Flushing Airport

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Flushing Airport
(closed 1984)


Deserted road to Flushing Airport hangars.
IATA: FLU – ICAO: KFLU
Summary
Airport type Airport (Airfield)
Owner New York City Economic Development Corporation
Serves New York City
Location College Point, Queens
Elevation AMSL 5 ft / 2 m
Coordinates 40°46′45″N 073°50′00″W / 40.77917, -73.833333

Flushing Airport is a decommissioned airfield in northern Queens in New York City. It is located in the modern neighborhood of College Point even though it is named after the larger town of Flushing. The airfield was in operation from 1927 to 1984. The airport opened in 1927 as Speed's Airport. The airport was one of the busiest airports in New York City before the emergence of the larger LaGuardia Airport.[1] In the early 1970s a Skywriting company operated there. In 1977, a Piper Twin Comanche crashed shortly after taking off killing those on board. The incident compounding the frequent flooding problem lead to the close of this airport in 1984.[2][3]

[edit] Development

Currently the airport is weed-ridden wetland. Since the outbreak of West Nile virus in New York in the late 1990s, the airport wetland has received frequent mosquito larvicide spraying.[4]

As of 2000, Flushing Airport still had its air corridor reserved under FAA.[5] A company called Airships Unlimited has been lobbying to convert the abandoned airport into a "blimp port" citing that the Goodyear blimps actually used this airport in the 1960s.[6] The benefit of this plan is to preserve the air corridor for Flushing Airport.[5]

In 2004, Bloomberg administration proposed plans to rezone the area for commercial development as part of the already existing College Point Corporate Park.[7] However, the plan has met significant protests from the local residents who fear such zoning would bring too much traffic to the area.[8] As such, the proposal was since been deferred.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Into The Weedy Green Yonder. Forgotten NY. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
  2. ^ 1977. The Queens Spin. Queens Tribute. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
  3. ^ Decision On Heliport Awaits. Neighborhood Report: Flushing. New York Times (1993-09-19). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
  4. ^ Health Department to Treat Marsh and Other Non-Residential Areas of Staten Island, Queens, and Bronx with Mosquito Larvicide. Government of New York City (2007).
  5. ^ a b O'Grady, Jim (2000-04-09). Dreaming of Airships in the Skies Above Queens. Neighborhood Report: College Point. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  6. ^ College Point Airship Park. Airships Unlimited (2003). Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  7. ^ Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Announces Major Industrial Development To Bring 180 Small Businesses And 1,000 Employees To College Point Corporate Park. Government of New York City (2004-02-04). Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  8. ^ Vandam, Jeff (2004-08-15). If There's a Line at This Airport, It's Protesters. Neighborhood Report: College Point. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  9. ^ Hu, Winnie; Colin Moynihan (2004-10-17). City Defers Development of Wholesale Center. New York Region. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.

[edit] External links

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