which had been used during a 25,000-mph earth				hangars, flight instruction, and refueling, as well as
reentry test in 1966 prior to the manned Apollo flights.				Eastern Suffolk Boces, the Dowling College School of
A "Clean Room," representing the environment in				Aviation, the Long Island Soaring Association, and Island
which all Lunar Modules had been hand-made, leads to				Aerial Air. There is a small terminal with a luncheonette.
the gallery's-and the museum's-most precious exhibit,				Of its 217 based aircraft, some 92 percent encompass
an actual, 22.9-foot-high, gold foil-covered LM-13, the				single-engine types, and it averages 370 daily, or
thirteenth and last Lunar Module built, dramatically lit				135,100 yearly, movements.
with its legs nestled on a simulated moonscape.				The airshow entices the visitor by urging him to "join us
Designated an historic mechanical landmark, the Lunar				this year as we go back in time to celebrate Long
Module had been the first-and thus far, only-spacecraft				Island's Golden Age of Aviation," a time when "biplanes
to have ever transported human beings from earth to				graced the skies decades ago." It continues by offering
another planet or its moons.				the experience of "bygone days of aviation, as World
The Museum Annex Jet Gallery, which shares facilities				War I dogfights, open-cockpit biplanes, World War II
with the Long Island Firefighter's Museum, features a				fighters, and, of course, the famous Geico Skytypers,
Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, the forward fuselage of a				soar through Long Island's blue skies."
Grumman F-14A, a full F-14A Tomcat airframe, a				Previous shows have featured antique vehicles and
Grumman A-6F Intruder, and the forward nose section				static aircraft displays, the latter encompassing TBM
and cockpit of an El Al Boeing 707.				Avengers, Fokker Dr-1s, Nieuports, and Messerschmidt
Other museum facilities include the seven-story-high,				Me-109s, while aerial stunts have included comedy
300-seat, 76-foot-wide Leroy R. and Rose W.				maneuvers performed in Piper J-3 Cubs by "randomly
Grumman IMAX Theater, New York state's largest				chosen" audience member Carl Spackle; Old
domed venue and Long Island's only IMAX screen; the				Rhinebeck Aerodrome-borrowed Delsey Dives and
Martian-themed Red Planet Café, which displays a				balloon bursts targeted by Great Lakes Speedsters,
1961 Grumman "Molab" Mobile Lunar Laboratory				Fleet 16Bs, and PT-17 Stearmans; speed races
designed for lunar surface travel, habitation, and testing;				between runway-bound motorcycles and airborne,
a balcony-located Aerospace Honor Roll; and the				low-passing PT-17s; aerobatics by SF-260s; and
Mitchel Field Outpost gift and bookstore.				skywriting by Sukhoi 29s.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum is a world-class facility				A Sikorsky UH-34D Sea Horse Marine helicopter, used
which preserves, showcases, and interprets Long				for combat rescue in Vietnam, during the Cuban Missile
Island's rich aerospace heritage.				Crisis, and by NASA during the Project Mercury
3. American Airpower Museum				astronaut recovery program, demonstrated
The American Airpower Museum, located at				search-and-rescue procedures.
Farmingdale's Republic Airport, oozes with history. It is				Both Long Island aviation and formation flying are well
housed in an historic hangar, where historic World War				represented. Past shows have featured Byrd, N3N,
II aircraft had been built, and these had then been				Fleet Model 16B, and N2S Stearman aircraft from the
tested at this historic airfield.				Bayport Aerodrome Society; P-40 Warhawks and
Republic Airport itself, founded in 1928 as Fairchild				P-51 Mustangs from Warbirds over Long Island; F4U
Flying Field when Sherman Fairchild's existing facility				Corsairs from the American Airpower Museum; and
had become too small to support continued FC-2 and				North American SNJ-2s from the Republic
Model 71 production, had passed the torch to				Airport-based Geico Skytypers.
