FLOYD BENNETT FIELD....HISTORIC AIRFIELD

May 23, 1931---May 23, 2003 Celebrating 72 years of aviation history

Opened in 1931, Floyd Bennett Field, located at the southeastern end of Brooklyn, was New York City's first municipal airport. Named after the aviator who flew Admiral Byrd across the North Pole in 1926, the airfield was never a commercial success. But with its long concrete runways and unobstructed approaches over Jamaica Bay, Floyd Bennett Field in the 1930's made an ideal airport for record-breaking flights.

Crowds gathered regularly around the Administration Building and along the runways to cheer pioneering aviators. With frequent visits by famous pilots such as Wiley Post, Howard Hughes, and Amelia Earhart, Floyd Bennett Field became one of the most important airfields of its time and helped usher in the aviation era.

Click on photographs for larger view and more information.

circa 1937 Amelia Earhart atop her Lockheed Electra	August, 1932 Amelia Earhart greets Jim Haizlip	July, 1933 Wiley Post posing with his plane before his historic flight	July 22, 1933 Wiley Post greeted by crowds	July 26, 1933 Wiley Post parade.
circa 1933 Wiley Post without his eye-patch	F. dePinedo by his Bellanca	September 2, 1933 Francesco dePinedo crashes at Floyd.	dePinedo’s address book from the crash	July, 1935 Thor Solberg’s Loening amphibian
Amelia Earhart at Floyd	Russell Boardman, 2 days before his fatal crash	Howard Hughes at FBF--1936	1934 classic Weddell-Williams racer	September, 1938 Jackie Cochran
Attempt to cross the Atlantic	Rescue at Sea	Another crash at Floyd	Lost at Sea	Film Footage at FBF
Cuban Navy DGA 8	Codos & Rossi's "Joseph Le Brix"	Long distance flyers Codos & Rossi	Aviator Frank Hawks	The one and only "Mr. Mulligan" at FBF
Early 1930’s Ceremonial bunting on terminal building	1930’s “Winnie Mae” + other Lockheed Vegas	Mid-1930's "Flagship Skysleeper" awaiting boarders	June, 1933 James Mattern’s Lockheed Vega "Eagle”	May, 1933 James Mattern
1930’s Roscoe Turner and his lion cub.	Best Friends	Turner and "Miss Champion"	Roscoe Turner in Lion coat and paws	Roscoe Turner at Terminal building
July 14, 1938 Howard Hughes’ record world flight	Listen to Hughes speak of the flight	Hughes speaking to the media	Hughes and crowds	Hughes and Mayor LaGuardia
Two weeks after record flight	Rare Hughes postcard	July, 1938 Wrong Way Corrigan	Corrigan gets ready	Corrigan just before takeoff
Corrigan returns to FBF	Corrigan parade	New York Post with reversed Wrong Way Headline	August, 1938 Focke-Wulf lands at Floyd	May, 1939 Crowds gather around Sarabia's plane
May, 1939 Sarabia’s Gee Bee "Conquistador del Cielo"	1940 Brooklyn Dodgers	1943 Navy Pilots and Avenger aircraft	An inspection at the airfield	“Flying Pancake”
A US Navy BG-1 Bomber	The elite Blue Angels	Aerial photo of FBF	The Fuji Airship	The Winstar Airship
The Administration Building today	Concorde	Sailing the high seas	1935 Plaque to Wiley Post Found

To learn more about the history of the airfield, please visit these outstanding sites :

The Floyd Bennett Field Task Force

Historic Floyd Bennett Field

Historic Aircraft Restoration Project at FBF

Boeing C97 "Angel of Deliverance" lands at FBF!