I worked at Grumman Aerospace in Calverton, NY in the 70's after active duty in the Navy. It was like old home week, as some of the guys I worked with in the Navy at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA wound up at Grumman in Calverton. I worked on test A6E Intruders and other visiting military aircraft. My uncle Gasper Dimino worked there as well. He worked on the new F-14 Tomcats, an awesome fighter jet. Great times and good memories. Frank Pagano, Corona, CA.
I am promoting the drag racing that is taking place April - thru October 2022 on the Calverton 7,000 ft runway. I would welcome a conversation about the history of this facility.
Hi Brian, Thanks for subscribing! Known locally as "Grumman Calverton", it was technically known as the United States Navy Reserve Industrial Plant, Calverton NY. Grumman had been in business building airplanes since the early 1930's. The original facility wasn't much bigger than a garage. Production moved to a location in the mid-1930s on Conklin St in East Farmingdale, NY, across from what is now Airport Plaza (the former site of Republic Aviation Corp. (later Fairchild-Republic) and Republic Airport. As WW2 began in Europe the US began to ramp up production of military aircraft. Republic built their factory (and the larger of the 3 hangars that survive today along New Highway) in 1941-43. Grumman moved to Bethpage NY and built their factory about the same time. This facility was responsible for building the majority of F4F Wildcat fighters, TBF Avenger Torpedo planes before production was farmed out to GM in NJ (became FM-2 Wildcat and TBM Avenger), so Bethpage could crank out ALL the F6F Hellcat fighters built in WW2. Bethpage continued to build the F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat models at the end of and post WW2. With the arrival of jet aircraft in the late 1940's, it was realized that much longer runways would now be required to handle the longer takeoff and landing distances. While Republic simply extended their runways to 7000' which required New highway to be rerouted around it, that was not an option in Bethpage. Post war housing had encroached on all the farmland surrounding the Grumman airport and factory. So the US Navy bought up thousands of acres of pine barrens in 1952, in what was then sparsely populated Calverton. They built 2 runways at 10,000' length. They built the new plants on site for Grumman, and all was completed and leased to Grumman in 1954. The first production aircraft built there was the F9F Cougar, a follow on from the F9F Panther but with swept wings. Then came the F11F Tiger and A-6 Intruder in the early 1960's. In the mid-60's Grumman was responsible for developing the Naval version of the TFX, or the F-111B. After building and testing multiple prototypes, the Navy decided the aircraft was just too large, too heavy and underpowered for operations aboard aircraft carriers. The 'B' model was dropped. By the late 1960's the US Navy wanted a next generation fighter to replace the F-4 Phantom. It would strictly be a fleet defense fighter. Grumman applied what they learned from the F-111B program, and eventually came up with the F-14 Tomcat, which utilized the same Phoenix missile and AWG-9 radar as the F-111B. The swing wing design was also kept. F-14 production ran from 1970 through 1992, when the last 'D' model departed the facility. At the same time frame, A-6 production continued up to the 'E' model in the early 80's, and then earlier models returned to the factory for overhaul and "re-wing" work in the mid 1980's. Grumman also was tasked with modifying USAF F-111A fighters into the EF-111A electronic jammers, since they had experience building the EA-6B Prowler aircraft for the Navy. Early warning radar aircraft, the E-2C Hawkeye, was initially built at the Bethpage factory, and then the completed sub assemblies were sent to Calverton for final assembly and test flying. I visited the Calverton facility 4 times in the mid to late 1980's through first a high school program and later through Dowling College. It was a busy airport with test flights and deliveries of Tomcats, Intruders, Prowlers, Hawkeye's and we even got to see the forward swept wing X-29 experimental aircraft. However by 1990, the majority of the work Grumman was doing was completed and there were no new contracts on the horizon. The runways were closed in Bethpage as was their tower. The follow on proposal for the F-14 Tomcat to make it an air to air and ground capable aircraft was rejected and further production cancelled. The only remaining work in 1992 was the E-2C Hawkeye. Grumman put in a proposal for the Next Generation Trainer program. They partnered with an Italian Company SIAI Marchetti, and would produce the S.211 jet trainer at Calverton. I remember seeing the demonstrator flying around Calverton once. Grumman lost the bid. Aircraft production ended in 1994, when the last E-2 Hawkeye left Calverton. Grumman abandoned the facility and the property reverted back to the US Navy. The Navy then turned over the property to the Town of Riverhead, who apparently still can't decide what to do with it. Many of the larger buildings have been turned into the Enterprise Industrial Park. Some of the ball fields that Grumman employees used for recreation and picnics are still in use for local sports groups. The SW-NE runway has remained closed, while the NW-SE runway has remained open as a reserved/prior permission required field. Skydive LI used it for a while, but they now operate out of Brookhaven airport. Illuminati Aerospace had announced plans to build a composite un-manned aircraft of some sort, but those plans fell through. There was an airshow at Calverton in 2003. Ironically, there was not ONE single Grumman Aircraft in attendance from the US Navy. Tomcats were still in service as was the Prowler, but no. Not even an E-2 or C-2 Greyhound COD. This show later evolved into the Jones Beach airshow we now have every Memorial Day weekend.
