Kudos to NJ Aviation History

I am always on the prowl for interesting aviation books to read including but not limited to aviation history. From time to time I go and take a look at aviation books at my local county library. One of the great things about the internet is that I can do this online from the comfort of home. Before Christmas, I found a treasure, a book focusing on aviation history in NJ. It is called:

From the Balloon to the Moon: New Jersey’s Amazing Aviation History, written by H.V. Pat Reilly. Mr. Reilly is the executive director of the New Jersey State Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum (NJAHFM) located at Teterboro Airport (KTEB). I liked the book so much that I decided to buy a copy. I picked up mine at the NJAHFM in Teterboro.

The book is organized chronologically, I am up to 1949. Having lived in northern NJ for over 30 years now (that is scary), so many of the places that Reilly wrote about in northern NJ were familiar to me, along with some places in the southern part of the state. I loved reading about some of the early aviators and the early airfields. I learned about the history of Newark-Liberty International Airport and Teterboro.

I learned about some of the early aviators. Barnstormers, airshows, air mail pilots, WWI, WW II, instructors. Then there were the early aviation mechanics, air traffic controllers, fixed base operators.

And the companies, some long gone. Here are some you may have heard of: Fokker Aircraft, Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, Curtiss-Wright Corp (engines and propellers), Aircraft Radio Corp., Bendix Corp., and Switlick Parachute Co. And many many more.

I can’t begin to do this book and NJ’s aviation history justice in this short article. But I will be writing more about moments in NJ Aviation history here in the blog from time to time.

I’d urge any of you who are interested in aviation history to explore your regions aviation history. Perhaps through a local aviation museum and or hall of fame. Perhaps there is a book.

And don’t forget your local general aviation airport, they have a history. An important history.