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View Full Version : Floyd Bennett 8/2



Gerard
2007-08-02, 06:13 PM
On vacation this week and no kids, no wife (in Spain with her mother) so I took a break from the beach and took
a ride to my old hangout Floyd Bennett Field. Wow it was hot but still didnt deter me from walking my usual daily 3
miles. Too bad Aviation Base is off limits. One of the 412s was on the deck as was Aviation 15 which took a run to
the Marine Air Terminal then back to Base after 3. And JFK was landing 1-3 and that was great with the aircraft cruising
past. What was really neat and I had forgot was how many frequencys I can pick up there. I hung out by the boat
ramp area and easily picked up helicopters on 123.050, 123.075, LGA 126.050, Newark 127.850 and of course the
inbounds and some helos on 119.1. And one I had totally forgot was 463.000. What is that you ask? That is the
dispatch frequency for Stat Flight up in Westchester County. And it came out nice and clear when Stat Air 1 was
dispatched to Hudson Valley Hospital for a transfer to WMC. I guess because of the lack of big buildings and the
open land allows this to happen. When I lived in Forest Hills though I also picked them up pretty nice also.
The coolest thing now about Floyd is Aviator Sports. What a beautiful facility, just a great job and it was nice to
grab a drink and a slice of pizza and sit inside one of the ice rinks to cool off. And for me it is totally ironic that they
built a hockey facility because when I visited their back in the 90s with my sons it was the place where they learned
to roller blade and ride their bikes and I could watch helicopters. We used to bring a portable hockey net, I would play goalie and the kids would skate around and shoot at me. LOL, I wouldnt do that now as they both play ice hockey and roller hockey and my oldest son once put a puck through the boards at a roller hockey facilty near us and won hardest shot at an all-star competition.
It was nice to visit again too bad it is far away but both my sons when they found out I was there want to go with me
when they get home at the end of the summer. Sounds good to me.
And the Concorde outside it a nice touch. It was closed today so you couldnt even sit underneath.
Back to the beach tomorrow. 8)