Historian Jeremy D’Entremont will present the story of New England’s aerial holiday delivery tradition on Nov. 19, 2026, at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire.
The presentation, held at 7 p.m., is part of the museum’s Exploring Aviation series. Admission is $10 for the general public and free for museum members.
According to museum officials, the Flying Santa program originated on Dec. 25, 1929, when Capt. William Wincapaw flew an amphibious aircraft to drop care packages to lighthouse keepers and their families around Rockland, Maine. Wincapaw started the flights to thank keepers who provided navigational beacons during adverse weather conditions.
The flights expanded across coastal New England and were maintained by historian Edward Rowe Snow through 1980. Deliveries transitioned to helicopters in 1978 and continue today through the non-profit organization Friends of Flying Santa, which serves U.S. Coast Guard families from Maine to New York.
D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books on maritime history, serves as historian for the U.S. Lighthouse Society, and is a board member of Friends of Flying Santa.
For more information: AviationMuseumOfNH.org
Leave a Reply