Connecticut Air and Space Center Celebrates Sikorsky Aircraft’s 100th Anniversary

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Story by Ken Kula, photos by Scott Zeno, Alice Leong and Ken Kula.

The airport that straddles the city of Bridgeport and town of Stratford, Connecticut is named after a very distinguished aviation pioneer. The Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR) sits just inland of Long Island Sound, along the southern coast of the state. The Connecticut Air and Space Center, founded 25 years ago, has made the airport its home for a few very special reasons. Mr. Sikorsky is one of a number of aviation luminaries and companies who flocked to this area to develop some legendary airplanes and aviation technologies.

Looking out the backside of the Curtiss Flying School hangar at the modern end of Bridgeport Connecticut’s Igor I. Sikorsky memorial Airport.

On a bright Saturday – June 10, 2023 to be exact – the museum marked the centennial milestone of the founding of what has become Sikorsky Aircraft, with an open house and special helicopter display. Situated in the northeastern side of the airport, the museum occupies a couple of historic buildings, rich with history. The Curtiss Flying School complex was built between 1928 and 1929, around the same time as the airport was officially opened. The main hangar, although run down, is still standing and is the object of a long range plan for the Center’s expansion, through its renovation. The stylized Curtiss name is still legible on the main façade. Three nearby buildings, part of the original four that made up the Flying School, still stand and are in use today.

Front face of the Curtiss Flying School hangar.

When the Curtiss school opened, Igor Sikorsky found the area to his liking for his new manufacturing plant for amphibious aircraft designs. His Sikorsky Manufacturing Company moved from a Long Island, New York plant to a new, modern factory across Long Island Sound in 1929, and his company reorganized into Sikorsky Aircraft, part of United Aircraft and Transportation Corporation. On the grounds of what is today’s airport, he would go on to build his successful seaplane and helicopter empire. Also in 1929, Charles Lindbergh began flying Sikorsky flying boats for Pan American Airways from Miami to South America, and undoubtedly visited the airport while work on the new aircraft occurred. This was only two years after he crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo. Juan Tripp, the president of Pan American was another visitor to the plant. Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart are other luminaries who have been mentioned as visitors to the Bridgeport Airport, before it was named after Igor Sikorsky.

“Pappy” Boyington’s autograph, a pair of gold pilot’s wings, unit patch and more memorabilia, part of the Connecticut Air and Space Center collection.

In 1939, United Aircraft moved their Chance Vought company of aircraft design and manufacture adjacent to Bridgeport’s airport, across the street from the Sikorsky plant. Both companies were still part of United Aircraft. During World War II, the Vought factory produced more than 7000 Corsairs in its Stratford/Bridgeport factory, while the Sikorsky factory downsized and worked mainly on early helicopter design, testing and manufacture. Again, Charles Lindbergh was working around the airport, this time with the Vought Corsair, trying to improve the aircrafts’ range and other performance parameters. “Pappy” Boyington of World War II’s Black Sheep fame, was thought to have passed through the Vought factory to pick up a Corsair too.

The view of aircraft awaiting their turn to depart from the Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Connecticut

Fast forward from the late 1920s through 1940s, to 2023, and the Center sits at one end of the main IFR runway of KBDR. The open house and Sikorsky celebration lasted from mid-morning through late afternoon, and the airport hummed with numerous jet and prop-driven aircraft operating from the runway and taxiway closest to the Museum.

The Center’s FG-1D Corsair has a few items to complete before a full restoration is finished.

Several of the Center’s collection of aircraft were on display… including Sikorsky HO5S and H-19B machines from the 1950s, a Hughes OH-6 from the 1960s, and the partly restored Sikorsky S-60, the prototype of the CH-54 Skycrane from the Vietnam War years. A newly acquired Cessna O-2 Skymaster and a few other fixed wing aircraft were out for viewing, and the Center’s almost-completed FG-1D Corsair was in the small hangar. Parts of the Corsair were used as production props for the recent movie Devotion… the cockpit canopy scenes used the Center’s aircraft parts, so when you see the movie, there’s a part of the Connecticut Air and Space Center in it!

Executive transport Sikorsky S-76++ helicopter, both inside and out.

Participating non-museum helicopters included a private Sikorsky S-76++ executive helicopter, plus a Robinson R-66 visitor for the day.

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Sikorsky UH-60A Blackhawk had already flown pilotless for 3 and a half hours when this photo was taken.

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Sikorsky S-76 chase helicopter for the pilotless helicopter missions.

A pair of Sikorsky experimental helicopters were interesting additions, the UH-60A Blackhawk is the DARPA unmanned (or “uncrewed” as some call it) testbed aircraft that can fly without pilots aboard, and the accompanying S-76 MATRIX Technology is the testing chase helicopter. One of the portable command and control trailers was set up too, with many visual monitors and a few cameras that showed how engineers can review and modify a flight test.

The Center’s OH-6A Cayuse, a Vietnam-era version of the Hughes 500; later models are still in Army use today.

The Connecticut Air and Space Center sits at an airport rich with aviation history… much of it not widely-known yet… but a visit on a weekend (normal hours are weekends only 10AM to 4PM) will yield a great deal of knowledge about a real cradle of aviation, the Bridgeport/Stratford Connecticut area. The next special event will be on Sunday, July 30, 2023 with the Vietnam Day and military vehicle show (To honor, preserve and educate). For further information on this and on the museum in general, go to: Connecticut Air & Space Center- CT Aviation history (ctairandspace.org).

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