Bader Field, The First Airport

PIONEERING Pilots with Local Connections

• Glenn Curtiss: The famous pilot who flew in the 1910 Atlantic City Aero Meet returned to the Queen of Resorts in 1915 to set up a sightseeing "flying boat" business. In wooden-winged boats embarking from the inlet, Curtiss flew Atlantic City’s summertime residents over the resort. It became a fashionable recreational activity for the city’s social elite. See the Virtual Exhibit for more information. A local historian is an expert on Curtiss' Atlantic City endeavors. Speak to her by contacting the Atlantic City Free Public Library.
• Ida Mae Hampton: The first female to earn her pilot's license in South Jersey, which she achieved in 1928. She flew from Bader Field. She declined the invitation to fly on the ill-fated "American Nurse" flight, which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Hampton's niece, a local historian, is available for interviews. Contact the Atlantic City Free Public Library for more information. Additional information is found in local newspaper articles:
  "Local Girl Had Invitation to Join in Flight to Rome" (Atlantic City Press, 18 September 1932, A1)
  "Aviatrix Hits Ocean Flights" (Atlantic City Press, 19 September 1932)
  "Early Aviatrix Dodged a Doomed Flight in 1932" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 8 November 2009, B15)
  "Obituary: Ida Mae (Hampton) Wassell" (Press of Atlantic City, 4 November 2009, C2)

• Dr. Albert Forsythe & C. Alfred Anderson: Taking off from Bader Field in Atlantic City in July 1933 and landing in Los Angeles, Forsythe and Anderson became the first African-American pilots to complete a transcontinental flight. They were sponsored by the Atlantic City Board of Trade and flew their plane, The Pride of Atlantic City, stopping in cities with large African-American populations along the way.  Additional information is found in these articles and books:
  Reilly, H.V. Pat. From the Balloon to the Moon. (Oradell, NJ: HV Publishers, 1992) ACFPL  APPL
  Sawyer, Miriam. "Forsythe, Albert Edward." American National Biography Online, edited by Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty. Found in Oxford African American Studies Center. (ACFPL Library card required to access database.)
  Brock, Pope. "Chief Anderson" (People, 28 November 1988, 149)
  "Negroes Hop Today" (Atlantic City Press, 17 July 1933, 1)
  "Fliers Due Tonight" (Atlantic City Press, 28 July 1933, 5)
  "Negro Fliers Home" (Atlantic City Press, 29 July 1933, 1)
  "Winging It: Pioneer Pilot Soared for Civil Rights" (Press of Atlantic City, 4 March 1986, 25)
  "Trailblazing Black Pilot Dies" (Press of Atlantic City, 7 May 1986, 33)
  "Aviators Honored" (Press of Atlantic City, 7 February 1999, B1)

• Walter Wellman: balloonist, set out from Atlantic City in his dirigible, "America", to attempt the first Atlantic Ocean crossing in October 1910. He was unsuccessful and had to be rescued at sea. See the articles from the Virtual Exhibit related to his endeavor; additional information is available from the Atlantic City Free Public Library's Heston Collection. Wellman's grandson, who is working on a lecture series with the Smithsonian to commemorate the event, is available for interviews via email or international phonecall. Contact the Atlantic City Free Public Library to connect with him. Additional information is found in these articles and books:
  Mabley, Edward. The Motor Balloon "America". (Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Green Press, 1969) ACFPL
  Reilly, H.V. Pat. From the Balloon to the Moon. (Oradell, NJ: HV Publishers, 1992) ACFPL  APPL
  Wellman, Walter. "A Thousand Miles by Airship Over the Atlantic." (Hampton's Magazine, n.d., 733-747)
  "Wellman Ovation at Atlantic City" (The New York Times, 23 October 1910)
  "The Roving Reporter" (Atlantic City Press, 21 October 1945)
  Stills, Steve. "Dirigible Tried to Fly Atlantic Half Century Ago" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 October 1960)
  Learn, Paul. "Balloon Crew and Cat Left From Here in 1910 but Never Got All Way Across" (Atlantic City Press, 17 October 1965)

• Hugh L. Willoughby: one of the founders of the Atlantic City Aero Club, which was responsible for bring the 1910 Aero Meet to Atlantic City. He was also an amateur pilot and built his own aircraft. When Glenn Curtiss "disappeared" in his airplane on Day Five of the Atlantic City Aero Meet, he actually flew his plane to Ventnor to visit Willoughby. Additional information is found in these newspaper articles:
  "Newporter Builds Biplane" (The New York Times, 7 October 1909)
  "Rich Men Take Up the Dangerous Sport of Flying" (The New York Times, 28  June 1910)

EARLy Opinions of flying

From NAFEC to the FAA

The Lay of the Land

In 1933, two African-Americans, Dr. Albert Forsythe, a prominent Atlantic 
City physician, and his co-pilot, Alfred Anderson, selected Bader Field as 
their launch site for a transcontinental flight to Los Angeles. They were 
the first African-Americans to achieve this feat at a time when the War 
Department and most flight schools thought African-Americans could not 
fly. The two men, who went on to set other flying records, became New 
Jersey heroes and were even honored with a parade in Newark. Both men 
achieved great notoriety for their accomplishments and later, Mr. 
Andersen, while teaching flying at the Tuskegee Institute, was selected as 
the pilot-in-command for Eleanor Roosevelt's aircraft. This was the 
causative event which lead to the formation of the famed 99th Pursuit 
Squadron-the Tuskegee Airmen-which  posted a distinguished record in World 
War II. Their historic transcontinental flight from the Atlantic City 
"Airport" (Bader Field) was sponsored by the Atlantic City Board of Trade From report on NJ Airports http://www.njaviation.org/gasc_txt/009.txt

In 1933, two African-Americans, Dr. Albert Forsythe, a prominent Atlantic
City physician, and his co-pilot, Alfred Anderson, selected Bader Field as
their launch site for a transcontinental flight to Los Angeles. They were
the first African-Americans to achieve this feat at a time when the War
Department and most flight schools thought African-Americans could not
fly. The two men, who went on to set other flying records, became New
Jersey heroes and were even honored with a parade in Newark. Both men
achieved great notoriety for their accomplishments and later, Mr.
Andersen, while teaching flying at the Tuskegee Institute, was selected as
the pilot-in-command for Eleanor Roosevelt's aircraft. This was the
causative event which lead to the formation of the famed 99th Pursuit
Squadron-the Tuskegee Airmen-which  posted a distinguished record in World
War II. Their historic transcontinental flight from the Atlantic City
"Airport" (Bader Field) was sponsored by the Atlantic City Board of Trade
and their aircraft was named The Pride of Atlantic City.
























and their aircraft was named The Pride of Atlantic City.