Cradle Of Aviation Museum, Nov. 30 ,2013

Today my daughter Joyce and I are touring the Cradle Of Aviation Museum in Garden City, Long Island, New York.  This museum is located in one of the old hangars of the former Mitchel Field/ Mitchel Air Force Base. Following my second tour in Japan while in the United States Air Force I was assigned to an Air Force Office Of Special Investigation Detachment in downtown New York City. We were able to obtain military quarters on Mitchel Field and we lived there for 3 years.

340 Bane Road, Mitchel Field, Garden City, New York Where We Lived For Three Years. This Was A Lovely, Comfortable Three Bedroom Home With Two Enclosed Sun Rooms That Could Be Used As Bed Rooms If Needed. One Of These Was Off The Large Master  Bedroom.

Mitchel Air Force Base was established in 1917/1918 and named Aviation Field Number Two and Hazelhurst Aviation Field Number Two. It was located on an area known as  Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York. Shortly thereafter it became known as Mitchel Field and was the base for Air Defense For New York City during World War One. It was renamed Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel who was killed while training for the Air Service in Louisiana. Following WW II the field was used as a test field for a number of manufacturers of aircraft and defense related equipment. As is true in so many instances involving air fields and airports in general they are built away from populated area but the need to live close to work leads to the build up of housing and shopping area close by the base/field. This was true at Mitchel Field when an unfortunate accident where a P-47 crashed into a building at Hofstra University. The field was closed in 1961 and most of the land and building were given to Nassau County. I say most because the military housing, commissary, exchange, theater, gas station, community center, barber shop and a few other smaller building were and are still controlled by the military. When we were there the United States Navy controlled those buildings and their use. Some of the building were used for Nassau Community College which was a junior college when I was there but now has many new buildings and is a full four year college. Hofstra University and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is there now. Many Nassau County organizations use various of the old hangar buildings.

Actually the history of aviation in the area goes way back to at least 1909 as the aviation industry was becoming more important. In 1909 Glenn Curtiss who was an aviator and manufacturer moved his operation from New York state to Mineola which is near to Mitchel Field. Curtis flew his biplane named the Golden Flyer for more than 52 minutes covering over 16 miles. Hazelhurst Field, Roosevelt Field and Curtiss Field provided the eastern hub for United States private and military air activity.

Perhaps the most famous flight from the area was that made by Charles Lindbergh  Lindbergh flew a single-engine monoplane named the Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field to Le Bourget, Paris in 33 1/2 hours. He was the first to pilot a plane solo non stop across the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Hempstead Plains which covers a large area of Long Island  has a long list of record as the first to accomplish certain things and thus comes by the nick name of Cradle Of Aviation honestly. Some of these firsts are as follows:

• 1873 - First recorded flight over the island, a balloon piloted by W. H. Donaldson from Brooklyn to Queens Village.
• 1874 - More balloon flights, New York City to Lynbrook and Lynbrook to Hempstead.
• 1909 - Glenn Curtiss  flies a plane 25 miles from Mineola 
• 1910 - The International Aerial Tournament is held at Belmont Park.
• 1911 - Cal Rodgers makes the first transcontinental airplane flight from Sheepshead Bay to California in the Vin Fiz.
• 1916 - First night flight.
• 1917 - First flight of pilot less aircraft, the Sperry Aerial Torpedo.
• 1919 - First trans Atlantic crossing by an airship ( R34 Airship ) which arrives at Roosevelt Field from England.
• 1923 - First non-stop transcontinental airplane flight from Mitchel Field to San Diego, CA by John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly.
• 1924 - First round-the-world flight arrives at Mitchel Field.
• 1927 - First solo trans Atlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh from Roosevelt Field to Paris, France.
• 1927 - First trans Atlantic passenger flight by Charles D. Chamberlin from Roosevelt Field to Eisleben, Germany.
• 1929 - First "blind" instrument flight by Jimmy Doolittle at Mitchel Field. Instruments developed by the Sperry and Kollsman companies of Long Island.

Cradle Of Aviation Museum

Line Of People Waiting To Get Into The Cradle Of Aviation Museum. The Fire Fighters Museum
Is Next Door And Is A Popular Attraction.

Ticket Lines

Just Inside The Entrance There Were Numerous Decorated Christmas Tree And Swags For Sale. These Had Been Prepared By Various Civic Organization And Were Being Sold To Raise Funds For Charity. There Were Also Ginger Bread Houses Being Sold By These Same Groups. They Were Beautiful And Looked Delicious.

U. S. Navy Blue Angle Jet Hangs Up High In The Entrance Lobby Along With Several 
Other Aircraft

Aircraft Hanging In The Lobby

There Were Several Star Wars Characters And The Children Could Have Their Photographs Made With Them.

