New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Empire State Aerosciences Museum

National Aviation Day Celebration in Schenectady County August 18-20

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Grumman F-14 TomcatA weekend-long celebration of National Aviation Day will take place from Friday, August 18, 2023 until Sunday, August 20th at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, in Glenville, Schenectady County, NY. The weekend will feature a variety of aviation activities, including tours of the museum’s extensive and unique collection of exhibits and historic aircraft, as well as special presentations and displays. [Read more…] about National Aviation Day Celebration in Schenectady County August 18-20

Saratoga County’s Malta Rocket Test Site

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An engineer works on the first stage of Vanguard engines at Malta Rocket Test SiteIn 1945, the U.S. Army brought the captured German V-2 rocket program to Luther Forest in Malta, Saratoga County, NY, so that scientists and engineers from the Schenectady General Electric facility could recreate the facilities that the Germans had built at Peenemunde under the German Army Weapons Office (Heereswaffenamt). From 1945 to the early 1960s over 5,000 static tests of rocket motors, fuels and nose cone materials were conducted in Malta and then sent on to other sites for in-flight tests. [Read more…] about Saratoga County’s Malta Rocket Test Site

NY’s Air National Guard in the Vietnam War

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New York Air National Guard 1st Lt Harry W Roberts Jr during the Vietnam WarThe Air National Guard began flights regularly in 1966 to support Military Airlift Command operations to Japan and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Other Air Guard elements supported aeromedical evacuation flights across the country to free up active duty Air Force resources for similar missions in Southeast Asia between 1965 and 1969. [Read more…] about NY’s Air National Guard in the Vietnam War

Exemplary History Museums: Informative & Entertaining

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Saratoga Auto Museum Spring Auto ShowDuring the past couple of weeks, I visited the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs and the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Glenville. They are both outstanding for several reasons including the fact that you can see (and sometimes touch) historical relics and artifacts of sorts; they show how many automobiles and aircraft companies started in New York State; and their personnel include docents who are very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. [Read more…] about Exemplary History Museums: Informative & Entertaining

The General Electric Flight Test Center in the 1960s

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Grumman F-14 TomcatKen Haefner learned to fly in the Air Force in a T-33. He served abroad in Okinawa during 1957-59 as part of the 25th Fighter interceptor Squadron that flew support missions over the Taiwan Straight during Chinese shelling of Quemoy and Matsu Islands.

Upon returning home, he resumed his job as an Electrical Engineer at GE Light Military Electronics Dept in Schenectady and was assigned to work on the Navy Self Adaptive Control Flight Test Evaluation, which was conducted at the General Electric Flight Test Center (now the location of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum). [Read more…] about The General Electric Flight Test Center in the 1960s

B-24 Bomber Crash on Camel Hump Mt, VT Presentation

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B-24 Bomber Crash on Camel Hump MountainVermont Aviation Historian Brian Lindner will present a talk about Vermont’s most infamous air disaster , the B-24 Liberator Bomber that crashed on Camel Hump Mountain and killed nine Air Force crewmen while on a training mission in 1944.

Lindner has researched this particular crash extensively, as well as other aviation related crashes in Vermont. [Read more…] about B-24 Bomber Crash on Camel Hump Mt, VT Presentation