Floyd Bennett Field Map (click to enlarge)
OPERATING HOURS
Floyd Bennett Field is part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. Only those who are camping, doing business at Aviator Sports, or have a nighttime fishing permit are allowed on the property after hours.
The William Fitts Ryan Visitor Center is open daily between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM from Memorial Day weekend until mid-November, and from 9 AM until 12 PM on weekends at all other times of the year. The Visitor Center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to visit the National Park Service’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule.
ACTIVITIES
Floyd Bennett Field is host to a number of attractions and activities. See the following web pages for details:
FEES
While there are no fees associated with entering Floyd Bennett Field, there are fees for nighttime fishing access, camping, and for using the various sports facilities. See the above listed activity web pages for fee information.
HISTORY OF FLOYD BENNETT FIELD
Floyd Bennett Field opened in 1931 as the first municipal airport in New York City and operated until 1941. Because the United States had not suffered damage to its transportation infrastructure during World War I as did all of Europe, and because it did not have hundreds of aircraft built for the war now sitting idle, there was not a big demand for air travel after the war. In the 1920s and 30s it was the U. S. Postal Service that made up the bulk of the demand for air travel. Struggling airlines and airports could have their financial fortunes turned around by landing a Postal Service contract. In fact, it was mail service that largely subsidized passenger service, for any airplane carrying paying customers was also carrying mail.
New York City was late in building its first commercial airport, being beaten to the punch in 1927 when Newark, New Jersey, began construction on the Newark Municipal Airport, which opened in October 1928 and secured a Postal Service contract. It wasn’t until 1927 that New York even began preparations on an airport of its own. Six sites were selected, with Barren Island (the island where Floyd Bennett Field is situated) being one of them. Because New York City already owned the island, it became the site of choice. Construction began in 1928, with the first phase being to dredge the bay and use the dirt to increase the acreage of the island, including connecting it to the mainland, and to raise its elevation by 16 feet. This was completed in May of 1929.
Once the grading was done, construction began on an administration building and eight hangars—all still stand today—as well as support buildings and two runways. The airport was ready for business on a limited basis in June 1930, but was not fully operational until May 1931. It was named after Floyd Bennett, a naval aviator who flew with Richard Byrd on his two flights to the North Pole. Bennett was slated to join Byrd on a trip to the South Pole, but he caught pneumonia in the spring of 1928 while trying to rescue an aircrew that had been forced to land on Greeley Island in Labrador. He died on April 25th.
New York officials wanted the Postal Service to switch its New York mail operations from Newark to their new airport. The problem was that the Newark facility met all requirements to do business with the Postal Service, and while so did Floyd Bennett Field, there wasn’t any real need for a change that would most definitely cost the Postal Service money. Without the contract, major airlines would not use the airport. TWA agreed to move to Floyd Bennett Field provided it got the contract, but try as New York politicians may, the Postal Service would not change its mind about using Newark.
Floyd Bennett Field still had its share of business. Private pilots and instructors used the field, and it was the scene of many record-breaking flights in the early days of aviation because pilots liked its location. American Airlines used it for its New York to Boston flights, and the U. S. Coast Guard leased part of the facility (the Coast Guard is still at the field today). Two additional runways were even added by the Works Progress Administration, part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to help put men back to work during the Great Depression. However, it was ultimately a commercial failure, and when World War II rolled around, the U. S. Navy leased the field in May 1941, then bought it outright on December 2nd, five days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The Navy had been operating a naval reserve unit out of Floyd Bennett Field since it opened. It originally occupied Hangar 5, but by 1939 it had expanded to Hangars 1 and 2. In fact, by the time of the sale it had constructed a seaplane facility and had taken over Hangars 3 and 4 as well. Thus, the Navy was no stranger to the airfield. Upon purchase, it renamed the facility Naval Air Station New York.
Improvements to the airport during World War II included the widening and lengthening of the runways, construction of a new runway, the building of a seaplane hangar and two seaplane runways by dredging Jamaica Bay, and the construction of various support buildings such as barracks, warehouses, clubhouses, and training classrooms. It was also during this time that Hangar B was built. Today this is occupied by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Project, a group that restores old airplanes. It is open to the public a few days each week.
Floyd Bennett Field remained a naval air station until 1946, at which time it was designated as a naval air reserve station. There was little activity at the field until the Korean War broke out in 1950, and it remained busy until the United States began to withdraw from Vietnam in July 1969. The Navy officially closed the station in the summer of 1971. Since the Federal government owned the land, it was turned over to the National Park Service a few years later to become part of Gateway National Recreation Area, the first urban park in the National Park system.
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Last updated on December 13, 2024
