Vanderbilt Cup Races

The hat, the age, the slouch, the plane. It was either Howard Hughs, or a good impersonator. By the way, the plane looks like the forerunner of the PBY used during the War.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

The person to the right,I believe,is Amelia Earhart.The photo maybe Oyster bay near Sagamore hill.And I’m going to guess that the plane is a Grumman design,though I have no proof.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

The notes at the top indicated that Queens Rd. was renamed to Hollis Hills Terrace. However, it was renamed Hollis Ct. Blvd. first, and then became Hollis Hills Terrace sometime after the LIE cut off Hollis Ct. Blvd; possibly when the Cleraview went through in 1964. I grew up in a newly built home (1953) on 199th St and 51st Ave. The future site of my boyhood home can be seen on two of the maps. PS 162, where I went to Public School, opened in 1936 and can be seen in the photos. It is at 53rd Ave and 201st St. Before the LIE was constructed, the intersections of Horace Harding Blvd., Francis Lewis Blvd. (which was subsequently extended south to Hillside Ave. and opened just after the War) and Hollis Ct. Blvd. was a nightmare.

From Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap C: The Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows, Queens

nice job

From Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap C: The Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows, Queens

Here’s a picture of the interior for the Sikorsky

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Best guess on the seaplane: it’s a Loening owned by Roy Grumman.

Or a Sikorsky flying boat

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Sikorsky S-43 , don’t know, North Beach or Port Washington? Howard Hughes, Pan Am got started?

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Listing Showing S-39A with a registration # of N807W.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Conflicting answers on previous blogs between the seaplane being Willie K’s. or Harold Vanderbilt’s.  But I’ll go with it being Willie K’s Sikorsky S-43, NC16925 of which he took around the world and eventually was destroyed in a crash in Trinidad.  Photo taken at Centeport.

Other seaplane (807W) is a Sikorsky S-39A.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Wonderful material, as always. I’ve inquired for many months as to why can’t the images be larger, via the links, as many are of no value to really see, especially the maps)? No response. Do others concur with this issue? Best, Steve
__________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

Steve, thanks for the comment. The website was built 12 years ago and is currently being upgraded to a new platform. Hopefully, it will increase the size of the images.

From Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap C: The Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows, Queens

Had no clue but found some answers on this website and from Gary Hammond. Willie K’s Sikorsky S-43 amphibian seaplane (NC 16925, serial# 4314) at Sands Point Seaplane Base, Manhasset Bay 1938. This plane was later used by the US Army Air Corps Sep 1941 during WWII. It crash landed 2 months later at Corcorite Bay, Trinidad Nov 5 1941, killing all five persons on board. Looks like Howard Hughes next to Mr. Beutenmuller, exiting the 1930 Sikorsky S-39A single engine amphibian (NC 807W, serial# 909). Not sure if Hughes owned this plane. He later owned another twin engine S-43

