Wall Street Skyport

Last updated

Wall Street Skyport
Downtown Skyport, Pier 11, East River, Manhattan (NYPL b13668355-482584).jpg
Downtown Skyport in August 1936
Summary
Location New York City
OpenedSeptember 5, 1934 (1934-09-05)
Closedmid-1980s
Elevation  AMSL 0 ft / 0 m
Coordinates 40°42′14″N74°0′22″W / 40.70389°N 74.00611°W / 40.70389; -74.00611 [1]
Map
Wall Street Skyport

Wall Street Skyport, also known as Downtown Skyport and later as Wall Street Seaplane Base, was a seaplane base in New York City, located on the East River near the foot of Wall Street adjacent to Pier 11. Opened in 1934, the facility was primarily used by suburban commuters working in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The seaplane base operated until the mid-1980s.

Contents

History

Opening and early years

In the 1930s, one of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's efforts to promote aviation in New York City involved the construction of two city-owned seaplane bases, located on the East River at the ends of Wall Street and East 31st Street, which were called the Downtown Skyport and Midtown Skyport, respectively. Their purpose was to facilitate the use of seaplanes by private owners, provide seaplane commuting services to suburban areas, and encourage airlines to provide direct service to Manhattan. An air taxi service was also planned between the seaplane bases in Manhattan and Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, which opened in 1930 as city's first municipal airport. [2] [3]

Each of the new seaplane bases on the East River had a 86-by-56-foot (26 by 17 m) floating ramp that was constructed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard using Federal Emergency Relief Administration funds. [3] [4] The floating ramp included a 45-foot (14 m) diameter turntable that allowed planes to taxi from the water onto the partially submerged end of the turntable and be rotated 180 degrees so the rear of the plane moved out of the water, allowing passengers to quickly load and unload before the aircraft returned to the water for takeoff. [3] The entire process could be done in less than 40 seconds. [5] By using the turntable, seaplanes did not have spend extra time tying up to a dock or using a boat to transport passengers to and from the shore. [6] The aquatic turntable was similar to one used at the seaplane terminal in Jersey City that opened in 1933 and was one of the first such turntables in the United States. [7]

Downtown Skyport in the 1940s, showing the floating ramp and turntable Bilstein 00336 Wall Street Seaplane Landing in Lower Manhattan New York City.jpg
Downtown Skyport in the 1940s, showing the floating ramp and turntable

The floating ramp and turntable for the Downtown Skyport took two and a half months to construct. It was launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard on August 15, 1934, and christened with a bottle of champagne as "Wall Street Skyport." The dock was transported to its permanent location in Lower Manhattan and officially opened on with a dedication ceremony on September 5, 1934. [4] [8] Other facilities at Wall Street Skyport included a waiting room, fueling station, and parking for about 20 planes along a mooring boom. [3] [9]

Before the new seaplane base had officially opened, the first commuter seaplane service was started in July 1934 by New York and Suburban Airlines, Inc., which operated a 12-passenger Bellanca Airbus, providing daily trips between Port Washington, Glen Cove and Oyster Bay on Long Island and the seaplane bases being established at Wall Street and East 31st Street. [2] [10] In 1935, Marine Air Transport Company operated a commuter service used by half a dozen passengers traveling between Glen Cove and Wall Street Skyport, but the service was abandoned after five months when the commuters decided to purchase their own seaplanes to travel to and from work. [5]

Works Progress Administration poster showcasing the municipal airports in New York City, ca. 1937 New York City municipal airports, WPA poster, ca. 1937.jpg
Works Progress Administration poster showcasing the municipal airports in New York City, ca. 1937

The East River seaplane base at Wall Street—along with the other seaplane base at East 31st Street, Floyd Bennett Field, and North Beach Airport—were included in a poster promoting New York City's municipal airports that was developed around 1937 for the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. [11]

By 1940, the skyport was handling about 15–25 daily commuters during good weather, mostly in Grumman G-21, Fairchild 24, and Sikorsky S-39 seaplanes. Many of the regular passengers included Wall Street businessmen who owned their planes and had full-time pilots. [5] [12] While the cost of having a private seaplane was expensive, some executives found cost savings over their prior use of commuter yachts from their estates on the North Shore of Long Island. [13] During the middle of the day, the seaplane bases along the East River also accommodated trips made by the wives of commuters, who came to Manhattan on private seaplanes for shopping excursions. [5] [14]

