Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane for eight years, and yet Sperry became intrigued with the concept of applying radio control to them. He realized that for radio control to be effective, automatic stabilization would be essential, so he decided to adapt his naval gyro-stabilizers (which he had developed for destroyers). In 1913, the Navy provided a flying boat to test and evaluate the gyro-based autopilot. Sperry's son Lawrence served as an engineer during the test phase. In 1914, Lawrence Sperry was in Europe and observed the developing techniques of aerial warfare, including the use of aircraft. In 1916, the two Sperrys joined Peter Hewitt, an
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