Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
New York City, Brooklyn
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 2/16/08.
Barren Island Airport / Floyd Bennett Field / New York NAS / Brooklyn CGAS (revised 2/16/08) - Governor's Island AAF (added 7/18/04)
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Governor's Island Army Airfield, Governor's Island, NY
40.69 North / 74.02 West (South of Manhattan, NY)
An undated (circa 1955?) aerial view looking north at Governor's Island (courtesy of Ed Drury),
with the Manhattan skyline visible in the background.
The runway was still recognizable in the center of the island,
but it was already bracketed by several baseball diamonds.
How many residents of New York City know about this former military airfield
which was located on an island in the middle of New York Harbor, right next to the Statue of Liberty?
Governor's Island's connection to aviation goes all the way back to September 29, 1909,
when Wilbur Wright made the 1st flight from the Island around the Statue of Liberty.
Another historic flight occurred the following year on May 29th
when Glenn Curtis landed on the Island to complete his flight from Albany
and win a $10,000 prize offered by Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World.
During the next few years other flights from the Island were made by aviation pioneers,
and from May 1916 to March 1917, an aviation training center was operated there.
With the approval of Major General Leonard Wood, Commander of Governors Island,
a group of civilians established the flying school to promote the development of military aviation.
A memorial in honor of these early flights was erected on the south side of Liggett Hall on December 17, 1954
by the "Early Birds", an organization of "those who flew solo before December 17, 1916."
The next phase in the timeline of Governor's Island's connection to aviation came in the 1950s,
when the U.S. Army established a grass landing strip on the island.
The date of establishment of the Governor's Island Army Airfield has not been precisely determined.
It evidently was constructed at some point between 1950-57,
as it was not yet depicted on the 1950 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The earliest chart depiction of the Governor's Island airfield which has been located
was on the 1957 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
It depicted Governor's Island AAF as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Governor's Island AAF as having a single 2,140' unpaved Runway 4/22.
The 1962 NY Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe)
depicted Governor's Island AAF as having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
According to CAP Lt. Col. Henry Deutch, “Prior to the closing of the airfield on Governor's Island
all 1st Army aviation was headquartered at Fort Jay.
When Capehart Family Housing replaced the Governor's Island Airfield
1st Army Fixed Wing Operations were transferred to Miller Army Airfield.”
The Governor's Island AAF was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1962-65,
as it was no longer depicted on the 1965 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
By 1966, Governor's Island itself had been ceded by the Army to the Coast Guard,
who apparently did not find any need for an airfield on their new island.
The 1994 USGS aerial photo depicted the area formerly occupied by the grass runway on Governor's Island as still open,
but it was reused as baseball fields.
The Coast Guard vacated Governor's Island in 1996.
The island has been planned to be reopened as a park,
but those plans have been continually delayed,
and the island is still not open to the public, as of 2004.
A circa 2001-2005 USGS aerial photo showed the area formerly occupied by the grass runway on Governor's Island to still remain open.
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Barren Island Airport / Floyd Bennett Field / New York Naval Air Station /
Brooklyn Coast Guard Air Station (NOP), Brooklyn, NY
40.6 North / 73.9 West (Southwest of Kennedy Airport)
A circa 1928-29 photo of an Epps Model 1924 monoplane at Barren Island Airport.
The 1st airport on this site was a small field named Barren Island Airport.
Pilot Paul Rizzo established established Barren Island Airport in 1927.
He used a compacted dirt runway to take up customers for joy-rides.
A few years later, Clarence Chamberlin, appointed by Mayor Jimmy Walker,
chose Paul Rizzo's Barren Island Airport Site to become the 1st New York City Municipal Airport, Floyd Bennett Field.
Floyd Bennett Field was constructed in 1929,
using reclaimed land from Jamaica Bay to create an expanded site.
As initially constructed in 1929, Floyd Bennett Field had 2 concrete runways:
4,000' Runway 6/24 & 3,100' Runway 15/33.
Upon completion of the field,
Floyd Bennett was selected by the Navy as the site of one of eight Naval Reserve Bases,
with the mission of providing flight training.
Navy operations began at the field in 1931, which was designated Brooklyn Naval Air Station.