Late 20th century

By 1967, the facility was known as Wall Street Seaplane Base and was still being used by about 30 daily commuters during good weather from the spring until the fall (there was not enough light for commuter planes to safely take off during the winter months when sunset occurs earlier in the day). Most of the aircraft using the base were single-engine Cessnas and the turntable that had been originally used to turn heavier seaplanes had been removed. [15] During the summer, the seaplane base was also used to shuttle passengers making weekend getaways to Fire Island and The Hamptons. [16]

In July 1972, Downtown Airlines began operating scheduled seaplane service between Wall Street and Penn's Landing on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. For its Manhattan terminal, the airline used a new floating dock that was located near the former site of Pier 8 (to the north of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport). [17] [18] The following year, Downtown Airlines replaced its six-passenger Piper Aztecs with larger DeHavilland Twin Otters that could carry 20 passengers and also provide more reliability by flying in poor weather and taking off in rougher water. [19] Service from Wall Street to the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. by Downtown Airlines began in 1974, but the airline went out of business later that year. [20] [21] Seaplane service between Wall Street and downtown Philadelphia was revived by Seaplane Shuttle Transport from 1976 to 1977, which offered lower airfares designed to compete with Amtrak's Metroliner service. Although the seaplane service was breaking even, it was discontinued because it was not showing signs of returning a large profit in the long-term. [21] [22] [23]

For a six-month period in the beginning of 1983, Wall Street Seaplane Base temporarily accommodated all of the seaplane operations in Manhattan when the city refused to renew a permit for the New York Skyports Seaplane Base at East 23rd Street over noise complaints and safety concerns [24] [25] By 1986, Wall Street Seaplane Base had closed and the seaplane base at East 23rd Street was the only seaplane facility operating in Manhattan. [26]

Other uses

On April 12, 1949, Stanley Hiller Jr. landed at Wall Street Skyport in a Hiller 360, completing the first coast-to-coast flight for a civilian helicopter. His journey began on January 24, 1949, at his company's plant in Palo Alto, California and stopped at over 30 cities along the way across the United States. [27] [28] A dedicated landing site for helicopters in Lower Manhattan was later established with the opening of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in 1960.

Before the ferry terminal at Pier 11 opened in the mid-1980s, the seaplane base also accommodated some attempts at establishing new ferry services serving the Wall Street area, including hydrofoil service to East 90th Street in Yorkville and hovercraft service to Huntington via the Long Island Sound and Nyack via the Hudson River. [29] [30] [31]

Accidents and incidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ithaca Tompkins International Airport</span> Airport in New York, United States

Ithaca Tompkins International Airport is a county-owned airport located in the Town of Lansing, three miles northeast of Ithaca, the county seat and only city in Tompkins County, New York. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2025–2029 categorized it as a primary commercial service facility. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 60,848 passenger boardings in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Manhattan Heliport</span> Heliport in New York City

The Downtown Manhattan Heliport is a helicopter landing platform at Pier 6, on the East River, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Air Terminal</span> Terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York City

The Marine Air Terminal is an airport terminal at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, United States. Its main building, designed in the Art Deco style by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich, opened in 1940. The terminal was built to handle Pan Am's fleet of flying boats, the Boeing 314 Clippers, which landed on the nearby Bowery Bay. Technological advances after World War II made the Clippers obsolete, and the Marine Air Terminal was renovated in 1946 to serve conventional planes. As of April 2024, the terminal is used by Spirit Airlines for flights to various destinations around the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Airways</span> US helicopter airline (1949–1979)

New York Airways was an American helicopter airline in the New York City area, founded in 1949 as a mail and cargo carrier. On 9 July 1953 it may have been the first scheduled helicopter airline to carry passengers in the United States, with headquarters at LaGuardia Airport. Although primarily a helicopter airline operator with scheduled passenger operations, New York Airways also flew fixed wing aircraft, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 19-passenger STOL twin turboprop aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough Hall/Court Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Brooklyn

The Borough Hall/Court Street station is an underground New York City Subway station complex in Brooklyn shared by the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and the IRT Eastern Parkway Line. The complex comprises three stations: Borough Hall on the IRT lines and Court Street on the BMT line. The stations are located under Court, Joralemon, and Montague Streets, next to Brooklyn Borough Hall, in the Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It is served by the 2, 4, and R trains at all times; the 3 train all times except late nights; the 5 train on weekdays; the N train during late nights; and limited rush-hour W trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in New York City</span>