Cradle Of Aviation Museum

   There are eight Exhibit Galleries that trace the periods of aviation history as you have the            opportunity to learn of the experimenters and early pioneers. Many of them native residents of Long Island, who tackled and solved the basic problems of the shape of an aircraft, how to
power it and the main problem of how do you control it. These eight galleries are:

     1.  Dream Of Wings - up to 1903. Balloons, kites, gliders, airships and the dream of flight                 comes true.

     2.  The Hempstead Plains - 1908 to 1913. Brave men and women take to the air in                              shockingly fragile machines.

     3.  The Great War - 1914 to 1918. The airplane becomes a weapon.

     4.  The Golden Age - 1919 - 1939. Two magnificent decades when flying truly became of                  age.

     5.  World War Two - 1940 to 1945. During WW II, Long Island was a center of aviation                      production.

     6.  The Jet Age - 1946 to 1995. The jet engine not only revolutionized military aviation, it also            changed the way we view the world.

     7.  Contemporary Aviation. Long Island is home to the busiest air traffic control center in the             world.

     8.  Exploring Space. Space exploration has been, and remains, humanity's greatest                         adventure.

A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Early Engine Used On Air Ships

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery

Dream Of Wings Gallery

An Interesting Point About This Museum Is That It Traced Man's Efforts To Fly Back To 

His Efforts Using Kites.

Also Man Used Various Balloons To Leave The Ground.

Various Kite Styles Used By Man To Fly

From A Different Angle. Notice In This Photograph Is A Bike Shop Because Bikes Were
Often Used To Try To Get Up Enough Speed To Leave The Ground.

Early Bi-Plane

Early Glider Flight

In The Midst Of All The Balloons And Kites There Was A Model Railroad Train Display That Attracted A Lot Of Attention Of The Old And Young Alike.

Model Railroad Set Up.

The Spreading Of Wings

Enlargement Of A Dream Of Wings Gallery. This Is A Wall Display Behind The Model 
Railroad Display.

Enlargement Of The Spreading Of Wings

Enlargement Of The Spreading Of Wings

Enlargement Of The Spreading Of Wings

Enlargement Of The Spreading Of Wings

Early Experimentation

Enlargement Of Early Experimentation

Enlargement Of Early Experimentation

Enlargement Of Early Experimentation

A Dream Comes True

Enlargement Of A Dream Comes True

Enlargement Of A Dream Comes True

An Air Meet On The Hempstead Plains

Enlargement Of An Air Meet On The Hempstead Plains

Air Meet On Hempstead Plains

Early Bi-Plane

Early Bi-Plane. Notice The Engine Behind The Pilot

Early Bi-Plane

Slick Looking Bi-Plane

Six Cylinder Engine

Studebaker Automobile Was A Big Manufacturer Of Aircraft Engines

Studebaker Automobile

Golden Flyer

Enlargement Of Golden Flyer

Heinrich Monoplane

Enlargement Of Heirnich Monoplane

Bleriot

Harriet Quimby's Flying Clothing

Harriet Quimby Known As The Dresden Doll Aviatrix

World War One Gallery

Lindbergh Jenny

Mitchel Field The Great War

Enlargement Of Mitchel Field The Great War

The Lindbergh Jenny

Mitchel Field Is Born

Mitchel Field 1918

Student With His Airplane

Thomas Morse S4C Scout

U. S. Army Scout Plane

U. S. Army Plane

U. S. Army JN - 4  Jenny

U. S. Army Breese Penguin

Enlargement Of U. S. Army Breese Penguin

Fulton Make Emergency Vehicle

Training Bulletin Board

Enlargement Of Training Bulletin Board

Enlargement Of Training Bulletin Board

Enlargement Of Training Bulletin Board

Enlargement Of Training Bulletin Board

Aviation Student

Flight Instructors

Mitchel Field Named After John Purroy Mitchel

Enlargement Of Above Photograph

Student Pilot Crashes His Aircraft

Hazelhurst Field Was First A National Guard Aero Company at The Hempstead 

Plains Airfield

Enlargement Of Hazelhurst Field. This Name Was Given At First In Honor Of A Flyer Killed Here Then It Was Renamed Roosevelt Field After The Son Of President Roosevelt  Quentin Roosevelt Who Was Killed In Action.

Enlargement Of Hazelhurst Field

Lindbergh Jenny

Military Experimentation On Long Island.

Devices Developed Elsewhere Were Tested Here

Aircraft Radio Equipment In 1918

Enlargement Of Aircraft Radio Equipment In 1918

Thomas Edison Bomb Sight

World War I Air Fields On Long Island

Liberty L-12 Engine Mould, 1918

Enlargement Of Liberty L-12 Engine Mould, 1918

The Birth Of An Industry

Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company, Farmingdale, New York

Sperry Gyroscope Company, Brooklyn, New York

Sound Locators To Listen For Aircraft

Sound Locator Used Before Radar Was Invented.

