Roosevelt Field (airport)
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Roosevelt Field Hazelhurst Field Hempstead Plains Aerodrome |
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Nearly a thousand people assembled at Roosevelt Field to see Charles Lindbergh take off in the Spirit of St Louis, May 20, 1927
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| Summary | |
| Serves | Mineola, New York |
| Built | 1916 |
| In use | 1916–1951 |
| Commander | Training Section, Air Service (1916–1920) |
| Occupants |
 Air Service, United States Army World War I (1916–1920) |
| Coordinates | 40°44′31″N 73°35′56″W / 40.74194°N 73.59889°WCoordinates: 40°44′31″N 73°35′56″W / 40.74194°N 73.59889°W |
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Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazelhurst Field) for the Air Service, United States Army during World War I.
In 1919, it was renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt's son, Quentin, who was killed in air combat during World War I.
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.
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, before the U.S. entered World War I, 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. Hazelhurst was a native of Georgia and was a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He reported for aeronautical duty at the Signal Corps Aviation School, Augusta, Georgia, on 2 March 1912. On 11 June 1912, while making a flight at College Park, Maryland as a passenger in an airplane undergoing acceptance tests, the plane crashed to the ground and both the pilot and Lt. Hazelhurst were both killed.
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