The Army mail service also shared the field in the early years.
A Seversky floatplane over the Floyd Bennett runway in 1933.
An aerial view looking southeast at Floyd Bennet Field, looking northeast,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The directory described Floyd Bennet Field as having 2 concrete runways:
4,200' northeast/southwest & 3,110' northwest/southeast.
The aerial photo in the directory depicted eight hangars, flanking the administration building.
These hangars were described as "fireproof",
and they were said to "offer the finest facilities & the most modern improvements in hangar design."
A seaplane ramp was said to already be in use,
with "a large seaplane base" planned,
"construction work on 2 seaplane hangars" to be started in the near future.
The operators were listed as Erickson & Remmert,
Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company, Inc., United Air Services,
and the U.S. Naval Reserve Base.
The Army mail service moved from Floyd Bennett to Mitchel Field in 1934.
Floyd Bennett Field, as depicted on the 1934 U.S. Navy Aviation Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Roscoe Turner's Weddell-Williams racer, as he arrived on September 1, 1934 at Floyd Bennett Field
after flying from Burbank, CA to New York in 10 hours 2 minutes, establishing a new speed record.
The Floyd Bennett administration building & control tower are in the background.
Floyd Bennett Field, as depicted on the 1935 Regional Aeronautical Chart.
In 1936, the 3,500' Runway 1/19 & the 3,200' Runway 13/30 were added,
and Runway 15/33 was slightly lengthened to 3,500'.
A 1937 poster promoting Floyd Bennett Field.
An aerial view of Floyd Bennet Field, looking northeast,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The directory described Floyd Bennet Field as a municipal airport.
It was described as having four concrete runways,
with the longest being a 4,200' northeast/southwest runway.
The aerial photo in the directory depicted eight hangars, flanking the administration building.
These hangars were described as "fireproof",
and they were said to "offer the finest facilities & the most modern improvements in hangar design."
Julian Goldman recalled, “When I was a kid, I worked for my 1st airplane ride in 1937
with Jack Loesing, chief pilot for Erickson & Remmerrt.
Loesing had a devil painted on the rudder & was called the red devil.
Dick Swanson had a Waco C & had Popeye painted on the rudder.
Eddy Lions had an old Curtiss Robin with a lion on the rudder.
Those were lean days & they all struggled to make a living.”
A 1930s aerial view looking north at the Floyd Bennett hangars.
Photo courtesy of The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island via Leo Polaski
"These photographs do not belong to me, they belong to the respective Museums.
ALL permission to use these photographs in publications MUST be obtained from the Museums,
I ONLY have permission to post here as long as no profit is obtained by me."
A circa 1938 photo (courtesy of Norman Kellman) of an unidentified aircraft
in front of a hangar at Floyd Bennett entitled "Erickson and Remmert Inc.".
Floyd Bennett Field's most storied flight was probably that of Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan
who in 1938, after repeatedly being denied permission by the authorities to attempt a non-stop flight to Ireland,
"accidentally" crossed the Atlantic in a second-hand surplus aircraft on a flight registered to go to California.
In the midst of the Great Depression a hero-starved nation hailed Corrigan for his "accident",
even unto giving him a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan upon his return (the authorities had him sail back on a ship).
Three 1939 pictures taken at Floyd Bennett Field (courtesy of Julian Goldman).
The top photo is of Julian Goldman in front of a Waco N biplane, NC19399, owned by Erickson & Remmert.
The center picture of the Waco N coming back after a sightseeing ride.
The bottom picture is a Stinson Gullwing was flown by a guy named Kenny Neville, who also took people for rides.”
By 1939, the newer & larger LaGuardia Airport had become New York City's primary municipal airport.
Therefore, by 1941 Floyd Bennett was completely taken over by the Navy,
which renamed it New York NAS.
A pre-WW2 photo of an unidentified man with a Focke-Wolfe Condor in front of a Floyd Bennett hangar.
Photo courtesy of The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island via Leo Polaski
"These photographs do not belong to me, they belong to the respective Museums.
ALL permission to use these photographs in publications MUST be obtained from the Museums,
I ONLY have permission to post here as long as no profit is obtained by me."
