There is a need to show the children of our communities that American ideals come about through hard work, persistence and patience. Our children need and deserve safe havens to explore their goals and aspirations.

The blimps that visit our city every year are fun to watch and bring out the child in all of us. However, a need has arisen that didn't exist recently - a new landing site for these friendly flying behemoths! College Point has been developing into a major center of commerce over the last few years. There is an area in College Point that served as an aviation facility for many decades. It is now abandoned, and an airship park would be an ideal use for the property.

The Flushing Airport Site

The property is surrounded by wetlands, which can be made accessible to the community so that this natural habitat can be studied and enjoyed. The wetlands would also provide a perfect border for the operation of blimps that are visiting the New York metropolitan area. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)is to study the potential impact on air traffic to see if this would be an appropriate and safe location for an airship park.

There is a long history of airships based in Queens. A military base complete with an airship hangar was located on property that is now part of Kennedy International Airport. Decades ago blimps landed at North Beach Airport, now known as LaGuardia. At nearby Holmes Airport (the current home to the Bulova Corporate Headquarters Building), Goodyear erected a hangar and operated a sightseeing blimp all year long! In 1964, 2 visiting Goodyear blimps used Flushing Airport as a summer base for the N.Y. World's Fair.

Goodyear Blimp Over Flushing Airport

At least one airship returned annually to College Point until the mid-70's when Flushing Airport's future became uncertain. There are about 16 blimps currently flying in the US, and many make at least one visit to New York annually. Unfortunately, airports in the area are finding that the blimps are becoming an impediment to increasing airport traffic. Half of the property at Linden Airport has been converted to a shopping mall, losing three blimp mooring spaces, a taxiway is being built over the blimp operating area at Westchester Airport, and Republic, Teterboro and Caldwell Airports are becoming more severely congested every year.

Most of the New York blimp traffic passes over Queens, and several annual events such as the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament currently guarantee an overhead visit by Fuji, Goodyear, and other major advertising airships.

Airships provide children with a sense of inspiration and awe. We can create another aviation landmark right here in Queens! An airship park in College Point would provide the young and young at heart with a learning center like no other in the world today. Having both wetlands and a grass landing area for 2 or 3 airships, the property's natural integrity would be appreciated and developed for environmentally friendly usage, and the community would have a facility that would be a source of great pride.

Let us make a commitment to the ideals of the past. Airships are a bridge that link a colorful and romantic past with the hopes and dreams of a bright and wonderful future, just as 2 great World's Fairs at nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park predicted earlier in the century. We sincerely hope the community supports the proposal to convert Flushing Airport into the College Point Airship Park.

The College Point Airship Park is a project by Airships Unlimited, Inc., a locally-owned company with experience in consulting, marketing and operations in the airship industry. Your comments and thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as we believe that the community should play an integral role in developing the site. Please feel free to contact Alan Gross at 718/461-3998 or e-mail him at

Flushing Airport, Site for the Proposed College Point Airship Park <

---

	Download the Flyer in its Original 2-Page Format (PDF file)
	Back to Main Menu