The transportation system of New York City is a network of complex infrastructural systems. New York City, being the most populous city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes one of the largest and busiest subway systems in the world; the world's first mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel; and an aerial tramway. New York City is home to an extensive bus system in each of the five boroughs; citywide and Staten Island ferry systems; and numerous yellow taxis and boro taxis throughout the city. Private cars are less used compared to other cities in the rest of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky Memorial Airport</span> Airport in Stratford, Connecticut

Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport is a public airport in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, owned by the city of Bridgeport. It is three miles (6 km) southeast of downtown, in the town of Stratford. It was formerly Bridgeport Municipal Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague Street Tunnel</span> Tunnel under the East River in New York City

The Montague Street Tunnel is a rail tunnel of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, connecting the BMT Broadway Line and BMT Nassau Street Line with the BMT Fourth Avenue Line. The R train uses the tunnel at all times, the N train uses it during late nights, and several W trains in each direction also use the tunnel during rush hours. All of these services use the Broadway Line; the tunnel's connection with the Nassau Street Line has not been used in service since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seastreak</span> Private ferry company in New York and New Jersey

Seastreak is a private ferry company operating in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in New England. It provides high-speed commuter service between points on the Raritan Bayshore in Monmouth County, New Jersey and in Manhattan in New York City as well as special event and sightseeing excursions in the harbor and seasonal service to the New England coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East 34th Street Heliport</span> Heliport in New York City

East 34th Street Heliport is a heliport on the east side of Manhattan located on the East River Greenway, between the East River and the FDR Drive viaduct. Also known as the Atlantic Metroport at East 34th Street, it is a public heliport owned by New York City and run by the Economic Development Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Skyports Seaplane Base</span> Airport in New York City, United States

New York Skyports Inc. Seaplane base is a seaplane base in the East River VFR corridor in New York City, located at the foot of East 23rd Street between Waterside Plaza and Stuyvesant Cove Park. The seaplane base opened in 1939 and was later incorporated into the Skyport Marina that was completed in 1962. It is the only seaplane base in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West 30th Street Heliport</span> Heliport in Manhattan, New York

The West 30th Street Heliport is a heliport on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Originally constructed by the Port of New York Authority in 1956, the facility has been operated by Air Pegasus since 1981. The heliport currently operates under a lease agreement with the Hudson River Park Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Madison Square Station)</span> Historic post office in Manhattan, New York

The United States Post Office Madison Square Station is a historic post office building located at 149 East 23rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan, New York City. In spite of the building's name, it is not located on Madison Square but about three blocks east along 23rd Street. The building runs through the block to East 24th Street, where there are loading docks and another much smaller and less formal public entrance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East 34th Street Ferry Landing</span> Ferry terminal in Manhattan, New York

The East 34th Street Ferry Landing provides slips to ferries and excursion boats in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located on the East River in New York City east of the FDR Drive just north of East 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The facility, owned by the city, received Federal Highway Administration funding for improvements for docking facilities and upgrading the adjacent East River Greenway in 2008. A new terminal was built and completed in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pier 11/Wall Street</span> Ferry terminal in Manhattan, New York

Pier 11/Wall Street is a pier providing slips to ferries and excursion boats on the East River in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located east of South Street and FDR Drive just south of Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The ferry terminal has five landings, each with two berths, and is used by three privately owned companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation in the New York metropolitan area</span>

The New York metropolitan area has the busiest airport system in the United States and the second-busiest in the world after London. It is the country's most frequently used port of entry and departure for international flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailwind Air</span> Scheduled air carrier and charter airline based in New York City Seaplane Base

Tailwind Air LLC was an American commuter scheduled air carrier and charter airline based in Westchester Airport and Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Its main seaplane base was New York Skyports Seaplane Base (NYS) and it also owned its own Boston Harbor seaplane base (MA17), near Logan International Airport in Boston. The airline had a sister company named Tailwind Air, LLC, which charters and manages a fleet of land planes.

Shoreline Aviation was a Part 135 charter air carrier based at the Tweed New Haven Airport in New Haven, Connecticut. It operated a fleet of ten Cessna 208 Caravan turboprop seaplanes. Shoreline operated on-demand air charter year-round in the northeast with a seasonal shift of resources to South Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean in the winter.

