| AMERICA'S HANGAR The Curtiss-Wright Wiley Post Hangar |
| Too Good To Be Forgotten |
With the support of the aviation
community, corporate interest, local and state
support, the hangar is to be reconstructed at
the present day Wiley Post Airport. The current
Wiley Post Airport is known as one of the best
general aviation airports in the country.
The reconstructed hangar is not to be a
relic of the past, but a pro-active facility for
public education and promotion and support
of general aviation, providing a link to the past
and a bridge to the future.
The Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar will
be a convenient facility for “type” organizations
to hold their conventions; staging for the Civil
Air Patrol operations, aviation field trips for
schools, EAA and AAA projects.
The hangar, to be located in the southwest
area of Wiley Post Airport, will be an anchor for
other organizations to build related facilities.
Along with the construction of an adjacent
3600’ turf runway, the hangar is to be built in a
manner that is historically correct and at the
same time compliant with modern building
codes.
No aviation structure in Oklahoma is more
historically significant than the Curtiss Wright
Wiley Post hangar. Dreams of world wide air
travel were born under the steel trusses of
that hangar...dreams that sprung from the
minds of Wiley Post and Tom Braniff. Unlike
the railroads, or the old cattlle trails that criss-
cross Oklahoma, the passage of an airplane
leaves no mark on the earth.
Any tribute to Oklahoma’s aerial pioneers
must be made through the preservation and
continuance of their dreams and those
facilities which supported them.
Reconstruction of the Curtiss-Wright Wiley
Post Hangar has been approved as an
Oklahoma Centennial Project by the
Oklahoma Centennial Commission.
W.S. Bowlware Construction
Company, has been selected as the
prime building contractor for the
project. dbowlware@wsbowlware.com
community, corporate interest, local and state
support, the hangar is to be reconstructed at
the present day Wiley Post Airport. The current
Wiley Post Airport is known as one of the best
general aviation airports in the country.
The reconstructed hangar is not to be a
relic of the past, but a pro-active facility for
public education and promotion and support
of general aviation, providing a link to the past
and a bridge to the future.
The Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar will
be a convenient facility for “type” organizations
to hold their conventions; staging for the Civil
Air Patrol operations, aviation field trips for
schools, EAA and AAA projects.
The hangar, to be located in the southwest
area of Wiley Post Airport, will be an anchor for
other organizations to build related facilities.
Along with the construction of an adjacent
3600’ turf runway, the hangar is to be built in a
manner that is historically correct and at the
same time compliant with modern building
codes.
No aviation structure in Oklahoma is more
historically significant than the Curtiss Wright
Wiley Post hangar. Dreams of world wide air
travel were born under the steel trusses of
that hangar...dreams that sprung from the
minds of Wiley Post and Tom Braniff. Unlike
the railroads, or the old cattlle trails that criss-
cross Oklahoma, the passage of an airplane
leaves no mark on the earth.
Any tribute to Oklahoma’s aerial pioneers
must be made through the preservation and
continuance of their dreams and those
facilities which supported them.
Reconstruction of the Curtiss-Wright Wiley
Post Hangar has been approved as an
Oklahoma Centennial Project by the
Oklahoma Centennial Commission.
W.S. Bowlware Construction
Company, has been selected as the
prime building contractor for the
project. dbowlware@wsbowlware.com
\Wiley Post discovered the jet-stream
while setting a new altitude record of 50,000’
in his Lockheed Vega. Post is considered
the first “astronaut” because the high altitude
pressurized flight suit he developed is a
forerunner of the equipment worn by present-
day astronauts.
Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Will
Rogers and other notables of the day, were
regular visitors at the hangar to visit with their
mentor and friend, Wiley Post. Upon
completion of Wiley’s solo around the world
flight, he received the largest ticker tape
parade ever, in New York City.
The “Winnie Mae, Post’s famous
Lockheed Vega, was based at the Curtiss-
Wright Hangar until his untimely death in
1935. The “Winnie Mae” was then taken to
the Smithsonian where it resides today.
