| Lakehurst
Hanger No.1 History:
On May
6th, 1937 Lakehurst Hanger No. 1 was etched into history when the tragedy
of the worlds largest airship was captured on film and narrated by Herb
Morrison. Even today to here his emotional account of the event send
chills. Aside from this most famous tragedy, the hanger is also rich
in history of all types. At ECIM we feel that properly accounting for
the history of the base should be left up to the professionals. So instead
of reading accounts and writing on them, we would like to offer the
following links:
Navy
Lakehurst Historical Society, Inc: This is a terrific site dedicated
to preserving the history of the base. Here you will find all types
of information on air ships, a detailed look at the hanger itself and
many, many other interesting facts about the base.
Abandon
and Little Known Airfields by Paul Freeman: Many large
photos and facts on Lakehurst and other southern New Jersey airfields.
Vidicom
Television, Hamburg Germany: Documentary footage on the Hindenburg
Cider
Press Pottery: This appears to be a personal
page that was put together on a private page for a pottery site? Not
really sure what the original intent was, but the page covers many different
types of airships.
NavAir
- Base web site dedicated to all types of information
Hindenburg
Bio - Not 100% sure, but appears to be the German Field
Marshall of the air ships namesake.
ECIM
Club History at Lakehurst:
In 1926,
a small handful of modelers were given permission from Commander Charles
E. Rosendahl (the father of airship development in the U. S.) and Base
Commanding Officer E. S. Jackson, to use the newly finished hangar at
Lakehurst for Indoor Free Flight Modeling. Through the remaining portion
of that year and the next couple, Indoor Modeling was able to develop
in this unlimited space.
In 1931,
the first major indoor Free Flight contest was held in Hangar 1, hosted
by the Lakehurst modeling group. This event marks the formal origin
of what we now call the East Coast Indoor Modelers (ECIM).
Merrick
"Pete" Andrews (1914-1992) was one of the originators and founder of
our group. Among the many records he established here, he also helped
to promote Indoor Modeling throughout the New Jersey and Philadelphia
school systems.
Weekly
building sessions were held at the major educational facilities, and
several department stores (such as John Wanamaker).
Newspapers
like the Philadelphia Inquirer published model plans and contest results
to help further the hobby. Hangar No.1 served as a haven to these aviators,
where up to 200 young flyers would gather and compete.
Today,
ECIM works In conjunction with several organizations to perpetuate this
superb facility. Being one of the oldest modeling groups in the world,
we are very proud to continue our tradition at our original flying site.
Many of our present members have been flying here for over 50 years!!
We hope
you enjoy being a part of our current tradition as we are very honored
to bring it to you!
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