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Mostly Cloudy New display takes flight at Pagan-Fletcher
Residents can learn about famous pilots
When people think of aviation history on Long Island, they probably think about Mitchel Field. But Valley Stream has played a major role, too, and Historical Society President Guy Ferrara wants people to know.
Ferrara has opened a new display at the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration, Valley Stream’s local history museum, on famous pilots from the first half of the 20th century. Several of those pilots flew in an out of Curtiss Airfield, which was located on the site now occupied by the Green Acres Mall.
Ferrara’s display includes photographs and biographical information on a dozen famous pilots, including the Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and more. Three-quarters of the pilots he selected used Curtiss Airfield at some point in their flying careers; the others he selected because of their contributions to the aviation industry.
“These people were all very special in their own way,” he said. “People should know about these great pilots and their contributions.”
He highlights Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot, who learned how to fly in France. There is information on Fay Gillis Wells, the first female pilot to parachute out of a plane to save her life. She also was a founder of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of female pilots that began at Curtiss Airfield.
Elinor Smith, who was once the youngest licensed pilot in the world, is also included. Ferrara and Smith became friends when she was 96 as Ferrara was seeking to have a historical marker placed at the old Curtiss Airfield site, which was put up in 2009.
Smith’s daughters, Patricia and Pamela Sullivan, spoke at the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration in December 2009, just a few months before their mother’s death.
“People don’t realize that women love aviation just as much as men,” Ferrara said, “and did some wonderful things.”
