Why famous pilots chose this New York airfield for their record attempts

Record-Breaking Flights from Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field

Floyd Bennett Field opened in 1931 as New York’s first city airport, soon to become the launch pad for aviation’s greatest dares. With America’s longest concrete runway, it drew the top pilots of the day.

Wiley Post flew solo around the world in just over seven days in 1933, taking off and landing at this Brooklyn field. Five years later, Howard Hughes cut that record to under four days.

Then came Douglas Corrigan, who filed a flight plan for California but “somehow” ended up in Dublin.

Crowds packed the runways to cheer these sky heroes who turned this humble airfield into the heart of aviation’s golden age.

New York’s Concrete Runways Welcomed the World’s Daring Pilots

Floyd Bennett Field opened on May 23, 1931, as New York City’s first city airport with the top A-1-A rating from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The opening drew 25,000 people who watched nearly 600 planes fly over in the biggest aircraft show in American history. The field had modern terminals, concrete runways, and night lights.

Pilots loved the east coast spot and long runways that let them take off with heavy fuel loads.

Two Men Flew Straight to Turkey Without Stopping

Russell Boardman and John Polando took off from Floyd Bennett Field on July 28, 1931, in their Bellanca “Cape Cod.”

They needed more runway for their fuel-heavy plane, so workers took down a fence and cleared a parking lot to add another thousand feet. The pair flew for 49 hours and 20 minutes before landing in Istanbul on July 30.

Their 5,011. 8-mile flight broke the straight-line distance record.

Wiley Post Packed Light for His Solo World Trip

At 5:10 a. m. on July 15, 1933, Wiley Post climbed into his purple and white Lockheed Vega “Winnie Mae” and left Floyd Bennett Field.

He brought only thermos bottles of water and tomato juice, three packs of gum, and a carton of zwieback. His plane had a Sperry automatic pilot and extra fuel tanks holding 645 gallons.

Post had already flown around the world in 1931 with navigator Harold Gatty, but now wanted to do it alone.

One Man Circled the Globe in Just Over a Week

Post flew about 15,596 miles with 11 stops for fuel and rest.

The trip wasn’t smooth – he flew over Nome, got lost, and crash-landed at Flat, Alaska, where he needed propeller and landing gear fixes.

He finished his solo round-the-world flight in 7 days, 18 hours, 49 minutes, and 30 seconds. More than 50,000 people packed Floyd Bennett Field on July 22, 1933, waiting for Post to land at 11:50 p.m.

Howard Hughes Aimed to Beat Post’s Record by Days

Howard Hughes and his four-man crew left Floyd Bennett Field at 7:19:10 p.m. on July 10, 1938, in a changed Lockheed Super Electra.

They called the plane “New York World’s Fair 1939” after making a deal with fair organizers.

Hughes brought along co-pilot Harry Connor, Army navigator Lieutenant Thomas Thurlow, NBC radio engineer Richard Stoddart, and flight engineer Edward Lund.

Their plane ran on two Wright Cyclone engines with 1,100 horsepower each for takeoff.

The Movie Star Pilot Smashed the World Record

Hughes and his team circled the Northern Hemisphere with stops in Paris, Moscow, Omsk, Yakutsk, Fairbanks, and Minneapolis.

They covered about 14,800 miles in 91 hours, 14 minutes, 10 seconds, with actual flying time of 71 hours, 11 minutes. The crew landed at Floyd Bennett Field at 2:34 p.m. on July 14, beating Wiley Post’s record by almost four days.

Thousands of fans waited, greeting Hughes with car horns, whistles, and sirens.

Douglas Corrigan Headed East When He Should’ve Gone West

Douglas Corrigan took off from Floyd Bennett Field at 5:15 a.m. on July 17, 1938, in his changed 1929 Curtiss Robin. He filed a flight plan for California but loaded up with 320 gallons of gas and 16 gallons of oil.

Airport manager Kenneth Behr told him to use any runway except the one pointing west toward the office building. People watched in confusion as Corrigan flew eastward and vanished into clouds without turning west.

The Pilot Who “Accidentally” Flew to Ireland

After flying 28 hours and 13 minutes, Corrigan landed near Dublin, Ireland on July 18. He stepped out and asked, “Just got in from New York.

Where am I? ” claiming he got lost because of clouds and compass problems.

For his trip, he brought only two chocolate bars, two boxes of fig bars, and a quart of water.

His plane had fuel tanks blocking his forward view, forcing him to look sideways, plus he flew without a radio and used an old compass.

Americans Loved the Pilot Who Thumbed His Nose at Rules

When Corrigan came back to New York by ship, he got parades in both New York and Chicago. More than a million New Yorkers lined Broadway for his celebration, bigger than Charles Lindbergh’s parade.

He quickly wrote his book “That’s My Story” and put his name on “wrong way” products including a backward-running watch.

Americans loved him because he stood up to authority during the Great Depression with his rickety plane.

Brooklyn’s Runways Became America’s Aviation Hot Spot

Between 1931 and 1941, Floyd Bennett Field attracted countless daredevil pilots making record flights, including Amelia Earhart, Roscoe Turner, and Jacqueline Cochran.

The field served as the starting point or finish line for 26 around-the-world or ocean-crossing flights and 10 coast-to-coast trips.

Crowds gathered regularly around the Administration Building and along the runways to cheer on these flying pioneers.

The airfield grew into one of America’s most important aviation centers and helped bring in the golden age of flight.

The Navy Took Over When War Clouds Gathered

Floyd Bennett Field’s last commercial flight left on May 26, 1941.

On June 2, 1941, the airfield became Naval Air Station New York with the job to “assemble, service, equip, and deliver naval aircraft from factory to fleet.”

Over 46,000 new planes were processed and delivered by naval air ferry squadrons based at the field during World War II.

From 1941 to 1971, the field handled key defense operations during World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War before becoming part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972.

Visiting Gateway National Recreation Area, New York

Floyd Bennett Field at 50 Aviation Road in Brooklyn is free to visit and explore where famous pilots broke world records from 1931 to 1941.

The Ryan Visitor Center opens daily 9am to 5pm from Memorial Day to mid-November.

You can see a full-scale model of Wiley Post’s “Winnie Mae” plane in Hangar B and explore underground runway tunnels during museum tours. Call (718) 338-3799 before visiting to confirm Hangar B availability.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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