Bellanca Airfield Museum

Directions Website Contact the organization

Bellanca Airfield Museum Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (or GM) immigrated from Italy in 1911 and continued his passion for aircraft design here in the United States. Please: become a member!

Friends of Bellanca Airfield, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Bellanca aircraft manufacturing in New Castle, Delaware. His aircraft achieved numerous endurance and efficiency records, and his plane Columbia (shown at left) was Charles Lindbergh's first choice for a Trans-Atlantic crossing. Lindbergh was unable to secure the plane, but 2 weeks after that first Trans-Atlantic flight Columbia was flown non-stop from New York to Berlin (3,911 miles). In 1931, Bellanca's Miss Veedol was the first plane to fly non-stop across the Pacific from Japan to Washington State (4,500 miles, shown at right). In 1928, Bellanca and Henry B. duPont built an airfield, aircraft plant, and service hangar in New Castle, Delaware. Located off Route 273 near the Delaware River, the plant produced approximately 3000 aircraft before closing in 1954. FoBA volunteers are restoring the 1935 Bellanca Airfield service hangar, owned by the Trustees of The New Castle Common. Interested individuals may contact FOBA by email at [email protected] for more information or membership data.

Writing✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — THE ROMA, SKYROCKET AND FLASHThree Aircraft, Three Chapters of...
10/26/2026

Writing
✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — THE ROMA, SKYROCKET AND FLASH
Three Aircraft, Three Chapters of Aviation History
The October 26, 1942 newspaper article revealed that parts from several famous Bellanca aircraft were included in the wartime scrap drive.
Among them were wheels from the Bellanca Roma, built in 1928 and described in the article as the first commercial-type airplane to feature retractable landing gear.
Parts from the Bellanca Skyrocket were also identified. That aircraft carried Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon on their daring 1931 flight from Japan to the mainland United States, completed without a landing in between.
And then there was the Bellanca Flash. In October 1936, James Mollison flew this aircraft from New York to London, setting a new transatlantic speed record of 257 miles per hour, according to the newspaper.
The article suggested that these historic components belonged in a museum. Instead, they were destined for the scrap heap to help keep America at the forefront of aircraft development and manufacturing during World War II.
Today, we remember not just the airplanes, but the extraordinary achievements they represented.
What a collection of aviation history this must have been!

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — THE ENGINES BEHIND AVIATION LEGENDSFrom Record-Breaking Flights to th...
10/26/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — THE ENGINES BEHIND AVIATION LEGENDS
From Record-Breaking Flights to the Scrap Heap
Some of the most extraordinary stories in aviation were represented in the materials collected at Bellanca Aircraft Corporation in October 1942.
The newspaper reported that exhaust manifolds from Wright J-6 engines were among the items being scrapped. These engines had powered the flights of Major Holger Hoiriis and Otto Hillig from Newfoundland to Denmark, Russell Boardman and John Polando on their remarkable 5,011-mile nonstop flight to Turkey, and the Adamowicz brothers on their flight to Warsaw.
Think about that: components associated with pioneering long-distance flights were being dismantled and recycled to support the American war effort. These were not just pieces of metal. They were reminders of the courage, engineering, and ambition that helped push aviation forward.

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — FAMED BELLANCA PLANE RELICS JOIN THE SCRAP DRIVEWhen Aviation History...
10/26/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY OCTOBER 26, 1942 — FAMED BELLANCA PLANE RELICS JOIN THE SCRAP DRIVE
When Aviation History Met the War Effort
On October 26, 1942, a remarkable collection of aviation history was headed for the scrap heap at Bellanca Aircraft Corporation in New Castle, Delaware. Between 75 and 100 tons of iron, steel, aluminum, copper, rubber, and other materials had been assembled for the wartime scrap drive.
Among the items being sacrificed were parts connected to some of the most memorable flights in aviation history. As America mobilized its industries for World War II, even the relics of pioneering achievements were being called upon to serve a new purpose.
It was a striking reminder that the aircraft industry’s past and future were now connected by the demands of war.

✈️ THE BELLANCA FLASH: A RECORD-BREAKING LEGACYPART 11 — OCTOBER 26, 1936: THE FINAL COUNTDOWNThe waiting was almost ove...
10/26/2026

✈️ THE BELLANCA FLASH: A RECORD-BREAKING LEGACY

PART 11 — OCTOBER 26, 1936: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

The waiting was almost over. The Bellanca Flash, reborn from the earlier Irish Swoop, was ready for its greatest challenge yet. British aviator Jim Mollison was preparing to take on the North Atlantic in an aircraft rebuilt for speed and long-distance performance.

The stakes were enormous. Could this sleek Bellanca turn years of ambition, engineering, and preparation into an aviation record?

Tomorrow, the attempt would begin!

✈️ BELLANCA AIRFIELD MUSEUM PRESENTS: THE ROAD TO MELBOURNEPART 11: ROSCOE TURNER AND THE AMERICAN CHALLENGEAmerica was ...
10/26/2026

✈️ BELLANCA AIRFIELD MUSEUM PRESENTS: THE ROAD TO MELBOURNE

PART 11: ROSCOE TURNER AND THE AMERICAN CHALLENGE

America was determined to make its mark on the great race to Australia.

Enter Roscoe Turner, the flamboyant and celebrated American air racer, alongside Clyde Pangborn and radio operator Reeder Nichols. Their mount was the Boeing 247D known as the Warner Bros. Comet.