The East Side Airline Terminal was one of three air terminals in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opening in 1953, and occupying the full block west of 1st Avenue between 37th Street and 38th Street, the East Side Airline Terminal served as a location where passengers could purchase tickets and check baggage before boarding buses that would transport them to JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, or Newark Airport. Bus operations at the terminal ended in 1984. The building was sold to private developers in 1985 and was largely incorporated into the base of a new 57-story apartment building built on the site.

Midtown Skyport was a seaplane base in New York City, located at Pier 79 on the East River near the foot of 31st Street in Manhattan. Opened in 1935, the Midtown Skyport only operated for a few years due to the construction of the East River Drive and the opening of a new seaplane base on the East River near 23rd Street. From 1936 to 1940, the seaplane base at 31st Street accommodated scheduled passenger service to Philadelphia operated by Keystone Airlines.

References

  1. ↑ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Plate 1, Part of Section 1, (1955–1956)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Air Commuters Line Line Is Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 16, 1934. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Wall Street Flies to Work From Suburbs". The Ithaca Journal. July 27, 1934. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Seaplane Landing Ramp Launched". Brooklyn Times-Union. August 15, 1934. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ward, Lawrence (September 1940). "For Commuters Only". Flying. pp. 42–43, 80. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Lyman, Lauren D. (September 24, 1933). "Commuting By Seaplane". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ Edgerton, Joseph S. (June 11, 1933). "Aviation". Washington Evening Star. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Skyport Is Hailed As Suburban Link". The New York Times. September 6, 1934. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Big Seaplane Ramp Launched By City". The New York Times. August 16, 1934. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Aerospace Year Book. Vol. 17. 1935. p. 204. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Halpern, Nigel; Graham, Anne (2013). Airport Marketing. Routledge. p. 4. ISBN   9781136306556 . Retrieved January 25, 2025– via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Langewiesche, Wolfgang (January 1942). "Your Private Airplane". Harper's Magazine. Vol. 184. p. 158. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Commuters by Plane Keep Airports Busy". Daily News. New York. June 16, 1938. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Flying Wives Add to Wall St. Port's Boom". Daily News. New York. June 23, 1940 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Van Riper, Frank (October 29, 1967). "Bulls & Bears Take Wing, Fly From L.I. to Wall St". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Lichtenstein, Grace (August 9, 1970). "Weekend Commuters Take Wing". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ Prial, Frank J. (July 13, 1972). "Wall Street Flights to Downtown Philadelphia Begin". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ "East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Final Environmental Impact Statement – Appendix B (Hazardous Materials)" (PDF). Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. May 18, 2007. pp. B-2, B-4. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ "20‐Seat Seaplane Being Put Into Wall Street‐Philadelphia Service". The New York Times. July 31, 1973. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ Prial, Frank J. (September 24, 1974). "Seaplanes Start Two Daily Flights Linking Manhattan and Washington". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  21. 1 2 Blumenthal, Ralph (August 19, 1976). "Seaplane Vies With Metroliner As Faster Philadelphia Shuttle". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ Knox, Andrea (June 25, 1976). "The Seaplane Tries Again". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Frump, Robert R. (June 17, 1981). "Commuter air service from Penn's Landing to New York to be offered". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ La Rosa, Paul (February 3, 1983). "City seaplane terminal will close". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Newell, Peter (July 15, 1983). "On E. Side, drones and mutterings". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ May, Clifford D. (July 1, 1986). "A Quicker (and More Costly) Way to Fire Island". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Helicopter Lands with Saucy Hello". The New York Times. April 13, 1949. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Helicopter Flies Across Country". The Buffalo News. April 13, 1949. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ Moran, Nancy (July 21, 1970). "Riders Scarce as East River Hydrofoil Run Starts". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  30. ↑ Rainie, Harrison (August 12, 1976). "Town Hovering on Hovercraft". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Carlsen, Paul (October 13, 1976). "Hovercraft begins NYC run; turnout below expectations". The Journal News. White Plains. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Commuting's New Wave". Newsday. July 23, 1968. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "NYC69D0082". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Seaplane Capsizes off Pier". Newsday. September 15, 1981. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "NYC81IA080". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  36. ↑ Santangelo, Mike; Randazzo, John; Singleton, Don (July 23, 1983). "Death Over B'klyn". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 5, 2023– via newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ "NYC83FA188A". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.