Jet fighters once roamed the skies above Long Island. Grumman, the aviation powerhouse behind such planes as the Hellcat and the Avenger, turned its attention to jets by the end of World War II. And to test those jets, they turned to men like Bruce Tuttle.

Tuttle dreamed of flying from an early age. From his family’s farm on the north shore he witnessed Charles Lindbergh passing overhead on the first transatlantic flight. Tuttle became a pilot and a Marine, flying in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he went to work for Grumman, along with many of his fellow veterans, to fly jets.

Today on the podcast we learn more about Tuttle and a very specific test flight he took in an F9F Panther over Long Island Sound on December 10, 1951. It was the day that every test pilot dreads.

With us are Amy Tuttle, Bruce’s daughter; Chris Ryon, Port Jefferson Historian, Bob Laravie, researcher; and John Hiz, Belle Terre historian. We discuss life as a test pilot, the importance of Grumman in Long Island history, and what to do when your jet flames out at 33,000 feet.

Further Research

• Bruce Tuttle (from TBR News Media)
• Port Jefferson Village History
• Leroy Grumman (Cradle of Aviation Museum)
• Birth of the American Jet Age