Unlike the purpose-built DH.88 Comet that won the race, Turner’s aircraft was derived from a modern passenger airliner. It represented another approach to the challenge: could a fast, advanced transport aircraft compete with a machine designed specifically for racing?

The American team reached Melbourne on October 24, taking third place in the speed contest. Their performance helped demonstrate that modern commercial aircraft had a serious role to play in long-distance aviation.

The race was not simply Britain versus the Netherlands. It was an international contest of ideas, machines, and determination.

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930BEHIND EVERY AVIATION TRIUMPH, THERE IS A FAMILY!The headlines celebra...
10/25/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930
BEHIND EVERY AVIATION TRIUMPH, THERE IS A FAMILY!
The headlines celebrated the daring flight across the Atlantic. The crowds cheered the returning aviators. But what about the people who waited at home?
This newspaper photograph offers a more personal glimpse into the story of Captain Erroll Boyd. While Boyd and Lieutenant Harry Connor were making aviation history in the Bellanca-built Columbia, their families had to live with the uncertainty that came with early long-distance flying.
In 1930, crossing the Atlantic by airplane was still an extraordinary and dangerous undertaking. There were no modern navigation systems, no satellite communications, and no guarantee that an aircraft would reach its destination safely.
For the aviators, the flight meant adventure and achievement. For their loved ones, it meant waiting and hoping for good news.
Today, we remember not only the pilots and the remarkable Bellanca aircraft that carried them across the ocean, but also the families whose lives were touched by their courage.
Aviation history is about more than the people in the cockpit. It is also about the people waiting for them to come home.

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930LONDON GREETS THE MEN WHO CONQUERED THE ATLANTIC!Imagine standing at C...
10/25/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930

LONDON GREETS THE MEN WHO CONQUERED THE ATLANTIC!

Imagine standing at Croydon Airport in October 1930, watching the men who had just flown across the Atlantic arrive in England!

Newspaper accounts described crowds gathering to cheer Captain Erroll Boyd and Lieutenant Harry Connor after their daring journey in the Bellanca-built Columbia.

Their flight had not been easy. After departing Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, on October 9, the aviators encountered difficult conditions and a fuel problem that forced them to land on the Isles of Scilly before continuing to Croydon.

Their achievement was especially significant: the Columbia became the first airplane to cross the Atlantic twice. Boyd also earned recognition as the first Canadian to complete a successful transatlantic flight from North America to England.

The crowds in this photograph tell us something important. In those days, an ocean-crossing flight was not just an aviation story—it was an event that captured the public's imagination.

The heroes had landed, and London was ready to celebrate!

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930THE MEN BEHIND A TRANSATLANTIC TRIUMPH!This remarkable newspaper photo...
10/25/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930

THE MEN BEHIND A TRANSATLANTIC TRIUMPH!

This remarkable newspaper photograph brings together three men connected by one of aviation's most celebrated airplanes.

Captain J. Erroll Boyd, shown on the right, and Lieutenant Harry P. Connor, on the left, had just completed their transatlantic flight in the Bellanca-built Columbia, with Charles A. Levine standing between them.

Levine was no stranger to aviation history. In 1927, he had crossed the Atlantic as a passenger with pilot Clarence Chamberlin aboard the very same aircraft. Three years later, the veteran airplane was back in the headlines after another successful crossing.

The Columbia was more than an airplane. It was a flying piece of history, carrying the legacy of one transatlantic achievement into another.

One aircraft. Different crews. Two extraordinary chapters in aviation history.

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930A CROWD GATHERS TO WELCOME THE ATLANTIC FLIERS!When Captain J. Erroll ...
10/25/2026

✈️ THIS DAY IN BELLANCA HISTORY — OCTOBER 25, 1930
A CROWD GATHERS TO WELCOME THE ATLANTIC FLIERS!
When Captain J. Erroll Boyd and Lieutenant Harry P. Connor arrived in England after their historic transatlantic flight, they were greeted by crowds eager to welcome the daring aviators.
Their aircraft, the famous Bellanca-built Columbia, had crossed the Atlantic before. In 1927, Clarence Chamberlin and Charles A. Levine had flown the same aircraft across the ocean. Now, Boyd and Connor had accomplished another remarkable crossing, demonstrating the endurance and capabilities of this historic machine.
The October 25, 1930, newspaper coverage captured the excitement at Croydon Airport near London. Aviation was still in its pioneering days, and these men were helping push the boundaries of what people believed possible.
The Atlantic had been crossed again—but every successful flight still felt like a triumph!

✈️ THE BELLANCA FLASH — PART 10: THE ATLANTIC ADVENTURE BEGINS!📅 OCTOBER 27, 1936A new chapter in Bellanca history begin...
10/25/2026

✈️ THE BELLANCA FLASH — PART 10: THE ATLANTIC ADVENTURE BEGINS!
📅 OCTOBER 27, 1936
A new chapter in Bellanca history begins! Captain James Mollison takes off from Floyd Bennett Field, New York, in the Bellanca Flash, bound for Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, and ultimately England. Ahead lies the vast Atlantic Ocean, where skill, endurance, and the reliability of the aircraft will be tested to the limit.
Could the Flash make history? Stay tuned!

Address

2 Centerpoint Boulevard
New Castle, DE
19720

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bellanca Airfield Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Bellanca Airfield Museum:

Shortcuts

Share