Stormville Airport : Stories

My Dad, Harold C. Keeler, initially learned to fly at Stormville in the early 60's. He earned many ratings, including helicopter and flight instructor. After his retirement from the NYPD in 1981, he retired to Florida and taught part-time at the Venice FL airport. I remember our family camping on weekends at the pond on the other side of the runway in the summertime so that Dad could fly.

Marty worked as an instructor at the Stormville Sport Parachute Center for about five years in the late seventies. The sky diving school was operated by twins Willy and Sandy Sweet. Marty relates that Willy once said to him, "Marty, we are living in the most exciting times. You will never see a place like Stormville again." If Willy was referring to the kind of place that would serve as base for sky diving stunts like parachuting for landing on top of a World Trade Center building, then he was certainly, sadly correct.

Paul started taking flying lessons at N69 in January of 1990 while working down the road at IBM East Fishkill. He was among the last students to solo at Stormville, finishing his flight training at Dutchess County Airport the same year.

Elizabeth "Bets" Gardiner learned flying with the Women Flyers of America (WFA) at Stormville in 1943 and 1944. She became a gunnery instructor for United States Navy pilots. Her daughter Tricia wrote to tell her story.

Captain David Mason writes, "Today I'm an MD-11 Captain for World Airways where I routinely fly US troops into Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. I've logged over 18,000 flying hours and it all started at Stormville Airport."

Charles F. Dennis from Chelsea, N.Y. writes, "I learned to fly at Stormville Airport (N69)in 1957. Wilfred MacAdams was my first instructor, and gave me my private license. I also instructed at Stormville then went on to TWA and flew as a Captain for 28 of my 33+ years. I flew B727, B707, B747, L1011 As a Captain. Also flew CV880 as a first officer. I Can't say when I took this photo of Pete O'Brien."

Glenn Kane wrote-in from Garrison, "It is with great dismay that N69 has been allowed to fade away. I started flying at N69 in 1968. What wonderful times going up to Stormville airport, not just to fly, but to bring the family up and watch the sky divers, eat hot dogs and hamburgers, and watch the different people and their planes."

Gilbert Halpin has provided some history and anecdotes about Stomville airport, and shared these images of the heritage of airplanes and people at Stormville in the 60's through the 90's.

Ian Scott-Ramsay learned to fly at Stormville and now flies a Boeing 767 for My Travel Airways. He writes to us from Glasgow, Scotland, and sent an aerial photograph taken on a trip from Glasgow to Orlando.

Here is a photo survey of the airport as it exists on the twelfth day of May in 2007. This was a twice yearly yard sale day, not the full scale flea market.