xoxoxoBruce • Sep 4, 2015 12:47 am
Yes, the first Fly-In & Drive-In Theater, in what is now Wall Township, NJ.
Edward Brown Jr. was 10 when he talked his father into taking him to NYC to see Lindbergh’s triumphant return. From that day he was plane crazy and learned to fly in his teens. In 1938 bought 700 acres, then asked the Belmar American Legion Post if he could borrow the WW I tank sitting out front. They told him the government disabled it before giving it to them, but have at it. Took him four hours to get it running and used it to clear his land and build a rudimentary airport.
In 1940 he became a Navy pilot, and flew the films of the Normandy Invasion to President Roosevelt. After being discharged he worked on the airport then in 1948 opened the first Fly-IN Drive-In movie, with room for 500 cars, and 25 small planes in the back two rows. They would land at his airport, taxi into the movie through a separate entrance, and after the show he would tow then back to the airport with a Jeep.
As the years went by, he added restaurants, a bowling alley, a train ride to tour part of the airport and a miniamusement park, with a full-size Ferris wheel, miniature golf, a tilto-whirl and a merry-go-round. He also had a sand&gravel quarry. Brown's Monmouth Executive Airport became the largest private airport in the country. Not bad for a local kid. :haha:
link
link(PDF)
Edward Brown Jr. was 10 when he talked his father into taking him to NYC to see Lindbergh’s triumphant return. From that day he was plane crazy and learned to fly in his teens. In 1938 bought 700 acres, then asked the Belmar American Legion Post if he could borrow the WW I tank sitting out front. They told him the government disabled it before giving it to them, but have at it. Took him four hours to get it running and used it to clear his land and build a rudimentary airport.
In 1940 he became a Navy pilot, and flew the films of the Normandy Invasion to President Roosevelt. After being discharged he worked on the airport then in 1948 opened the first Fly-IN Drive-In movie, with room for 500 cars, and 25 small planes in the back two rows. They would land at his airport, taxi into the movie through a separate entrance, and after the show he would tow then back to the airport with a Jeep.
As the years went by, he added restaurants, a bowling alley, a train ride to tour part of the airport and a miniamusement park, with a full-size Ferris wheel, miniature golf, a tilto-whirl and a merry-go-round. He also had a sand&gravel quarry. Brown's Monmouth Executive Airport became the largest private airport in the country. Not bad for a local kid. :haha:
link
link(PDF)