Photos of Historic Floyd Bennett Field

Updated: January 4, 2005

Historic Floyd Bennett Field
Photo Archive - Sorted by Date
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1930? - Mayor LaGuardia at the Floyd Bennett Field groundbreaking ceremony. (Unknown Photographer)

1931? - "To Improve Road To Floyd Bennett Field. The Flatbush Avenue approach to Floyd Bennett Field at Barren Island is to be widened sixteen feet from Avenue N. to the Rockaway Ferry landing in time for the opening of the new city-owner airport, scheduled for May, it was announced at the office of borough President Hesterberg. The present width of this strip of Highway is twenty-four feet and when the pavement is widened to forty feet there will be space for four traffic lanes, according to Borough Engineer Philip P. Farley. The improvement will be of a temporary nature. A permanent highway seventy-two feet wide is planned for the borough approach to their airport. Work on the permanent highway which calls for complete repaving of the used section of the roadbed and an addition of thirty-two feet of new pavement is scheduled to start next Fall". (Unknown Photographer)

1930's? - DC-2 or DC-3? (Rudy Arnold Photo)

1930's? - Curtiss P-36A Hawk. (Rudy Arnold Photo)

1930's? - Grumman Goose (JRF-2?). (Rudy Arnold Photo)

1930's - A USCG Hall PH-3 at USCG Air Sation Brooklyn) (USCG Official Photo)

1930's - A USCG Hall PH-6 water taxiing at USCG Air Sation Brooklyn) (USCG Official Photo)

1930's? - Unknown racing aircraft 400 and pilot. (Rudy Arnold Photo)

1930's? - Unknown racing aircraft. (Rudy Arnold Photo)

May 1931 - Ford Trimotor in front of Hangar 8. (Unknown Photographer)

1933 - Russ Boardman's R1 Gee Bee Racer at Floyd Bennett Field. (Unknown Photographer)

1930's? - Martin T4M-1 Number 10 (BuNo A7617) with NRAB New York markings at FBF. This torpedo bomber had a crew of three and was powered by a 525 HP P&W R-1690-24 Hornet engine. It was armed with one .30 caliber macine gun in the rear, two above, and one 1,610 lb torpedo. 102 of these planes were delivered to the Navy on Dec 20, 1928. (Unknown Photographer)

1930's? - N2Y1 fighter with parasite equipment from airship USS Akron at FBF. (Unknown Photographer)

1930's? - SBU-2 Number 837 at NRAB New York. (Unknown Photographer)

April 5, 1933 - Three Survivors of Akron Disaster Leave for Washington. Brooklyn, New York: Left to right, Seaman Richard Deal, Seaman Moody Erwin, and Lieutenant Commander Harvey V. Wiley, at Floyd Bennett Airport just before they left by airplane for Washington. They are believed to be the only survivors of 76, of the disaster that overwhelmed the US naval dirigible Akron on Tuesday, April 4. (Unknown Photographer)

1935 - DGA6 aircraft tail number NR273Y "Mister Mulligan" in front of Hangar 1. (Unknown Photographer)

1935 - Another photo of DGA6 "Mister Mulligan". (Unknown Photographer)

April 21, 1936 - Pilot Howard Hughes and his Wright Cyclone powered Northrup Gamma lands at FBF after flying from from Miami in 4 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds, establishing a new speed record. (Unknown Photographer)

July 1936 - Howard Hughes' Northrup Gamma 2G lands at at Floyd Bennett Field after a record transcontinental flight from West to East in 9 hours and 26 minutes. (Unknown Photographer)

July 1937 - Douglas "Wrong-Way" Corrigan poses with his Curtiss Robin aircraft after flying from Floyd Bennett Field in New York and landing in Dublin, Ireland, while enroute to California. (Unknown Photographer)

1938 - Old Control Tower and Administration Building. (Unknown Photographer)

Late 1930's - Grumman J2F-6 Number 89 at NAS New York. (Unknown Photographer)

Late 1930's - SBC-4 from NAS New York inflight. (Rudy Arnold Photograph)

1940's? - USCG Northrup RT1 Delta at USCG Air Station New York. (Unknown Photographer)

1941 - A Wright Whirlwind powered Howard Monoplane named "Teniente Menedez" of the Cuban Navy shown at the USCG Hangar at Floyd Bennett Field after visiting 22 countries. The flags of each country are displayed on the left side of the aircraft. The plane was flown by Commander Oscar Rivery, Lt Juan Rios Montenegro, and Sgt Frank Medina on a 20,000 mile "Good Will Tour" of the Americas. (Unknown Photographer)

April 9, 1941 - "AMERICAN BOMBERS FOR BRITAIN. Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y.-More than thirty Lockheed "Hudson" bombers being prepared for shipment to Great Britain, pictured in this shot from the air. Some of the planes have already been dismantled for shipment. The lighter plane in the center, background, is an American ship in operation here."

