How many residents of the state of Delaware realize that over
3,000 aircraft were built at a little airfield in their state?
Henry & Francis du Pont brought in airplane designer
Giuseppe Bellanca from New York and bought the 360-acre Spring
Garden Farm southeast of Wilmington in order to construct an
aircraft factory & airport. Bellanca Field was dedicated in
1928, at an event attended by 30,000 spectators, who watched a
performance by stunt fliers & parachute jumpers. The old Air
Service Inc. hangar was built in 1928 by Henry & Francis
duPont. It was not part of the Bellanca factory, but was used for
general aviation aircraft The first plane built in the new Delaware
plant was the Bellanca J, in 1929. That first Bellanca J was the
"Pathfinder" (NX3789), which was commissioned for a 1929
transatlantic flight to Spain.
The first airplane to fly nonstop across the Pacific, the
Bellanca "Miss Veedol", was built at Bellanca Field. The plane,
piloted by Clyde Panghorn & Hugh Herndon, flew in 1931 from
Tokyo to Wenatchee, Wash.
Most of this site is now a part of the Centrepoint Business
Park, home of an Amazon.com distribution center.
More information about Bellanca Airfield can be found online.
Caching in Delaware?
Visit the Delaware Geocachers Web site