Grumman for a five-year period, from 1932 to 1937,				Vintage vehicle and aircraft rides are available.
when the Fairchild Engine and Aircraft Manufacturing				Spectators bring their own lawn chairs and line them
Company itself had relocated to Maryland.				up next to the active runway. There is period dress
Seversky, establishing its presence on the field in 1935,				and speeches are given by Tuskegee Airmen.
continued its tradition of aircraft building and testing,				Concession trucks sell everything from hot dogs to ice
redesignating itself "Republic Aviation" and considerably				cream and souvenirs and numerous aviation-related
expanding its facilities with three new hangars, a				schools and associations man booths.
control tower, and a longer runway. A major supplier				The Grand Old Airshow, held in the fall, is a single-day,
of military designs, it churned out more than 9,000 P-47				single-visit, outdoor glimpse toward the sky where
Thunderbolts during the Second World War and 800				Long Island's multi-faceted aviation history was written
F-105 Thunderchiefs during the Vietnam conflict.				and where it is now recreated.
After acquiring the airport in 1965, Fairchild-Hiller sold it				6. Grumman Memorial Park
to Farmingdale Corporation, which turned it into a public				Grumman Memorial Park, located on a one-acre site
facility the following year, and the Metropolitan				of the former Grumman Aerospace Flight Test Facility
Transportation Authority (MTA), purchasing it for $25				in Calverton only one thousand feet from one of its
million in 1969, renamed it Republic Airport, lengthening				runways, is, according to its self-description, "a
existing Runway 14-32, constructing a 100-foot FAA				volunteer effort paying tribute to the incredible
control tower, and building a small passenger terminal.				advances in aviation and space flight that took place
The 526-acre general aviation/reliever airport, whose				on Long Island thanks to the teamwork of the
ownership once again changed to the New York				employees of the Grumman Corporation. This
State Department of Transportation (DOT) in April of				dedicated band of people took aviation from the fight
1983, exerts some $139 million of economic impact on				deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier to man's first steps
Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Its 546 based and				on the moon."
transient aircraft record 190,723 annual movements, of				Leroy Randle Grumman, the man behind this
which 93 percent encompass general aviation, six				company's name, had been born on January 4, 1895
percent air taxi, and one percent military, in a full				and established the Grumman Aircraft Engineering
spectrum of aircraft types, including single-engine,				Corporation 35 years later, according to the park's
multi-engine, piston, turboprop, pure-jet, and rotary wing,				plaque "in a small garage in Baldwin, Long Island, New
and these utilize its two runways: 5,516-foot Runway				York. There and later in Valley Stream, Farmingdale,
1-19 and 6,827-foot Runway 14-32. As New York's				Bethpage, Calverton, and locations throughout the
third largest airport in terms of take offs and landings				country, the company designed and produced
after JFK and La Guardia, and its largest general				innovative aircraft and spacecraft for both the military
aviation field, it handled 1,634 enplanements, mostly due				forces of the United States and the civilian market."
to charter flight activity, in 2005.				Incorporated in all these designs had been the
Amidst this atmosphere, off of New Highway, is the				company's straightforward philosophy of "keep it
American Airpower Museum. Hangar 3, its location, had				simple...build it strong....make it work."
been completed in 1927, along with other structures at				Phase One of the park, completed on October 28,
a $500,000 cost and had served as the incubation				2000, had been dedicated to "preserving the legacy of
point of some 9,000 Republic P-47 Thunderbolts during				the Grumman Corporation (and) to the men and
the Second World War. As a result, it had once been				women who designed, built, and flew the aircraft and
considered part of the "arsenal of democracy." The				spacecraft that soared into the heavens and beyond."
museum, launched after a $250,000 grant from				Centerpiece, mounted on a pedestal in a climbing
Governor George E. Pataki and dedicated during the				profile, is an F-14A Tomcat. Powered by two 20,900
airport's annual Pearl Harbor Day Commemorative				thrust-pound, afterburner-equipped Pratt and Whitney
Service in 2000, had been built to serve as a living				TF30-P-414A turbofans, the swing-wing,
tribute to Long Island's veteran population by honoring				variable-geometry fighter, whose sweepback varies
the past with the present, and to create a regional				from 20 degrees in the forward to 68 degrees in the
tourist destination, along with the Cradle of Aviation				aft position, was the 331st such Tomcat airframe to
Museum.				roll off the nearby Calverton assembly line and first
Colonel Francis Gabreski, who scored most of his				flew from the almost arm's reach runway on July 6,
World War II victories in Republic P-47s, had been the				1979. Delivered two months later to the US Navy's
highest ranking ace on Long Island and had initially				VF-101 Fighter Squadron in Oceana, Virginia, it carried
served as the museum's honorary commander.				2,385 gallons of fuel, including that accommodated in
Complementing the static displays at the Cradle of				two, 267-gallon external tanks, and had a 1,191-mile
Aviation Museum itself, the American Airpower				nonstop range. The Mach 2 aircraft had provided 25
Museum features the sights, sounds, and experiences				years of service before being decommissioned, and
of operational World War II fighters and bombers, the				had been one of 712 F-14s to have been produced
first time in 54 years that the New York metropolitan				between 1970 and 1992.
