STRATFORD, Conn. — Members of the Connecticut Air & Space Center Museum have begun the process of cleaning and restoring the historic Curtiss Hangar at Sikorsky Memorial Airport.According to museum officials, the Curtiss Hangar is an integral part of Connecticut’s aviation history, a site visited by aviation pioneers such as Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and Igor Sikorsky.
The Connecticut Air & Space Center, located at 201 Sniffens Lane, Stratford, houses a large collection of aviation artifacts, including a flying full-size replica of Bridgeport’s Gustav Whitehead’s No. 21, which flew two years before the Wright brothers.
The center is restoring the FG-1 Corsair World War II fighter plane which was for many years displayed on a pylon at the entrance to Sikorsky Memorial Airport. During World War II several thousand Corsairs were built at the Army Engine Plant on Main Street and flown directly to the Pacific War from Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
The center is open for visitors 18 and older on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tax-deductible contributions to support this project and the center are much appreciated, according to museum officials.
For more information: CTAirandspace.com