A 1941 photo of large numbers of Navy aircraft at Floyd Bennett Field.
A new 5,000' Runway 6/24 was constructed in 1942,
running perpendicular to Flatbush Avenue on the North side of the field.
The original Runway 6/24 became taxiways T-1 & T-2 at this point,
and the original Runway 15/33 also became taxiway T-10.
Runways 1/19 & 12/30 were both lengthened to 5,000'.
as used inside a hangar at CGAS Brooklyn.
Capt Frank Erickson directed the helicopter training squadron for the Navy,
and trained students from all the US armed forces plus Canadians & British military students.
A WW2-era aerial view looking southeast at New York NAS (National Archives photo).
During WW2, the base reached a peak complement of 6,500,
and operated both land planes & seaplanes from an adjacent ramp.
A primary mission of the base was the testing & delivery
of newly completed aircraft from nearby factories.
During WW2, Floyd Bennett had one satellite field, Rockaway NAS.
The incredible Chance-Vought V-173 "Flying Flapjack" at Floyd Bennett in 1947.
A 1947 photo of a Lockheed R6O Constitution at Floyd Bennett Field.
The Constitution remains the largest fixed-wing aircraft type ever operated by the U.S. Navy.
Photo courtesy of The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island via Leo Polaski
"These photographs do not belong to me, they belong to the respective Museums.
ALL permission to use these photographs in publications MUST be obtained from the Museums,
I ONLY have permission to post here as long as no profit is obtained by me."
A Boeing PB-1G (Coast Guard version of the B-17) at Floyd Bennett in 1948.
Commercial flying at the field resumed after WW2,
and it was once again called Floyd Bennett Municipal Airport.
The Navy continued some operations at the field,
with a Naval Air Reserve Training Center being the primary remaining Navy use.
A circa 1965 photo (courtesy of Norman Kellman)
of NAS New York's main gate, off of Flatbush Avenue.
NAS New York was described on the 1965 NY Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
as having a total of four bituminous & concrete runways, with the longest being 7,000'.
However, the remarks included, "Runway 15/33 closed."
NAS New York was deactivated in 1971
and most of the land transferred to the National Park Service.
Their property became the Gateway National Recreation Area in 1974.
The remaining property (constituting the area occupied by Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn)
officially transferred to the Coast Guard & no longer leased.
After the closure of the runways to fixed-wing aircraft,
Floyd Bennett was used for a few years as a base for helicopter units
of the Coast Guard & New York City Police.
The 1979 USGS topo map labeled the site as “Nav Res”.
"CGAS Brooklyn" was labeled "Heliport Only" on the 1979 NY TCA Chart (courtesy of Bill Suffa),
although the runways were still depicted as well.
The 1988 USGS topo map labeled the site as “Brooklyn Heliport”.
As seen in the 1992 USGS aerial photo of Floyd Bennett Field,
three paved runways (the longest is approximately 7,500' long),
extensive ramps & numerous hangars still exist.
The 1992 USGS topo map still labeled the site as “U.S. Naval Air Station Floyd Bennett Field”,
even though it had ceased to be a Navy installation 21 years earlier.
A 1994 photo by Alan Malachowsky from final approach to Runway 30, of which a 1,000' portion was re-painted
for a small fly-in of aircraft commemorating the field's 50th anniversary.
Since July 1997 the Marine Corps Reserve's 6th Communication Battalion
has been based on the southeast portion of Floyd Bennett Field.
In the 1990s, budget considerations prompted the Coast Guard to consolidate the helicopter operations
of Brooklyn & Cape May NJ at a new location at Atlantic City International Airport.
The new facility at Atlantic City opened in 1998,
at which point the Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn was decommissioned.
The majority of the former Coast Guard property then transferred to the National Park Service.
A small portion remained in the possession of the USCG parent agency at the time (the Department of Transportation),
and a Doppler radar tower was placed there for use by nearby Kennedy International Airport.
The NYPD moved their aviation operation from a historic hangar
to the former Coast Guard air station facilities shortly afterward.
That left the NYPD as the only remaining aviation unit on the field,
and the airfield was renamed "NYPD Air Operations Heliport".
A 1998 Park Service map of Floyd Bennett Field.
in front of the original terminal & control tower.
