Millions of people pass through Roosevelt Field each year to shop, dine and catch a movie. Few realize that the area once stood at the center of some of the most important developments in aviation history. In the 20th century, more than 70 airfields once dotted Long Island and Queens.
Long before Long Island became known for its suburbs, pilots were taking to the skies over the Hempstead Plains, testing new aircraft and helping shape the future of flight. Today, much of that history is preserved at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale and by the Long Island Early Fliers Club and Education Foundation at Bayport Aerodrome both run by volunteers.
One of the lesser-known figures in Long Island aviation history is Earle Ovington, an early aviator whose name now appears on a road near the museum. Ovington carried some of the nation’s first air mail during a demonstration flight over Mineola to Garden City. The plane was built the exact opposite of the way engines are built today – with a rotary engine, the engine turns with the prop.
Roosevelt Field began as a simple grass airfield on the Hempstead Plains, and there is far more history there than the departure point for Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 trans-Atlantic flight to Paris. Before becoming one of the country’s busiest aviation hubs, the area consisted of the wide-open Hempstead Plains, where aviation pioneers tested aircraft, established flying schools and introduced thousands of spectators to powered flight. The nearby Long Island Railroad and early roadways made the area easily accessible, helping transform the plains into one of America’s earliest centers of aviation innovation.
Long Island also played an important role in expanding opportunities for women in aviation. Pioneers included Harriet Quimby, the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. And Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Both helped break barriers in a field long dominated by men. Quimby learned to fly at the Moisant Aviation School on Long Island in 1911, one of the few flight schools of the era that accepted women as students.
Long Island’s aviation industry expanded rapidly during World War II. Companies including Curtiss, Republic and Grumman manufactured thousands of military aircraft on Long Island, supporting the Allied war effort while employing tens of thousands of workers. That expertise later carried into the Space Race, when Grumman engineers designed and built the Lunar Module that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon, securing Long Island’s place in aerospace history.
Many of the artifacts preserving that history are originals rather than reproductions. The Long Island Early Fliers owns Lindbergh’s original Curtiss Jenny — the airplane he used while barnstorming before his historic flight to Paris — which is on long-term loan to the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Museum historians authenticated the aircraft after restorers discovered Lindbergh’s initials inside repaired wing ribs, and Lindbergh later confirmed it was his airplane.
The foundation also houses one of the region’s most significant collections of aviation history, including original photographs dating to the early 1910s, pilot logbooks, uniforms, technical manuals and rare aviation books donated by former pilots and their families. Volunteers continue organizing and preserving the growing archive to ensure Long Island’s aviation story is not lost.
Visitors to Long Island Early Fliers Education Foundation can also view a large map documenting the dozens of airports that once operated across Long Island and Queens. The display identifies former aviation landmarks including Roosevelt Field, Mitchel Field, Curtiss Field, Flushing Airport, Zahn’s Airport, Republic Airport, Brookhaven Airport and many others while explaining what eventually became of each site. Many have since been replaced by neighborhoods, highways, shopping centers and office parks, offering a striking reminder of how dramatically Long Island’s landscape has changed over the past century.
To help support its preservation efforts, the nonprofit foundation hosts community events throughout the year, including opening its facilities for community gatherings. They also hold weddings and small gatherings. The events help sustain the organization’s educational and restoration efforts. Visit info@liefef.com. And for more information on how to view original archives, visit New York Heritage.
