Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane and Lawrence Sperry decided that he would be the test pilot. While taxiing it on ice, he hit some slushy snow, and wrecked the plane, though Sperry was unhurt. A second airplane was fitted out, and Sperry managed to get it in the air, but lost control when the automatic pilot was engaged. After two complete rolls, Sperry managed to regain control and land safely. Clearly, though, more attention to flight testing the basic design was needed, particularly in the area of handling qualities. Sperry and his assistant, N. W. Dalton, obtained a Marmon automobile, and mounted the Curtiss-Sperry Flying
Aviator Arena Aviator Arena Aviator Arena Sports and Recreation Facility is located on the site of the former Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. Aviator Arena hosts sporting events and shows throughout the year, and the occasional air show. The field outside the arena is still used as an official heliport by the New York Police Department (NYPD). Once inside the indoor entrance to Aviator Arena, an entire inner wall tribute several stories high is dedicated to the history of Aeronautics which took place on the site of the sports facility and the people of flight who made the former Floyd