Aviation heritage

On behalf of our several hundred Maine Air Force Association members, thank you for your Aug. 14 editorial regarding the Maine Aviation Historical Society and its fledgling Maine Air Museum. The MAM will bring to Bangor a companion landmark to the Cole Land Transportation Museum. More importantly, when operational, the MAM will perform a critically needed aviation educational outreach function anchored on Bangor International Airport property now famous as being the home of the world-class Maine Air National Guard “MAINEiacs.”

Hands-on learning opportunities for Maine students interested in an aerospace career are limited, where they exist at all, as part of formal K-12 curricula. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part Maine students know little about their state’s aviation heritage upon graduation from high school. In the future, the MAM can assure that Maine students (unlike those recently polled in a national survey, who thought the United States started the Cold War) will know why Dow, Loring and Brunswick Naval Air Station played their own distinguished roles in bringing down the Berlin Wall.

The MAM, assisted by other aerospace educational organizations, should be not only a unique, but invaluable asset in the years to come. Thanks for the BDN recognition of this effort by the MAHS. Peter M. Hurd Maine state president Air Force Association Houlton

With regard to your editorial on the Maine Aviation Historical Society’s museum in Bangor, you may be interested to know about two events that occurred on the racetrack oval at Maplewood Park (now Bass Park) that made aviation history.

The first took place on Aug. 26, 1911. On that date C.C. Bonette made a short flight on the racetrack oval, “going about 15 feet in the air,” according to a report in the Bangor Daily Commercial appearing on Aug. 28. According to my research, this was the second airplane flight to occur in Maine following the first one which took place in Augusta on Aug. 9, 1911. The second historical event was the flight of Harry N. Atwood over the city which was reported in the Commerical on June 18, 1912. According to this news report, “thousands saw the flight,” which was the first over a Maine city. Atwood’s airplane lifted off the infield of the racetrack oval heading southwest in the direction of the “rear of the city farm.” After circling over the “western part of the city” Atwood landed “at the park.” Atwood was a world famous aviator who set several cross-country flying records. These events are illustrative of why the racetrack oval at Bass Park qualifies for listing on the National Historic Register. Clark P. Thompson Bangor