Dad's Aerials

This page of aerial photos is dedicated to my Dad, who unfortunately passed away in September 2016. We shared 20 years of flying in my 1964 Cessna 172 Skyhawk with him as co-pilot. I think about him on each flight I take now in rented aircraft, and I know he is always with me in spirit.

In his younger years, the airplane Dad flew was a 1946 Fairchild F24 with an in-line 6-cylinder, 200hp Ranger engine. It had a tubular steel and wood structure covered with cotton fabric which was then doped & painted. During his years of flying, he captured some unique aerials around New York City and northeastern New Jersey. Take special note of the 1964 World’s Fair and New York City BEFORE the Twin Towers and World Financial Center were built.
 

Dad's camera was a 35mm Mamiya which had to be manually focused. Try flying an airplane and positioning it to capture the photo, then focusing it while flying past the subject at over 100 mph.
I have a difficult enough time myself, and that's using a modern point-and-shoot model.  My dad did good, though, and I am grateful to be able to see and share with everyone interested what he witnessed nearly 60 years ago.
 

To you, Dad, I dedicate this page featuring your personal aerial photos from the 1960s, a unique collection of views many have never seen, and for others, to offer a comparison to what presently exists.

Note that photo identification lists for some of the galleries are coming soon...