Author: Julia Lauria-Blum

Last month, I had an appointment at 4 World Trade Center on Greenwich Street in the southeastern corner of the World Trade Center campus. A few days prior to my trip into the city, I pre-purchased a timed-admission ticket to the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which I planned to visit after the appointment.  Rather than driving into Manhattan, I took the Long Island Railroad into Penn Station and, from there, the E Train to the Oculus-World Trade Center Transportation Hub. The Oculus is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Within its space…

The Cradle of Aviation’s ‘Drone Aviators of Tomorrow’ program provided a pathway to STEM careers. The initiative was made possible through partnerships with the Institute for Workforce Advancement, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, HempsteadWorks at the Town of Hempstead Department of Occupational Resources (DOOR), and corporate sponsor Haugland Group LLC.  Participants selected for the HempsteadWorks-Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) completed an intensive six-week curriculum focused on drone operation, construction, and business development, generously supported by the Haugland Group. The program equipped participants with hands-on experience, classroom instruction, and on-site visits to partners, where they gained a comprehensive understanding of…

The heart of a community is its people, and the 2nd annual Airport Community Golf Classic (ACGC), which took place on July 18th at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club, is no exception to the rule.  The ACGC is hosted and managed by the Airport Community Group, a volunteer committee of airport leaders. Spearheaded by Katie Bliss, Publisher, Metropolitan Airport News; Ray Ringston, Creative Director, Metropolitan Airport News; and Mike Falacara, Chief Operating Officer, The ARK at JFK, the ACGC was founded to assist local airport and aviation associations by raising funds to promote workforce development, educational opportunities, and business…

A Time Capsule of Restored Treasures at Floyd Bennett Field Standing on the old 6-24 Runway at Floyd Bennett Field, looking northeast some 12 miles across Broad Channel, a Delta 767 takes wing from nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and dips to the right before climbing to its cruising altitude. The distant thunder of its engines is a sound familiar to those on the ground and near the airport. But long before the presence of JFK Airport, formerly known as Idlewild, there was Floyd Bennett Field, New York City’s first municipal airport, located on Barren Island along Jamaica…

The 2nd annual Airport Community Golf Classic (ACGC) was a truly memorable event, held at the Lawrence Yacht Club & Country Club on July 18th, 2024. On a beautiful summer day, with more than 45 sponsoring companies, the event brought together 140 golfers for a full day on the course, followed by 300 cocktail party guests to enjoy the camaraderie of the airport community. The day began with a hearty buffet breakfast and an 11:00 a.m. tee-off. The golfers enjoyed a barbecue lunch with plenty of cold beverages, followed by an outdoor cocktail party and networking gathering, all set against…

On June 10th, I had the privilege of representing the legendary pilot Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Cochran who was honored with her induction into the 12th Annual Luncheon of the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame in Garden City, New York. Each year, individuals who have played a major role in advancing aeronautical and technological achievement are honored with a plaque inscribed with their name, image, and biography, which is mounted on the Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame’s wall located on the second floor of the Museum. This year, Jackie Cochran was inducted alongside three…

Jennifer Aument is the Chief Executive Officer of The New Terminal One (NTO) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the private consortium led by Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico, and Carlyle, developing the world-class international terminal that will anchor the south side of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s $19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport. The NTO is being built on sites now occupied by Terminal 1, Terminal 2, which recently closed, and the former Terminal 3. Construction will take place in phases. The $9 billion first phase, including the new arrivals and departures halls and the…

This past April, Governor Hochul announced a historic milestone in the continuing transformation of JFK International Airport, where a record $2.3 billion in contracts have been awarded to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE). This represents the largest participation by MWBE firms in any Public-Private Project (P3) in the history of New York State. With the redevelopment of JFK and the construction of its newest facilities currently underway, MWBE participation at the Airport is expected to continue to break records until the project is set to reach completion in 2028. The redevelopment project at Kennedy Airport also signals a consequential…

These awe-inspiring photos were taken at the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach this  Memorial Day weekend. Headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the lineup of performers included the Blue Angels support crew in a Lockheed Martin C-130J, the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team, Farmingdale State College Aviation, U.S. Army Golden Knights, USN F-35C Demo Team, the Skytypers, 106th ANG Rescue Wing, and aerobatic pilots Mike Goulian and David Windmiller. (Photos: Courtesy of Steve and Lori Biegler/LSB Photography)

“I always wanted to learn to fly, but I never did. The Wright’s refused to teach me and tried to discourage the idea. They said they needed me in the shop and to service their machines, and if I learned to fly, I’d be gadding about the country and maybe become an exhibition pilot, and they’d never see me again.” (Charles E. Taylor, My Story. As told to Robert S. Ball,1948) On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright completed the world’s first successful flight of a powered, heavier-than-air flying machine carrying a man at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. What…