Pictured on Saturday, November 17 2012, are members of the Connecticut Air & Space Center museum in the process of cleaning and restoring the historic Curtiss Hangar at Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
The Curtiss Hangar is an integral part of Connecticut's unique aviation history, a site visited by aviation pioneers such as Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Erhart, Howard Hughes and Igor Sikorsky.
The Connecticut Air & Space Center, located at 201 Sniffens Lane, Stratford, houses a large collection of aviation artifacts including a flying full-size replica of Bridgeport's Gustav Whitehead's No. 21, which flew two years before the Wright Brothers (and is celebrated by a sculpture at the intersection of Fairfield Avenue and Commerce Drive, Bridgeport recently-dedicated by Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch).
The Center is presently restoring the FG-1 Corsair World War II fighter plane which was for many years displayed on a pylon at the entrance to Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
During World War II, several thousand Corsairs were made at the Army Engine Plant on Main Street, Stratford and flown directly to the Pacific War from Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
The Center is open for visitors 18 and older on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tax-deductible contributions to support this project and the Center are much appreciated. Contact: Director@ctairandspace.com.