Curtis Aerospace And Motor Company, Garden City, N. Y.

Model Display

View From The Second Level. On The Left Is A Space Capsule Training Device. You Can 
See A Space Capsule In The Background. There Are A Couple Of Star War Storm 
Troopers And Lots Of People.

Space Capsule

Exploring Space And Early Rockets

Here You See Several Different Models Of Bi-Planes As Displayed In The Golden Age Of Aviation Gallery.

The Golden Age Gallery. Notice In The Background You Can See A twin Tail Plane. The 
Plane In The Forefront Is Capable Of Landing On Water.Spirit Of St .Louis

Lindbergh's Spirit Of St. Louis

Lindbergh's Spirit Of St. Louis

Great Flights. 

Cut Away Model Of Boeing 314 Clipper

Cut Away Model Of Boeing 314 Clipper

Model Of Pan American Sea Plane. What A Beautiful Aircraft. Pan Am Flew To  Locations
All Over The Globe And Were A Significant Story Line In Early Novels, Films And Tales.

Smaller Pan American Sea Plane

Grumman G-21 Goose. When I Was In Goose Bay Labrador I Flew On A Sea Plane Very Similar To This One To Visit Radio/Radar Sites On The Coast. It Was Interesting In That We Would Taxi Out Into The Bay And Take Off Toward The Land. Bouncing On The Rough Water
Made For A Rough Take Off.

American Aeronautical Corporation S-56 Flying Boat

Savoia Flying Boat

Volunteer Explaining About This Display. At This Point I Should Mention That Volunteers 
Are The Life Blood Of Any Museum Of This Sort. Many Of Them Have Life Experiences 
With The Items Being Displayed. Often They Work In The Background Unseen But We 
See The Results Of Their Labor Which Is A Labor Of Love.

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, New York

Grumman F3F-2

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Enlargement Of Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

Life On Long Island

U. S. Navy Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat

U. S. Navy Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat

Wildcat F4F And Wildcat F6F

Wildcat With Wings Folded Back For Storage On Aircraft Carrier

Side View Of Wildcat

Interesting Aircraft , Single Engine Behind Cabin.

Grumman F9F-7 Cougar

Grumman F9F-7 Cougar

Republic P-84B Thunderjet

Republic P-84B Thunderjet Information

Fairchild C-119 Military Transport ( The Flying Boxcar ) I have ridden on one of these.

Troop Gliders At War.

Enlargement Of Troop Gliders At War. Above It Says Glider Duty Was Not Considered  Desirable Duty.

Landing Zone In Germany March 1945. Look How Close Some Of Them Were. They Had 
No Power So They Just Rolled Or Skidded Until They Stopped.

Another View Of Landing Zone.

Looks Like This Glider Had A Rough Landing. No Matter They Were Never Retrieved.

Troops Preparing For Action After Landing.

Troop Gliders Built On Long Island

Enlargement Of Troop Gliders Built On Long Island. Interesting Fact Pointed Out Above. I
 Never Knew That The Germans Used Gliders Before We Did.

Enlargement Of Troop Gliders Built On Long Island. Most Of The Workers Were Women.

Enlargement Of Troop Gliders Built On Long Island. 

Glider Construction

Glider On Transport Vehicle

Cut Away Showing Troops Inside Glider. " One Down One To Go "

View From Second Floor Of Early Jets. Lower Left Is A Cockpit Of Jet For Close Up 
Viewing.

Early Jet

U. S. Navy Turbo Prop Jet Radar Plane.

Wide View Of The Last Several Photographs.

Floor To Ceiling Aircraft

Roosevelt Field The Final Chapter

Mitchel Field The End Of An Era

This complete our tour of the Cradle Of Aviation Museum.  Personally I enjoyed it a great deal and learned a lot of things I never heard of before. A good example of this is that in November 1955 I reported for active duty at Sheepshead Bay Air Station and spent two weeks there processing in awaiting shipment to Goose Bay, Labrador and I never knew there had once been a flying activity there. If you are ever in the area I recommend it highly. Some of the Photographs ( especially the  Gliders ) are out of order chronologically with the rest of the photographs but they tell the story and do so very effectively. I have always been greatly impressed by people who have an idea that they want to do something and they take on the task and eventually do it at great personal loss. As a youngest I was always impressed with airplanes and built every kind of model you can think of including many of the World War Two aircraft and flew them with rubber band motors from the hay loft doors of our barn. Later I built planes with small gas powered engines and controlled them with wires flying in a circle. My love for aviation was one of the two driving forces for me going to college and getting into the Air Force. I especially enjoyed being able to tour this facility with my daughter Joyce.

Again I want to tell you that God loves you and so do I.

Comment: " Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his command ". Deuteronomy 7: 9. NIV.

Grandpa Bill