From 1932 to 1937 hangar was home to
Braniff Airlines. The origins of Braniff Airlines,
all flights and all maintenance of the
airplanes were conducted at the Curtiss-
Wright hangar during the airlines early days.
The Wiley Post Biplane was produced in
the same hangar during the early ‘30’s.
The hangar was sold to John Burke in 1940
and was used to train Army and Navy pilots
till the end of WWII. Burke closed the airport
in 1955 and developed the area into a
residential addition. In 1960 the hangar was
surrounded with an exterior structure creating
first a shopping center and then later a
church.
Auto dealer Jackie Cooper purchased the
land and the hangar for his adjacent
dealership. Fearing that the hangar had
become a fire hazard, Cooper planned to
demolish the building when a group of
Oklahoma City pilots prevailed on Mr.
Cooper to have the building taken down
and stored until a suitable organization could
be found to reconstruct the hangar at an
airport.
Mr. Cooper donated the hangar to
Oklahoma City University, who in turn
awarded the hangar to A.S.T.E.C.
(Aerospace Science and Technology
Education Center) an Oklahoma
charter school in Oklahoma City. The
hangar was to become part of an
education center.
Requirements for their new campus
changed, and AeroSpace Space America
became the recipient of the Curtiss-
Wright/Wiley Post legacy.
while setting a new altitude record of 50,000’
in his Lockheed Vega. Post is considered
the first “astronaut” because the high altitude
pressurized flight suit he developed is a
forerunner of the equipment worn by present-
day astronauts.
Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Will
Rogers and other notables of the day, were
regular visitors at the hangar to visit with their
mentor and friend, Wiley Post. Upon
completion of Wiley’s solo around the world
flight, he received the largest ticker tape
parade ever, in New York City.
The “Winnie Mae, Post’s famous
Lockheed Vega, was based at the Curtiss-
Wright Hangar until his untimely death in
1935. The “Winnie Mae” was then taken to
the Smithsonian where it resides today.
From 1932 to 1937 hangar was home to
Braniff Airlines. The origins of Braniff Airlines,
all flights and all maintenance of the
airplanes were conducted at the Curtiss-
Wright hangar during the airlines early days.
The Wiley Post Biplane was produced in
the same hangar during the early ‘30’s.
The hangar was sold to John Burke in 1940
and was used to train Army and Navy pilots
till the end of WWII. Burke closed the airport
in 1955 and developed the area into a
residential addition. In 1960 the hangar was
surrounded with an exterior structure creating
first a shopping center and then later a
church.
Auto dealer Jackie Cooper purchased the
land and the hangar for his adjacent
dealership. Fearing that the hangar had
become a fire hazard, Cooper planned to
demolish the building when a group of
Oklahoma City pilots prevailed on Mr.
Cooper to have the building taken down
and stored until a suitable organization could
be found to reconstruct the hangar at an
airport.
Mr. Cooper donated the hangar to
Oklahoma City University, who in turn
awarded the hangar to A.S.T.E.C.
(Aerospace Science and Technology
Education Center) an Oklahoma
charter school in Oklahoma City. The
hangar was to become part of an
education center.
Requirements for their new campus
changed, and AeroSpace Space America
became the recipient of the Curtiss-
Wright/Wiley Post legacy.
Oklahoma City -- In April 1927, the world
was stunned by the news that the “Lone
Eagle”, Charles Lindbergh had been able to
accomplish a solo flight across the Atlantic
Ocean, from New York to Paris, in a single
engine monoplane, without mishap or
misfortune.
Suddenly, the American public became
“air-minded”, the future was here and it was
now. Nation wide, municipalities began a
rush to build airports, hoping that transient
flyers would use their new facilities to con-
firm that their city was part of the future.
Aviation was on the brink of becoming
anew religion: one that would bring people
closer together and solve many of societies
problems. A world in which mankind would
bask in awe of th emajesty of flight.
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation, who at
that time was the largest manufacturer of
airplanes and aircraft engines in the world,
began a search for cities, who in their
judgment were “air-minded”, progressive,
and who understood the practical impact that
a well developed aviation industry could
have on a community.
