Roosevelt Field

 Roosevelt Field was originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field, it was a training field for the Air Service, United States Army during World War I.

The Hempstead Plains Aerodrome originally encompassed 900 to 1,000 acres (405 ha) east of and abutting Clinton Road, south of and adjacent to Old Country Road, and west of Merrick Avenue. A bluff 15 feet in elevation divided the plain into two large fields. The U.S. Army Signal Corps established the Signal Corps Aviation Station, Mineola, on the west field in July 1916 as a pilot training school for members of the National Guard.

When the U.S. entered the war in April 1917, the entire field was taken over and renamed Hazelhurst Field after Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst, Jr.

In 1919, it was renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Quentin, who was killed in air combat during World War I. The government sold its buildings in July of 1920. The new owners sold portions along the southern edge of the field and split the remainder of the property into two separate areas. Curtiss Field, a 300-acre airport on the original site of Hazelhurst Field and Roosevelt Field, which consisted of seven hangars and a large parking ramp.

Both fields were bought in 1929 by Roosevelt Field, Inc. Unit 1 was sold in 1936 and became the Roosevelt Raceway, while Unit 2 continued to operate as an aviation center under the name Roosevelt Field. Roosevelt Field was commissioned as a Naval Air Facility in 1943.

After the war, Roosevelt Field reverted to operation as a commercial airport until it was acquired by real estate developers in 1950. The field closed on May 31, 1951.

The eastern field is now predominantly retail shopping and the site of the original flying field has become a shopping mall. Roosevelt Field was the takeoff point for many historic flights in the early history of aviation, including Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo transatlantic flight. It was also used by other pioneering aviators, including Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post.

 

Sources:

Alba, Joseph. “Long Island's Roosevelt Field.” Metropolitan Airport News, 14 Nov. 2022, https://metroairportnews.com/long-islands-roosevelt-field/

“Roosevelt Field (Airport).” DBpedia, https://dbpedia.org/page/Roosevelt_Field_(airport)