A New Day 2011
by Greg Reed
Title
A New Day 2011
Artist
Greg Reed
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
LaGuardia Airport
The site of the airport was originally used by the Gala Amusement Park, owned by the Steinway family. It was razed and transformed in 1929 into a 105-acre (42 ha) private flying field named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport after the pioneer Long Island aviator, later called North Beach Airport.[9]
The initiative to develop the airport for commercial flights began with an outburst by New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (in office from 1934 to 1945) upon the arrival of his TWA flight at Newark Airport – the only commercial airport serving the New York City region at the time – as his ticket said "New York". He demanded to be taken to New York, and ordered the plane to be flown to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, giving an impromptu press conference to reporters along the way. He urged New Yorkers to support a new airport within their city.[9]
American Airlines accepted LaGuardia's offer to start a trial program of scheduled flights to Floyd Bennett, although the program failed after several months because Newark's airport was closer to Manhattan. LaGuardia went as far as to offer police escorts to airport limousines in an attempt to get American Airlines to continue operating the trial program.
During the Floyd Bennett experiment, LaGuardia and American executives began an alternative plan to build a new airport in Queens, where it could take advantage of the new Queens–Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. The existing North Beach Airport was an obvious location, but much too small for the sort of airport that was being planned. With backing and assistance from the Works Progress Administration, construction began in 1937.[12] Building on the site required moving landfill from Rikers Island, then a garbage dump, onto a metal reinforcing framework. The framework below the airport still causes magnetic interference on the compasses of outgoing aircraft: signs on the airfield warn pilots about the problem.[13]
Because of American's pivotal role in the development of the airport, LaGuardia gave the airline extra real estate during the airport's first year of operation, including four hangars, which was an unprecedented amount of space at the time.[14] American opened its first Admirals Club (and the first private airline club in the world) at the airport in 1939. The club took over a large office space that had previously been reserved for the mayor, but he offered it for lease following criticism from the press, and American vice president Red Mosier immediately accepted the offer.[15]
Opening and early years
The airport was dedicated on October 15, 1939, as the New York Municipal Airport,[16][17] and opened for business on December 2 of that year.[9] It cost New York City $23 million to turn the tiny North Beach Airport into a 550-acre (220 ha) modern facility. Not everyone was as enthusiastic as LaGuardia about the project; some[who?] regarded it as a $40 million boondoggle. But the public was fascinated by the very idea of air travel, and thousands traveled to the airport, paid the dime fee, and watched the airliners take off and land. Two years later these fees and their associated parking had already provided $285,000, and other non-travel related incomes (food, etc.) were another $650,000 a year. The airport was soon a financial success. A smaller airport in nearby Jackson Heights, Holmes Airport, was unable to prevent the expansion of the larger airport and closed in 1940.
Newark Airport began renovations, but could not keep up with the new Queens airport, which TIME called "the most pretentious land and seaplane base in the world". Even before the project was completed LaGuardia had won commitments from the five largest airlines (Pan American Airways, American, United, Eastern Air Lines and Transcontinental & Western Air) to begin using the new field as soon as it opened.[18] Pan Am's transatlantic Boeing 314 flying boats moved to LaGuardia from Port Washington in 1940. During World War II the airport was used to train aviation technicians and as a logistics field. Transatlantic landplane airline flights started in late 1945; some continued after Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy International) opened in July 1948, but the last ones shifted to Idlewild in April 1951.
Newspaper accounts alternately referred to the airfield as New York Municipal Airport and LaGuardia Field until the modern name was officially applied when the airport moved to Port of New York Authority control under a lease with New York City on June 1, 1947.
LaGuardia opened with four runways at 45-degree angles to each other,[19] the longest (13/31) being 6,000 ft (1,800 m). Runway 18/36 was closed soon after a United DC-4 ran off the south end in 1947; runway 9/27 (4,500 ft) was closed around 1958, allowing LaGuardia's terminal to expand northward after 1960. Circa 1961 runway 13/31 was shifted northeastward to allow construction of a parallel taxiway (such amenities being unknown when LGA was built) and in 1965–66 both remaining runways were extended to their present 7,000 ft (2,100 m).
The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 283 weekday fixed-wing departures from LaGuardia: 126 American, 49 Eastern, 33 Northeast, 31 TWA, 29 Capital and 15 United. American's flights included 26 nonstops to Boston and 27 to Washington National (mostly Convair 240s).[20] Jet flights (United 727s to Cleveland and Chicago) started on June 1, 1964.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaGuardia_Airport
DHC-8-100/200
Details
Country of Origin
Canada
Type
Turboprop regional airliner
History
Bombardier's de Havilland Dash 8 has proven to be a popular player in the regional turboprop airliner market. De Havilland Canada began development of the Dash 8 in the late 1970s in response to what it saw as a considerable market demand for a new generation 30 to 40 seat commuter airliner. The first flight of the first of two preproduction aircraft was on June 20 1983, while Canadian certification was awarded on September 28 1984. The first customer delivery was to norOntair of Canada on October 23 1984. Like the Dash 7, the Dash 8 features a high mounted wing and Ttail, and has an advanced flight control system and large full length trailing edge flaps. Power meanwhile is supplied by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120 series (originally designated PT7A) turboprops. Initial Dash 8 production was of the Series 100, which was followed by the Series 100A in 1990. The 100A introduced a revised interior with extra headroom and PW120A turboprops. The Series 100B was offered from 1992 with more powerful PW121s for better climb and airfield performance. Production since switched to the improved performance Dash 8-200. Announced in 1992 and delivered from April 1995 the -200 features more powerful PW123C engines which give a 56km/h (30kt) increase in cruising speed, as well as greater commonality with the stretched Dash 8300. The 200B derivative has PW123Bs for better hot and high performance. From the second quarter of 1996 all Dash 8s delivered have been fitted with a computer controlled noise and vibration suppression system (or NVS). To reflect this the designation was changed to Dash 8Q (Q for `quiet'). In 1998 that was changed again to Dash 8 Q200 when a new interior was introduced.
Powerplants
100 - Two 1490kW (2000shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120A turboprops driving four blade constant speed Hamilton Standard propellers. 100B - Two 1605kW (2150shp) PW121As. 200 - Two 1605kW (2150shp) PW123Cs in 200A, or two PW123Ds in 200B.
Performance
100A - Max cruising speed 490km/h (265kt), long range cruising speed 440km/h (237kt). Initial rate of climb 1560ft/min. Range with full passenger load, fuel and reserves 1520km (820nm), range with a 2720kg (6000lb) payload 2040km (1100nm). 100B - Same except max cruising speed of 500km/h (270kt). 200A & 200B - Same except max cruising speed 546km/h (295kt). Initial rate of climb 1475ft/min. Range with 37 passengers 1795km (970nm).
Weights
100A - Operating empty 10,250kg (22,600lb), max takeoff 15,650kg (34,500lb). 100B - Operating empty 10,273kg (22,648lb), max takeoff 16,465kg (36,300lb). 200A & 200B - Operating empty 10,434kg (23,004lb), max takeoff 16,465kg (36,300lb).
Dimensions
Wing span 25.91m (85ft 0in), length 22.25m (73ft 0in), height 7.49m (24ft 7in). Wing area 54.4m2 (585.0sq ft).
Capacity
Flightcrew of two. Typical passenger seating for 37 at four abreast and 79cm (31in) pitch, max seating for 40.
Production
347 Dash 8-100s/-200s in service or on order at late 1998.
Source: http://www.airliners.net/aircraft-data/de-havilland-canada-dhc-8-100200-dash-8/120
Uploaded
January 18th, 2023
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