area can boast of such an accomplishment. As the				Surrounded by inscribed bricks, which comprise the
Williamsburg of military aviation, the facility accurately				"Walk of Honor," the display has several interactive
proclaims its mission as "where history flies."				features, including a visitor-controlled audible recording
Its varied collection of pristinely restored aircraft				of its story, sounds of an afterburner take off, and
encompass trainers, fighters, carrier-based Navy,				wing and tail light activation.
ocean reconnaissance, bombers, and post-World War				The second aircraft on display, part of the park's
II jet types.				Phase Two expansion, is the Grumman A-6E Intruder
The North American T-6 Texan, for instance, first flew				located on the other side of the small parking lot.
in 1935 and was one of the most widely used				Tracing its origins to its initial version, the A2F-1 which
advanced fighter pilot trainers during the war.				had first flown in 1960, it was one of 693 all-weather
Of the fighters, the Curtiss-Wright P-40 Warhawk,				attack aircraft which were powered by two Pratt and
which also first flew that year, attains 363-mph speeds				Whitney J-52 P-8B turbojets and had maximum take
and currently wears Flying Tiger livery. No aircraft				off weights of 58,600 pounds. Operating at
could be more at home in the American Airpower				42,400-foot ceilings, the 648-mph aircraft could deliver
Museum's Hangar 3, however, than the Republic P-47				eight 500-pound bombs with pinpoint accuracy, and it
Thunderbolt, the very design which was assembled				could carry an entire arsenal of weapons, striking
here in the thousands. First taking to the skies from the				targets more than 500 miles from the aircraft carrier
runway only yards away in 1940, it was the largest,				on which it had been based without the need for
heaviest, single-engine, single-pilot piston fighter ever				refueling. Production ceased in 1997.
produced, attaining 467-mph speeds. The P-51				Aside from the two aircraft themselves, displays
Mustang, whose maximum speed had been 30 mph				include the original Calverton Plant 7 flagpole, a
lower than the Thunderbolt's, flew high-altitude escort				Bethpage Plant 14 guard booth, and a Bethpage
missions of B-17 and B-24 long-range bombers,				runway section, along with its side light, from which
shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other				every Grumman F6F Hellcat had taken off.
World War II European theater fighter.				Also viewable is a Hughes AIM-54A Phoenix
Of the Navy aircraft, the Grumman TBM Avenger, a				long-range air-to-air missile, an integral part of the F-14
carrier-based torpedo bomber, had hunted German				Tomcat AWG-9 Weapon System. Featuring a 13-foot
U-boats off the coast of Long Island, while the Vought				length and three-foot wingspan, the device had a
FG-1D Corsair had been used by both the Navy and				1,021-pound gross weight, of which its 132-pound
the Marines and had achieved 446-mph airspeeds.				warhead had been propelled by a solid rocket motor.
The Consolidated PBY Catalina, a high-wing,				Traveling at a speed of Mach 5, it had a 96-mile range.
amphibious ocean reconnaissance aircraft flown by a				The F-14 could carry up to six such Phoenix missiles.
crew of eight, searched for enemy submarines. It had				Grumman Memorial Park, a work-in-progress whose
a 2,545-mile range, a 15,748-foot service ceiling, and a				nine additional acres will eventually encompass a visitor
178-mph speed.				center and other aircraft displays, offers an initial
The museum's twin-engined, medium-range North				glimpse into Grumman's superior military designs only
American B-25 Mitchell bomber, designated "Miss Hap,"				yards from the factory which had hatched them.
had been General Hap Arnold's personal aircraft, while				7.

Deaf Aviation

Aviation Sights of Long Island