This Day in History: 1947-06-17
Bill Beard, the young veteran who was the manager of the Out O’Bounds airport on the grounds of the Country Club announced that all twelve planes which operated out of the airport were then equipped with mufflers. This should end the very few complaints he had been received about the noises accompanying takeoff and landing. Beard was a Suffern native who had flown P-47s in the Army and had been teaching flying for eighteen months. Hiss assistant, Alan Field, had flown over 1,300 hours in the Army in the Arctic Theater. They had studied teaching methods under the G. I. Bill and had about thirty students at the time. A large hanger was under construction at the field and two of the planes, Fairchild 24s, were available for charter at about $24 per hour. The plane had a cruising speed of 120 mph and seated three passengers and the pilot. (Bristow)