I worked at Grumman Aerospace in Calverton, NY in the 70's after active duty in the Navy. It was like old home week, as some of the guys I worked with in the Navy at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA wound up at Grumman in Calverton. I worked on test A6E Intruders and other visiting military aircraft. My uncle Gasper Dimino worked there as well. He worked on the new F-14 Tomcats, an awesome fighter jet. Great times and good memories. Frank Pagano, Corona, CA.
That Former Grumman Calverton Factory were the F-14 Tomcat was born should be used now as an Metropolitan Airport Operated jointly by FAA & NASA.
What are you guys in? 177 Cardnial?
Cessna 150
@@MorePlanes OK, I didn't see any struts is why I said 177
@@scotabot7826 I used a GoPro Hero 3 mounted to the struts tie down ring.
I am promoting the drag racing that is taking place April - thru October 2022 on the Calverton 7,000 ft runway. I would welcome a conversation about the history of this facility.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for subscribing! Known locally as "Grumman Calverton", it was technically known as the United States Navy Reserve Industrial Plant, Calverton NY. Grumman had been in business building airplanes since the early 1930's. The original facility wasn't much bigger than a garage. Production moved to a location in the mid-1930s on Conklin St in East Farmingdale, NY, across from what is now Airport Plaza (the former site of Republic Aviation Corp. (later Fairchild-Republic) and Republic Airport. As WW2 began in Europe the US began to ramp up production of military aircraft. Republic built their factory (and the larger of the 3 hangars that survive today along New Highway) in 1941-43. Grumman moved to Bethpage NY and built their factory about the same time. This facility was responsible for building the majority of F4F Wildcat fighters, TBF Avenger Torpedo planes before production was farmed out to GM in NJ (became FM-2 Wildcat and TBM Avenger), so Bethpage could crank out ALL the F6F Hellcat fighters built in WW2. Bethpage continued to build the F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat models at the end of and post WW2. With the arrival of jet aircraft in the late 1940's, it was realized that much longer runways would now be required to handle the longer takeoff and landing distances. While Republic simply extended their runways to 7000' which required New highway to be rerouted around it, that was not an option in Bethpage. Post war housing had encroached on all the farmland surrounding the Grumman airport and factory.
So the US Navy bought up thousands of acres of pine barrens in 1952, in what was then sparsely populated Calverton. They built 2 runways at 10,000' length. They built the new plants on site for Grumman, and all was completed and leased to Grumman in 1954. The first production aircraft built there was the F9F Cougar, a follow on from the F9F Panther but with swept wings. Then came the F11F Tiger and A-6 Intruder in the early 1960's. In the mid-60's Grumman was responsible for developing the Naval version of the TFX, or the F-111B. After building and testing multiple prototypes, the Navy decided the aircraft was just too large, too heavy and underpowered for operations aboard aircraft carriers. The 'B' model was dropped. By the late 1960's the US Navy wanted a next generation fighter to replace the F-4 Phantom. It would strictly be a fleet defense fighter. Grumman applied what they learned from the F-111B program, and eventually came up with the F-14 Tomcat, which utilized the same Phoenix missile and AWG-9 radar as the F-111B. The swing wing design was also kept. F-14 production ran from 1970 through 1992, when the last 'D' model departed the facility. At the same time frame, A-6 production continued up to the 'E' model in the early 80's, and then earlier models returned to the factory for overhaul and "re-wing" work in the mid 1980's. Grumman also was tasked with modifying USAF F-111A fighters into the EF-111A electronic jammers, since they had experience building the EA-6B Prowler aircraft for the Navy. Early warning radar aircraft, the E-2C Hawkeye, was initially built at the Bethpage factory, and then the completed sub assemblies were sent to Calverton for final assembly and test flying.
I visited the Calverton facility 4 times in the mid to late 1980's through first a high school program and later through Dowling College. It was a busy airport with test flights and deliveries of Tomcats, Intruders, Prowlers, Hawkeye's and we even got to see the forward swept wing X-29 experimental aircraft. However by 1990, the majority of the work Grumman was doing was completed and there were no new contracts on the horizon. The runways were closed in Bethpage as was their tower. The follow on proposal for the F-14 Tomcat to make it an air to air and ground capable aircraft was rejected and further production cancelled. The only remaining work in 1992 was the E-2C Hawkeye. Grumman put in a proposal for the Next Generation Trainer program. They partnered with an Italian Company SIAI Marchetti, and would produce the S.211 jet trainer at Calverton. I remember seeing the demonstrator flying around Calverton once. Grumman lost the bid. Aircraft production ended in 1994, when the last E-2 Hawkeye left Calverton. Grumman abandoned the facility and the property reverted back to the US Navy. The Navy then turned over the property to the Town of Riverhead, who apparently still can't decide what to do with it. Many of the larger buildings have been turned into the Enterprise Industrial Park. Some of the ball fields that Grumman employees used for recreation and picnics are still in use for local sports groups. The SW-NE runway has remained closed, while the NW-SE runway has remained open as a reserved/prior permission required field. Skydive LI used it for a while, but they now operate out of Brookhaven airport. Illuminati Aerospace had announced plans to build a composite un-manned aircraft of some sort, but those plans fell through. There was an airshow at Calverton in 2003. Ironically, there was not ONE single Grumman Aircraft in attendance from the US Navy. Tomcats were still in service as was the Prowler, but no. Not even an E-2 or C-2 Greyhound COD. This show later evolved into the Jones Beach airshow we now have every Memorial Day weekend.