I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4484 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of alternatives 
for commemorating Long Island’s aviation history, including a determina-
tion of the suitability and feasibility of designating parts of the study 
area as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2016 
Miss RICE of New York (for herself, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. KING of New York, 
Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. ZELDIN) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
study of alternatives for commemorating Long Island’s 
aviation history, including a determination of the suit-
ability and feasibility of designating parts of the study 
area as a unit of the National Park System, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Long Island Aviation 
History Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Long Island has played an indispensable 
role in the development of the aviation industry in 
the United States. In particular, the Hempstead 
Plains, Suffolk County Air Force Base, and parts of 
Bethpage, Port Washington, and Farmingdale con-
tain notable landmarks of aviation history. 
(2) The Hempstead Plains encompass approxi-
mately 950 acres east of Clinton Road and south of 
Old Country Road in Garden City, New York, and 
have been called the ‘‘Cradle of Aviation’’. 
(3) In the early 20th century, the Hempstead 
Plains had 3 major airfields, all of great historical 
significance: Roosevelt Field, Curtiss Field, and 
Mitchel Field. 
(4) During World War I, the airfields of Hemp-
stead Plains were an important training center for 
United States military pilots, as well as a major hub 
for military aircraft research, development, and pro-
duction. 
(5) The first transatlantic flight, carried out by 
the U.S. Navy Curtiss NC–4 in 1919, took off from 
Rockaway, New York, and cemented the United 
States leading role in aviation innovation. This air-
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craft was built at the Curtiss factory in Garden 
City—a building which still stands. 
(6) Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York, 
was the point of departure for Charles Lindbergh’s 
famous transatlantic flight aboard the Spirit of St. 
Louis completed on May 20, 1927. 
(7) In 1929, Amelia Earhart and other pio-
neering women pilots founded the International Or-
ganization of Women Pilots, or the Ninety-Nines, at 
Curtiss Field. 
(8) Curtiss Field also served as the terminus 
for transcontinental airmail from 1918–1929. 
(9) In the 1930s, Roosevelt Field was the busi-
est civilian airfield in the United States, and played 
a role in many other historic transcontinental, trans-
atlantic, and record-setting flights. 
(10) Port Washington, New York, once known 
as the ‘‘Plymouth Rock’’ of American aviation, was 
Pan American World Airways’ trans-Atlantic hub on 
Manhasset Isle from 1934 to 1940. 
(11) During World War II, Long Island was a 
crucial center of military aircraft production. These 
aircraft, produced in huge numbers for the Army, 
Navy, and foreign governments, were of excellent 
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quality and had a major impact on the course of the 
war in all theaters. 
(12) Most notably, the Grumman Aircraft Com-
pany, based in Bethpage, New York, and the Repub-
lic Aviation Corporation, based in Farmingdale, New 
York, manufactured innovative planes that proved 
highly valuable to the U.S. military such as Grum-
man’s F6F–3 Hellcat and Republic’s P–47 Thun-
derbolt. 
(13) Mitchel Air Force Base, located on the 
Hempstead Plains, served as the original location of 
the Air Defense Command upon its inception in 
1940, and was integral to the defense of the main- 
land United States during World War II and there-
after. 
(14) In 1951, the Suffolk County Air Force 
Base, located in Westhampton, New York, became 
the prime Air Defense Command base responsible 
for defending the New York City metropolitan area 
from all air attacks. 
(15) In 1962, Grumman won the contract to 
build the Lunar Module as part of the Apollo Pro-
gram, and in 1969 the first men traveled to the 
moon aboard a spacecraft built with the expertise of 
Long Island’s aviation industry. 
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SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall con-
duct a special resource study of the study area. 
(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) evaluate the national significance of the 
study area based on an assessment of Long Island’s 
aviation history; 
(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating parts of the study area as a unit of the 
National Park System commemorating Long Is-
land’s aviation history; 
(3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
protection, and interpretation of the study area by 
Federal, State, or local governmental entities, or pri-
vate and nonprofit organizations; 
(4) identify properties related to Long Island’s 
aviation history that could meet criteria for listing in 
the National Register of Historic Places or criteria 
for designation as National Historic Landmarks; 
(5) consult with interested Federal, State, or 
local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or-
ganizations, or any other interested individuals; 
(6) consider the appropriate management op-
tions needed to ensure the protection, preservation, 
and interpretation of the study area; 
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(7) evaluate appropriate ways to enhance his-
torical research, education, interpretation, and pub-
lic awareness of Long Island’s aviation history; and 
(8) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac-
quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 
maintenance associated with the alternatives. 
(c) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’ means 
Long Island with a particular focus on the Hempstead 
Plains, the areas surrounding Suffolk County Air Force 
Base, the hamlet of Bethpage, the hamlet of Port Wash-
ington, and the village of Farmingdale. 
(d) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 
subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with sec-
tion 100507 of title 54, United States Code. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
on which funds are first made available for the study 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report containing the results 
of the study and any conclusions and recommendations of 
the Secretary. 
Æ 
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