1944 - Navy personnel wait at bus stop on Flatbush Avenue after a winter snowstorm. (Unknown Photographer)

June 1945 - USCG Pilot Lt Graham lifts Ensign Genn with a rescue winch equipped R-4 (Unknown Photographer)

1940's? - USCG R-4 helicopter practicing a landing on the "Mal de Mer" (sea sick) trainer at Floyd Bennett Field. This moving platform simulated the movement of a ship at sea to allow pilots to practice landings. (Unknown Photographer)

1940's? - PBY Number 207 near seaplane ramp at NAS New York. (Unknown Photographer)

1940's? - Japanese Zuiun on seaplane ramp at NAS New York. (Unknown Photographer)

1940's? - Aerial photo of Floyd Bennett Field during World War 2. Note the large number of aircraft on the ramp along Flatbush Avenue and the large seaplanes along Jamaica Bay near Hangar B. (Unknown Photographer)

1944 - "NAS Beam Yearbook from Floyd Bennett Field photos found on eBay.

1944 - "NAS Beam Page 2.

1944 - "NAS Beam Page 3.

1944 - "NAS Beam Page 4.

1948 - Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat, possibly from VF-11 "Red Rippers", at an airshow at FBF. (Unknown Photographer).

1948 - Grumman XF9F-2 Panther at an airshow at FBF. This aircraft was the first Panther built. The XF9F-1 never left the drawing board, it was to have eight small turbojet engines buried in the wings, and this design was abandoned when a suitable engine was developed. (Unknown Photographer).

1948 - Grumman Widgeon (JRF-1?) at an airshow at FBF. (Unknown Photographer).

1948 - Sikorsky HOS3-1 Dragonfly. This type of helicopter was featured in the motion picture "Bridges at Toko-Ri", Micky Rooney played the helicopter pilot. The HOS3-1 helicopter performed the first rescues of downed pilots in enemy territory during the Korean War. Note the Bell Aircraft XFL-1 Airabonita in the background. This was the Navy version of the Bell P-39 Airacobra. The success of the Corsair led the Navy to decide on May 12, 1941 that the XFL-1 was unsuitable for further development and the project was abandoned with only one example ever being built, and here it is at Floyd Bennett Field seven years later. Special thanks to Ken Zang for this info! (Unknown Photographer).

1948 - In June of 1947, Vought Test Pilot Boone T. Guyton flew the V-173 from the Vought factory at Stratford, Connecticut to FBF to participate in the Navy Day Airshow. This was the last flight of this aircraft as the program was cancelled soon after. The V-173 was a test bed for the Chance Vought X5U-1 "Flying Pancake". This aircraft could take off and land in a very short distance, deriving a large portion of its lift from the airflow from the huge propellers blowing across the wings. Boone T. Guyton was the test pilot who flew the XF4U-1 Corsair on its first flight. (Note the XFL-1 in the background here also) (Unknown Photographer)

1948 - Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A Catalina at an airshow at FBF.(Unknown Photographer)

1948 - Chance Vought F4U-1D Corsair, it can be distinguished from the F4U-1A by the lengthened tail wheel strut. Without the Bureau Number it is impossible to distinguish it from a Goodyear FG-1D, which is identical to the F4U. Goodyear was a second source manufacturer for the Corsair. It is beleived that the Corsairs flown from Floyd Bennett in the ‘50s were FG-1D’s. Special thanks to Ken Zang! (Unknown Photographer)

1949 - Two PBY's (206 and 20?) from NAS New York (Photo by McKenna).

1947 - A beautiful shot of PBY-6A, USN 64063, as #207 at NAS New York (Photo by William T Larkins from McKenna).

1950 - Ercoup. (Unknown Photographer)

1950's? - AF2 Guardians from NAS New York, Floyd Bennett Field.(Unknown Photographer)

1950 - NAS New York Crash Crew (Photo by Gerald Kogan of the NAS NY Photo Lab).

1950's - NAS New York housing after snowstorm.

1950's - NAS New York housing after snowstorm.

1952 - PBY airborne at NAS New York (Photo by McKenna).

