Featured Article Summary #172

Morris Park Aerodrome was a brief airfield in the Bronx, New York, operating from 1908 to 1909. It became the first flying field in the United States, using the grounds of the former Morris Park Racecourse after the Aeronautical Society of New York leased the land. During its short life, the Society built and tested aircraft and held public shows, including major events in late 1908 and mid-1909. Demonstrations included glider flights, motorized biplanes, and Glenn Curtiss’s first stable closed-course flight using ailerons for side control, along with balloons, kites, helicopters, parachute jumps, and “wind wagons.” The site also saw experiments such as multi-propeller biplanes, what may have been the first U.S.-flown monoplane, and a large dirigible demonstration using vectored thrust. The aerodrome closed after 1909 when the land was redeveloped for housing, and the Society later moved to Roosevelt Field on Long Island. In 1905 the Aero Club of America was created, and by 1908 a lack of support for aviation led many members to break away and form the Aeronautical Society of New York. They wanted a practical place to test aircraft, so they searched properties and chose the former Morris Park Racecourse, mainly because it had open flat space and easy public transport access. The aerodrome opened for members in late August 1908 under a short lease, and plans quickly moved toward workshops, exhibitions, and educational lectures, with the nearby Woodmansten Inn providing food and lodging. Morris Park was an early flying field in the United States, used mainly for building aircraft but also for flight training, including Albert Triaca’s aeronautics school. In its first year, the Society constructed many full-sized planes and other flying machines, and many members were involved through patents or aircraft building. Because there were no suitable hills for glider launches, the Society built special launch facilities, including one wooden structure that was later shut down after officials ruled it was an illegal residence. Many of the aircraft and experiments were unsuccessful, with historians describing the members’ enthusiasm as exceeding their practical ability, leading to frequent crashes and damage. An exhibition planned for November 3, 1908 (to match Election Day) included competitions for airplanes, a dirigible race, kites and gliders, plus motorcycle races and weather demonstrations using kites and balloons. About 20,000 people attended after paying a 50-cent admission, but only around 3,500 actually paid as crowds rushed the gate. The main attraction was 16-year-old glider pilot Laurence J. Lesh, who flew record-setting towed glider flights before crashing on his third attempt and breaking his ankle. He recovered after about a year, and the glider was launched by rope tow behind a 1907 Thomas Flyer; earlier attempts had used a tow horse with limited success, and Lesh also planned to display a large box kite. The exhibition featured a contest for “wind wagons,” wheeled vehicles powered by propellers, including machines described as like a huge tricycle with a long propeller. Inventors such as William Pickering and Glenn Curtiss planned to demonstrate their wagons to test motor power and propeller efficiency, though Curtiss said the devices had no commercial value. Thomas’s wind wagon was badly wrecked during practice when he crashed while avoiding a motorcycle, but he survived serious injuries and later had the machine repaired so it could be used at the exhibition.