• History,  News

    Aviation Month Returns in February

    The second annual Aviation Month returns to the Governors Island Guide in February. With the Island closed until May 1, more stories about the history of aviation will be presented weekly on the news blog. The series debuted last year and was incredibly popular and the stories were read all year. In August Governors Island made worldwide aviation news once again. The popular Drone Nationals were broadcast live from the Island on ESPN3; a few thousands drone enthusiasts descended on the south end for it. These are the stories from 2016: Wilbur Wright Flies Over New York Harbor in 1909 Glenn Curtiss and the 1910 Flying Marksman of Fort Jay…

  • Katherine Stinson
    History

    Pioneer Aviator Katherine Stinson, the Schoolgirl Pilot, Lands in 1917

    Governors Island played an important role in the history of aviation. Each week this month will be a historical look at one event in the island’s contribution to the history of manned flight. Many other pioneering aviators followed the first men to fly on the Island, Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss. In 1916 Ruth Law (1887-1970) broke the American record for cross-country flying. On Nov. 20, 1916, she flew from Chicago to Governors Island, a distance of 950 miles, in a little less than nine hours in the air. The following year another young woman captured the nation’s attention at the tiny Governors Island airfield built at Fort Jay. This…

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