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

1. Identify the seaplane, its model and owner:
As I had previously submitted in the VCR Blog of 6/9/2018:
According to: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/dayton-wright-airplane-company/
“William K. Vanderbilt II’s Sikorsky S-43 amphibian, NC-16925, serial number 4314. This airplane was impressed by the U.S. Army Air Corps 14 September 1941 and designated OA-11, 42-001. It was destroyed in a crash landing at Corcorite Bay, Trinidad, 5 November 1941. All five persons on board were killed.”
I then checked: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html
for the aircraft serial number and confirmed the above:
S/N 42-1 Sikorsky OA-11 MSN 4314.  Civilian S-43 purchased by USAAF Sep 14, 1941.  Was originally NC16925.
W/o after crash landing in Cocorite Bay, Trinidad Nov 5, 1941.  All 5 aboard killed.
2. Where was the Mystery Foto taken?
I think it’s the Port Washington Seaplane Base on Manhasset Isle (Manorhaven).
3. What historic events happened at this location?
If it is Port Washington, it was the site of many aviation firsts (see Bill Kaiser’s The Development of the Aerospace Industry on Long Island, Vol. III – A Chronology, Hofstra, 1968).  Here’s a sampling:
• On Sept. 19, 1917, a hydroaeroplane altitude record was established in a Wright-Martin plane at Port Washington.
• By 1920 Curtiss built aircraft were flying out of Port Washington.
• On August 16, 1921,a Loening monoplane Flying Yacht, carrying 4 passengers, established an altitude record for hydroaeroplanes of 19,500 feet.
• In 1929, the American Aeronautical Corporation was formed in Port to manufacture Savoia-Marchetti flying boats.
• In 1930, Capt. Frank M. Hawks piloted the 1st glider released from a seaplane at Port.
• In 1932, the 12 engine Dornier DO-X flying boat took off for its return trip to Europe and aboard was the second women to fly the Atlantic, Antonie Strassman.
• On June 16, 1937, regular N.Y. to Bermuda service was established by the arrival of the Imperial Airways flying boat Cavalier, carrying 14 passengers.  Pan American would make its initial flight to Bermuda with the Sikorsky S-42 Bermuda Clipper.
• During 1938 numerous catapult seaplanes made trips between Port Washington and the Azores.
• On May 20, 1939, the Pan American Airways Yankee Clipper took off from Port, launching transatlantic commercial flying.
• By 1942, Grumman was working out of Port.
• In 1951, Republic Aviation Corporation established a facility at Port.
• This site would later become the home of Thypin Steel.  The large copper wings from the Pan Am hanger were given by them to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in the early 1980’s.
4. Kudos question: Identify the seaplane and famous person seen with William Beutenmuller:
As I had identified in a previous VCR Blog post (8/5/2015) - The photo is of a Sikorsky model S-39A, s/n 909, reg. NC807W, built ca. 1930.  One of these aircraft (NC803W) has been restored and is on display at the New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT.  Another one of these was used by the CAP at Base 17, Suffolk Airport during 1942-43 on coastal patrol looking for German submarines, etc.

I believe the famous person is Howard Hughes.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

Acknowledgement by the Nassau Board of Supervisors of an incorrect tax assessment for 1919 for the property that was conveyed by the Hempstead Plains Company to the US Government for Mitchel Field.  The tax was cancelled and the property termed exempt.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part I-Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

No idea about the seaplane or the people. The place must be the marine base at Port Washington, where Pan Am launched its “flying boats” for trans-Atlantic flights. The first scheduled trans-Atlantic mail delivery by Pan Am was the Yankee Clipper to Portugal, via the Azores, in May, 1939. I found a few pictures online that look like the building in the Mystery Foto. Pan Am later shifted its operations to the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

I’d rather have manifestos dropped on me than bombs.

I’ve seen “car football” (soccer) on Top Gear, but this is the first that I’ve heard of Auto Polo.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Advertising Part II

Early (1902) Auto Polo match in Boston

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Advertising Part II

-Identify the seaplane, its model and owner
Willie K’s Sikorsky S-43 NC-16925, serial number 4314 that he took possession of in 1934.

-Where was the Mystery Foto taken?
-What historic events happened at this location?
Without being able to confirm with certainty after a few hours of looking, I’ll guess this was the Port Washington marine base/terminal sometime around 1937/38. Pan Am made history here not only by it’s founding, but the first passenger trans-Atlantic flights originated from here.

-Kudos question: Identify the seaplane and famous person seen with William Beutenmuller in the below Kudos Fotos
Looks like Howard Hughes walking away from a Sikorsky S-39 flying boat.

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes

My grandfather Walter Livingstone raced with Oldfield in the early 1900s. I found records of one race where he is listed in 1907.  He was an employee and later business partner of Henry Ford.  Has anyone ever heard of him?

From From the Barney Oldfield Collection: Four Classic Photos and One Mystery

Just as a follow up to my previous note…
The actual road was probably my current front lawn.  I’ve known the last 4 owners of the actual gatehouse and I did see remnants of the signage use to build a shed on the property.  I’m not sure if its still there.

From The Motor Parkway Toll Collection Structures:#19 and #20 The Ronkonkoma Toll Gate & Ronkonkoma Lodge

My wife and I bought the house next door (to the west) of the gatehouse from Mr. Ericson in 1983.  He built the house in 1951-52.  So, he was living in this house starting then.  I met him shortly before he passed (at 88 or 89 years old and he told me that he used to collect the toll and during prohibition, his brother used to ride on a horse with a shotgun chasing the bootleggers off the road.  Mr. Ericson also worked for Grumman during the 1940’s - where I worked as well, retiring in 2019 after 40+ years.

From The Motor Parkway Toll Collection Structures:#19 and #20 The Ronkonkoma Toll Gate & Ronkonkoma Lodge