Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long before drones, a topic some Baldwin High School students are now studying, brothers Albert and Arthur Heinrich launched their own piece of aviation history on that very soil in 1910.
The two young inventors built and flew the first successful all-American monoplane on what is now the site of Plaza Elementary School, at 501 Seaman Ave.
Now, 115 years later, students continued that legacy on Oct. 28 through Baldwin School District’s inaugural Navigation Day, a hands-on STEM event celebrating both the science of flight and the community’s rich role in American aviation.
The program has teamed students from the high school’s STEM/Engineering Academy, who have enrolled in the district’s Introduction to Drones course, with Brookside Elementary School’s fourth graders for an exploration of air and sea navigation, featuring engineers and aviation experts from Lockheed Martin, a leading aerospace and defense company, and members of the Lufbery Flyers, a Long Island-based model aviation club, joined the event.
Gabriella Franza, the district’s assistant director for instructional programs, who helped orchestrate the event, said the high school’s involvement grew from student interest.
“We have an Introduction to Drones course that students take, and there was a large student interest in what additional careers they can do with the skills they were learning in the class,” she said. “Navigation applies directly with the skills they are learning in this class, and the skills they learn with the simulators they use from drones are similar to systems used for flight and submarine navigation.”
During morning sessions at the high school, students learned about aviation safety, the principles of flight and what it takes to become a certified radio-controlled pilot. The sessions included live demonstrations of drones and model aircraft, as well as a presentation from Lockheed Martin on submarine navigation, giving students a look at how similar principles apply below the ocean’s surface.
“The STEM/Engineering Academy aims to provide students with a multitude of learning experiences to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the challenges of the emerging global community through dynamic, technology-based programs,” Franza said. “This is exactly that.”
In the afternoon, lessons continued at Brookside, where upper-grade students built and tested paper gliders with the help of the Lufbery Flyers, experimenting firsthand with aerodynamics and flight control.
“The goal is to make the students excited about STEM and all that it has to offer,” Franza said of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “We want them to remember these experiences, so they can be excited about STEM, aviation and navigation.”
Franza stressed the importance of connecting students with professionals in the field.
“Students have the ability to learn from people that are using these skills in the real world,” she said. “This shows the applicability of learning and also gives insight to how navigation is executed.”
Early exposure, she said, can spark long-term interest in STEM.
“I had many students come up to me after the event and share that they want to now practice with drones, after seeing the team fly the drone through the basketball hoop. That is immediate feedback on how these programs create change.”
The event reflects Baldwin’s continuing commitment to STEM innovation, connecting classroom learning with real-world applications and career pathways. Franza added that students were already familiar with Baldwin’s aviation legacy through district collaborations.
“Through our previous collaborations with the Cradle of Aviation, as well as a visit by astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, they have been exposed to Baldwin’s history,” she said. “In addition, the Lufbery Flyers helped support the day, who is named after Raoul Lufbery.”
That hands-on approach also pays homage to Baldwin’s pioneering place in aviation history. The Heinrich brothers, who were once speedboat racers, were self-taught aviators who turned their curiosity and engineering skills skyward, creating a groundbreaking aircraft that took flight just years after the Wright Brothers’ first powered plane.
A historic marker outside Plaza Elementary commemorates the Heinrichs’ achievement, stating “the first all-American monoplane was built and flown at this location by Albert and Arthur Heinrich, aged 21 and 23, in 1910.”
Two decades later, another chapter of Baldwin’s aviation story began when Leroy Grumman, a Cornell-educated engineer and veteran flight instructor, co-founded the Grumman Corporation in 1930 in a former car dealership in Baldwin. The company would later relocate to Valley Stream, Farmingdale, and eventually Bethpage, becoming a cornerstone of American aerospace innovation.
Through Navigation Day, Baldwin educators expressed hope that their students will be inspired to follow in those footsteps — or flight paths — as they chart their own course in science and technology.
