Hangar Soars Back From the Past

10.03.2003

OKLAHOMA CITY - A piece of Oklahoma City history, almost forgotten by the aviation industry, is being dedicated back into use. The Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post hangar, the first structure of the original Wiley Post Airfield on May Avenue and Britton Road, is scheduled to be reconstructed.

The historic Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar will be dedicated at Wiley Post Airport on Sat., Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. in conjunction with the annual Aerospace America Air Show and the Centennial of Flight Celebration. Oklahoma astronaut, Lt. Gen. Tom Stafford, is scheduled to give the dedication address.

In a collaborative agreement with the Advanced Science and Technology Education Center, an Oklahoma charter school, the Aerospace America International Air Show has recently acquired the 1928 Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar. Midwest Wrecking Company carefully dismantled the hangar from its original location near May Ave. and Britton Road in 1996. C. H. Guernsey & Company, a local engineering, architecture and consulting firm, helped preserve the hangar's historical appearance and W.S. Bowlware will reconstruct the hangar.

The hangar - set to be reconstructed at Wiley Post Airport - is to become Oklahoma's permanent monument to the centennial of flight. In 1928, the hangar was built for promoting and supporting aviation and provided an outlet for the sale and maintenance of Curtiss-Wright products. From 1929 to 1934 Oklahoma's world-famous aviator, Wiley Post, used the hangar to design and modify airplanes he used on several intercontinental and two around-the-world flights.

"Few if any aviation structures in Oklahoma are more historically significant than the Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar," said Bob Kemper, chairman of the hangar reconstruction committee.

Kemper also stated the reconstructed hangar is not to be a relic of the past, but a proactive facility for public education and the promotion of general aviation in the state of Oklahoma and will provide a link to the past and a bridge to the future.

As part of the dedication, students from Wiley Post, Northern Hills and other local elementary schools have constructed paper airplanes to be dropped from a high-altitude, helium balloon provided by High Ships, Inc. of Fredrick, Okla. The balloon will be flown to 120,000 feet for the drop.

An official from each public-use, private and residential airport nationwide was invited to fly into Will Rogers World Airport between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. The pilots will then be bused to Wiley Post Airport to participate in the dedication.

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EDITORS NOTES:

C. H. Guernsey & Company Background Information:
C. H. Guernsey & Company, celebrating its 75th year of business, offers the highest quality engineering, architectural and consulting solutions to clients in the United States and abroad. GUERNSEY has its headquarters in Oklahoma City with offices in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois and Texas.

For more information about the Curtiss-Wright/Wiley Post hangar restoration project visit: http://www.taxi-strip.com/WileyPostHangar.html