Long Island Jet Center Inc history

The 106th Rescue Wing, New York Air National Guard, is the parent organization of the Oldest Air National Guard unit in the Country, the 102nd Rescue Squadron tracing its roots back to the 1st Aero Squadron which was formed in 1908 in New York.

By 1909 the first daring flights were made from the Hempstead plains in the central part of Nassau County.

By 1910 there were three airfields operating on the Hempstead Plains, and Long Islanders were now building their own airplanes.

Also in 1911 the first transcontinental flight occurred when Cal Rodgers, in a Wright biplane, flew from Long Island to California in 49 days.

The United States 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 United States entered the war in April 1917, the entire field was taken over and renamed Hazelhurst Field after Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst, Jr.

Breese Aircraft Company joined the fray in 1918, designing and manufacturing the Breese Penguin.

In 1919, it was renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Quentin, who was killed in air combat during World War I.

After the armistice, the Air Service authorized several companies to operate from the fields but maintained control until July 1, 1920, at which time the government sold its buildings and improvements and relinquished control of the property.

In 1923 the first non-stop flight across America was made from Long Island to California.

The history of Republic Airport dates back to 1927, a full fifteen years before the nearby Long Island Islip Airport opened.

In 1928, he developed the 77,967-acre Fairchild Flying Field to fly his planes out after production.

Both fields were bought in 1929 by Roosevelt Field, Inc.

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which later became Grumman Aerospace Corporation, started its legendary history in 1930 under the leadership of Leroy Grumman, a graduate of Huntington High School before he became an engineer and pilot.

Roosevelt Field also hosted Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, the latter using the airport to start an around-the-world flight in 1931.

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.

In 1937, two transatlantic joint "survey" flights, defined as an experimental dual flight to test out a new route, was flown between Foynes, Ireland and Port Washington, NY - the home to Pan American World Airways’ new waterside facility which ultimately became Pan Am.

Roosevelt Field was commissioned as Naval Air Facility Mineola in 1943.

In July 1944, Colonel Gabreski was on furlough awaiting transportation directions to the United States when he volunteered to lead his squadron into Germany.

The demands of war brought tremendous growth in the aircraft industry on Long Island and by 1945 over 100,000 people worked in the industry here.

In August 1949, Colonel Gabreski was reassigned to the 56th Fighter Group at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, as Commanding Officer.

After the war, Roosevelt Field reverted to operation as a commercial airport until it was acquired by real estate developers in 1950.

In June, 1951, he was assigned to the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing in Korea and later as Commander of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing.

While with the 51st, Colonel Gabreski became history's eighth "Jet Ace" on 1 April 1952.

In the summer of 1956, he was assigned to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, as Commander of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing.

In 1962, he was selected by General Emmet "Rosy" O'Donnell to be his Executive Officer at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

In 1965, it was acquired by Fairchild, another aircraft firm with Farmingdale roots that has since been gobbled up by other companies.

In 1966, a year after ownership of Republic Airport was transferred from Fairchild Hiller to Farmingdale Corporation, it was officially designated a general aviation (civil) facility, fielding its first landing, of a twin-engine Beechcraft operated by Ramey Air Service from Islip, on December 7.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority took over the airstrip in 1969 to transform it into a public space.

The current proposed action is for aviation purposes and is in conformance with the FAA deed covenants and the 1990 Airport Master Plan.

In 1994, the company was acquired by the Northrop Corporation to become part of Northrop Grumman and mostly disappeared from Long Island.

She and her husband were both involved in creating Grumman Memorial Park, which opened in 2000 on an acre of the former Grumman Aerospace Flight Test Facility in Calverton.

Gabreski died January 31, 2002 and is buried at Long Island Calverton National in Section 14 (grave 724).