In 1928, the Curtiss-Wright Corp.,
invested $115,000 for an airport on the north
side of Oklahoma City. The 160 acre airport
was heralded as “Oklahoma City’s model
airport,” complete with a beautiful art-deco
hangar and a fleet of Curtiss-Wright
airplanes.
The purpose of the new facility was to
promote and support the development of
general aviation in Oklahoma, and to provide
an outlet for the sale and maintenance of
Curtiss-Wright products.
Oklahoma’s, world famous aviator
Wiley Post, used the hangar extensively, from
1929 to 1934 to design and modify airplanes
he used on several intercontinental and two
around the-world flights. As one of the
most distinguished pioneers in aviation
history, his achievements comprised
some of the greatest accomplishments in
aviation.
In 1931, Post flew around the world in a
record time of 8 days, 15 hours and 51
minutes. In 1933, he become the first
person to make a solo around the world
flight. It was on this flight that he used a new
automatic pilot system which steered the
airplane while he rested.
Much of the development and testing of
the auto pilot took place at the Curtiss-Wright
hangar.
was stunned by the news that the “Lone
Eagle”, Charles Lindbergh had been able to
accomplish a solo flight across the Atlantic
Ocean, from New York to Paris, in a single
engine monoplane, without mishap or
misfortune.
Suddenly, the American public became
“air-minded”, the future was here and it was
now. Nation wide, municipalities began a
rush to build airports, hoping that transient
flyers would use their new facilities to con-
firm that their city was part of the future.
Aviation was on the brink of becoming
anew religion: one that would bring people
closer together and solve many of societies
problems. A world in which mankind would
bask in awe of th emajesty of flight.
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation, who at
that time was the largest manufacturer of
airplanes and aircraft engines in the world,
began a search for cities, who in their
judgment were “air-minded”, progressive,
and who understood the practical impact that
a well developed aviation industry could
have on a community.
In 1928, the Curtiss-Wright Corp.,
invested $115,000 for an airport on the north
side of Oklahoma City. The 160 acre airport
was heralded as “Oklahoma City’s model
airport,” complete with a beautiful art-deco
hangar and a fleet of Curtiss-Wright
airplanes.
The purpose of the new facility was to
promote and support the development of
general aviation in Oklahoma, and to provide
an outlet for the sale and maintenance of
Curtiss-Wright products.
Oklahoma’s, world famous aviator
Wiley Post, used the hangar extensively, from
1929 to 1934 to design and modify airplanes
he used on several intercontinental and two
around the-world flights. As one of the
most distinguished pioneers in aviation
history, his achievements comprised
some of the greatest accomplishments in
aviation.
In 1931, Post flew around the world in a
record time of 8 days, 15 hours and 51
minutes. In 1933, he become the first
person to make a solo around the world
flight. It was on this flight that he used a new
automatic pilot system which steered the
airplane while he rested.
Much of the development and testing of
the auto pilot took place at the Curtiss-Wright
hangar.
When you fly in, this is the view you will
see from above the grass runway. The
99's are going to paint the roof as it was.
All renderings courtesy orf C.H. Guernsey
see from above the grass runway. The
99's are going to paint the roof as it was.
All renderings courtesy orf C.H. Guernsey
8:23 a.m. "Welcome to Wiley's Diner...your
usual ham 'n eggs and coffee?"
usual ham 'n eggs and coffee?"
The Pearl Carter-Scott Pilot's Lounge:
Come in and relax in our authentic 1930's Art
Deco lounge.
Come in and relax in our authentic 1930's Art
Deco lounge.
| Wiley Post Hangar 7101 Millionaire Drive Bethany, OK 73008 |
| Hangar Site Dedicated at Wiley Post Airport |
Bethany -- On a chilly and drizzly saturday morning last October,
and during AeroSpace America, better than 200 people were
bused in from the air show, to hear Astronaut Tom Stafford give
the dedication address at the hangar site. Several brave aviators
flew in despite the weather--some got weathered in.
and during AeroSpace America, better than 200 people were
bused in from the air show, to hear Astronaut Tom Stafford give
the dedication address at the hangar site. Several brave aviators
flew in despite the weather--some got weathered in.