One of the historic hangars, now used by the NYPD Air Operations Unit.
The terminal & control tower are now being restored
by the Park Service as the Ryan Visitor Center.
There is also a small aviation museum on the field,
the Northeast Aircraft Restoration Facility,
which has been occasionally allowed to fly in aircraft being added to their collection,
even after the closure of the runways at Floyd Bennett.
A 2002 photo by Tom Turner of a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter,
being restored by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation inside a hangar at Floyd Bennett.
A 2003 photo by Tom Turner of an Airship Industries Skyship 600 which operated from the east ramp at Floyd Bennett.
Aviator Sports & Recreation Complex & the National Park Service began their relationship in 2003
to adaptively reuse 4 of Floyd Bennett Field's original hangars (combining them into one 170,000 square foot building)
and surrounding land, creating a sports complex totaling 25 acres.
As a historic site, the NPS has set forth strict guidelines
in order to uphold the integrity of the airport hangars that are in use by Aviator Sports & Recreation.
Any modifications made to the hangars are to adhere to the requirements set forth
to preserve the original aesthetic structure of the hangars.
Aviator Sports and Recreation and the NPS have made a commitment to promote the airport's history
to insure that the contributions of Floyd Bennett Field are memorialized
for the education of all visitors to Aviator Sports & Recreation.
A 2005 aerial photo by Paul Freeman, taken from a Diamond Eclipse at 8,000 feet, looking southeast at Floyd Bennett.
A circa 2005 aerial photo looking north at the former Floyd Bennett terminal building.
A circa 2005 aerial photo looking north at a police Bell 206 JetRanger in front of a hangar on the east side of Floyd Bennett Field.
A diagram of the Aviator Sports & Recreation Complex, which opened in November 2006.
The complex was built by reusing portions of 4 original hangars on the west side of Floyd Bennett Field (along with modern construction in between),
creating 170,000 square feet of indoor recreation space.
A 2006 photo of Concorde G-BOAD being towed in front of the Aviator Sports & Recreation complex on the Floyd Bennett ramp.
The historic SST had been displayed alongside Manhattan's Pier 86 at the USS Intrepid museum complex,
but the operators of Aviator Sports & Recreation agreed to temporarily relocate the plane to Floyd Bennett Field for 18 months
during the renovation of the Pier 86 complex.
The Concorde’s owner, British Airways, wanted the plane to stay on view in the city,
to continue serving as a billboard for the airline, a spokesman said.
The Concorde was towed on its barge to a ramp that extends into Jamaica Bay on the east side of Floyd Bennett Field.
A crane then lifted it onto a runway where with its oleos re-inflated,
it was towed across a runway to be parked in front of the the hangars that had been converted to house Aviator’s ice-skating rinks & basketball courts.
Aviator’s management hoped that the Concorde would draw attention to the center.
A 2007 photo by Mark Williams looking south at the west ramp of Floyd Bennett,
with the former terminal building & a Concorde SST at the bottom.
A 2007 photo by Mark Williams looking east at Floyd Bennett Field.
As of 2007, the New York City Police Department has some divisions located on the historic former airfield.
The department's aviation base, with its fleet of Bell Jet Ranger helicopters,
is housed in space leased from the National Park Service that was once the United States Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn,
and is also now the headquarters for the NYPD Emergency Services Unit.
The Driver Training Unit is also located there,
using a section of former runway to teach new & veteran officers on the operation of the many different vehicles used by the department.
As seen in a 2007 aerial photo of Floyd Bennett Field,
three paved runways (the longest is approximately 7,500' long),
extensive ramps & numerous hangars still exist.
A September 8, 2007 aerial view by Stephen Moran on approach to Floyd Bennett's Runway 24 for a Fly In.
A September 8, 2007 aerial view by Stephen Moran looking north at Floyd Bennett Field during a Fly In.
A September 8, 2007 photo by Stephen Moran of a ski-equipped Lockheed LC-130 Hercules coming into Floyd Bennett for a Fly In.
A September 8, 2007 photo by Stephen Moran of a Grumman Avenger in front of the Floyd Bennett control tower
along with numerous other aircraft during a Fly In.
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