April 20, 1955 - "It's a Walk Away for Navy's New Crane. New York: The Navy's new MB-1 mobile crane literally picks up a four engine bomber and walks away with it just as if it didn't weigh 40 tons. The crane put on its first public demonstration today at the Floyd Bennett Field Naval Air Station here. Among its practical uses, it can lift a plane off the ground for regular checks on the hydraulic landing gear systems. The 48 ton giant can travel at speeds up to 40 mph, it can raise 40 tons and lower it so gently that an egg beneath the load can be cracked without smashing the shell. Its 325 horsepower engine is electrically controlled from fingertip switches mounted on an instrument panel. (Photograph: Arthur Sasse)

August 23, 1955 - "British Jet Lands on One Day London New York Flight. Floyd Bennett Air Base, Brooklyn, New York, New York: A British Canberra jet plane piloted by John Hackett is shown touching ground as it landed at Floyd Bennett Naval Air Base this morning on the first leg of a record breaking attempt to fly from London to New York and back in a single day. The Canberra left London at 2:17 am and landed at Floyd Bennett at 9:48 am after a 15 minute refueling stopover the pilot took off again for the return flight." (Photographer: H.J. Reinhart )

Dec 1955 - Photo 1 - Transport aircraft at NAS New York. Does anyone what is happening here? (Photos from www.50snavy.com)

Dec 1955 - Photo 2 - Transport aircraft at NAS New York. Does anyone what is happening here? (Photos from www.50snavy.com)

Dec 1955 - Photo 3 - Transport aircraft at NAS New York. Does anyone what is happening here? (Photos from www.50snavy.com)

July 16, 1957 - Marine Corps Major John Glenn, Jr., 36, is greeted by his wife, Claire, and their children David, 11, and Lynn, 10, shortly after he landed his Navy jet plane (background) at Floyd Bennett Field, after a flight from California. Major Glenn made the flight in the fastest time in history (3 hours, 23 minutes), but missed by 9 minutes his goal of matching the speed of sound. (Unknown Photographer)

July 16, 1957 - "Less Trouble Than Driving a Car Down the Highway.." Floyd Bennett Field, New York... Marine Corps Major John Glenn Jr., of New Concord, Ohio, waves from the cockpit of his silver Navy jet fighter in which he rocketed across the nation today in the fastest time in history. Major Glenn surpassed in flight the speed of sound or the fastest pistol bullet, but missed by nine minutes his goal of matching the speed of sound at sea level across country. Elapsed time was three hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds, beating the former record by 21 minutes, 45 seconds. The spunky Marine pilot said the 2,446 mile hop from Los Angeles to New York at speeds ranging up to 1,015 miles per hour was "less trouble than driving a car down the highway." (Unknown Photographer)

1960's? - North American FJ-3 with 7R tail code indicating that it was a Naval Reserve aircraft. (Unknown Photographer)

1960's? - Lockheed P-2 Neptune number 207, BuNo 131555 at Floyd Bennett Field. (Unknown Photographer)

1960's? - C-46 and P-2 Neptunes. (Unknown Photographer)

1960's? - Painting of Grumman F9F. (Artist Rich Dann)

1960's? - USCG Grumman HU-16 Number 7245 in flight. Note AirSta Brooklyn markings on nose. (USCG Photographer)

1960's? - Jet aircraft BuNo 130951 at NAS New York, Floyd Bennett Field. (Unknown Photographer)

1960's? - Carrier Landing Practice: A-4 Skyhawk and LSO at Floyd Bennett Field. (Unknown Photographer)

May 14, 1965 - Four HU-16E 'Albatross' planes (7239, 7232, 1262, and 7255) on flight line at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, Brooklyn. Taken during demonstrations for visitors attending North Atlantic Seminar on Search & Rescue. (USCG Official Photo 05-14-65(03))

In 1968 or 1969, a fire on a windy day destroyed the Enlisted Mans Club and the Chapel at Floyd Bennett Field. Here are six photos provided by Gerry Flynn... Fire Photo 1.. Fire Photo 2 .. Fire Photo 3 .. Fire Photo 4 .. Fire Photo 5 .. Fire Photo 6
1969 - VA-55 A-4F BuNo. 154989, side number NP 514 from the United States Ship Hancock visits Naval Air Station New York (Floyd Bennett Field). This was a very clean, neat aircraft when compared to the old A-4s flown by the Floyd Bennett Marine Air Reserve squadron which didn't look half as good. Rear view of BuNo. 154989. Photograph from Don Bender.

1969 - Rear view of BuNo. 154989. Photographs from Don Bender.

Do you want to see more photos of Floyd Bennett Field? Click here to see Jaytee's extensive online photo archive of Historic Floyd Bennett Field, or see the Floyd Bennett Field Task Force web site.

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