We have doors! During its various iterations, first as a shopping center
and later as a church, the hangar had lost its big doors. Thanks to
Tulsa Air & Space Museum, Mercury Aviation, Manhattan Construction,
Advaced Resources and McAfee Construction, we now have doors.
Scroll down for story and pictures.
and later as a church, the hangar had lost its big doors. Thanks to
Tulsa Air & Space Museum, Mercury Aviation, Manhattan Construction,
Advaced Resources and McAfee Construction, we now have doors.
Scroll down for story and pictures.
Stanley Draper Jr. introduces Gen. Tom
Stafford. The Curtiss-Wright Jr. in the
background was built in the hangar in 1931.
Don Johnson of Watgona, OK trucked the
plane in for the dedication. It was ready to fly,
but not signed off in time for the dedication.
Stafford. The Curtiss-Wright Jr. in the
background was built in the hangar in 1931.
Don Johnson of Watgona, OK trucked the
plane in for the dedication. It was ready to fly,
but not signed off in time for the dedication.
Gen. Tomas P. Stafford and Executive
Director Bob Kemper, doing a cockpit
check. "Now this looks like fun to me",
Stafford said. Photos by Jim Cash
click on thunmbnails for larger picture
Director Bob Kemper, doing a cockpit
check. "Now this looks like fun to me",
Stafford said. Photos by Jim Cash
click on thunmbnails for larger picture
Left to right, Don Johnson, Tom
Stafford, and Bob Kemper.
Stafford, and Bob Kemper.
| We will be updating hangar construction news as it occurs. Check back often! |
| A loss for Tulsa but a gain for Oklahoma-- Hangar #2 at Tulsa International is put down |
One last look at Hangar #2,
Tulsa International before
she comes down. A
beautiful hangar built in
1928-9, was the home of
Safeway Airlines and its
many Ford's. The area on the
left was the indoor show
room for Spartan Aircraft.
The hangar was the first
home of American Airlines in
Tulsa.
Tulsa International before
she comes down. A
beautiful hangar built in
1928-9, was the home of
Safeway Airlines and its
many Ford's. The area on the
left was the indoor show
room for Spartan Aircraft.
The hangar was the first
home of American Airlines in
Tulsa.
All the doors are down and
waiting to be loaded for their
move to Oklahoma City.
waiting to be loaded for their
move to Oklahoma City.
C.H. Guernsey's
architect, Kevin
Decker tries to
make sense of
the door's rail
yard.
architect, Kevin
Decker tries to
make sense of
the door's rail
yard.
Loading ten doors on W.S.
Bowlware's 1 ton and goose
neck, was too much weight
for this rig, so the next day we
got an 18-wheeler for the
remaining 16 doors.
Bowlware's 1 ton and goose
neck, was too much weight
for this rig, so the next day we
got an 18-wheeler for the
remaining 16 doors.
Last door on the north side
comes down after 75 years of
service.
comes down after 75 years of
service.
| It was a good day, it was a sad day. The death of this fine old hangar was imminent and I think she knew the end was coming. I've got a theory that those things imbued with large doses of human emotion in some way, holds on to those emotions. Its part of the continuum that brings us out of the past and into the future with purpose of forethought. Brick, steel, and wood is all that we see; but life's hopes, dreams, and the dramas of every one that passed through her, left in her an etching of their presence. The good news is that these doors will continue to encompass the experience of the past, and the hopes and dreams of the future. They are the exact height and width, built by the same company in Danville IL, the same year as the doors of our Curtiss-Wright hangar. Thanks to everyone who helped in saving these hangar doors so that we could have our hangar doors. Hangar 2 has gone away, lots of things are that way. Life is changing every day, So appreciate what you've got, before its not. |
Plan form view. This is a
large file. be sure to give
time for it to load.
large file. be sure to give
time for it to load.
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