Hempstead Plains Aviation Field
Another pioneering industry on the Hempstead Plains was aviation. In July 1909, aviator and manufacturer Glenn Curtiss relocated his base of operation from his native upstate New York to Mineola. Curtiss, at the controls of his biplane the Golden Flyer, circled the plains' Washington Avenue field for more than 52 minutes, demonstrating the aircraft's capabilities and earning the Scientific American prize for a flight of more than 25 kilometers.
Some 15 years later, the Hempstead Plains had earned the appellation Cradle of Aviation. Facilities such as Hazelhurst Field, Roosevelt Field, Mitchel Field and Curtiss Field provided the eastern US's hub of private, and even military, air activity.
The most famous flight from the Hemsptead Plains was Charles Lindbergh and his 1927 journey to France. On May 20-May 21, Lindbergh, aboard the single-engine monoplane The Spirit of St. Louis, was the first pilot to fly from the U.S. solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Roosevelt Field to Le Bourget, Paris in 33.5 hours.