Charles “Casey” Jones was a aviation pioneer. By the time he established his aeronautics school in 1932 he had 22 years of aviation experience. He was a pilot during World War I, he held transport license number 13 from the Civil Aeronautics Administration and had been President of Curtiss-Wright flying Service. World famous by the time he founded the school, his vast experience in providing aviation instruction was unrivaled. He was uniquely qualified to lead the school he created.
Things were moving along pretty well in Newark and the school had an average enrollment of 400 students. The school was located at 534 Broad Street, the current home of Berkeley College. Field training was done at Newark Airport. Then in 1940 Mayor LaGuardia opened the airfield that bears his name in Queens, New York. He wanted an aeronautics school for his new airport. Long story short he convinced Casey to pull up stakes and come to New York. Jones was soon followed by five of Newark’s seven airlines. The final blow was when the post office made LaGuardia the metropolitan mail hub. Newark Airport staggered and closed to regroup. In, 1942, the Army took over the airport and by 1948 the Port Authority of NY & NJ had taken over the facility. Newark’s early role in the history of aviation became a footnote.
P.S. The Casey Jones School of Aeronautics now known as Vaughn College of Aeronautics still exists in Queens by LaGuardia Airport.
Newark's Attic 
My father in law bob Hawkins went to this school in 1943. Talks about the Aleutian islands as if yesterday. Very interesting!
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My father, Paul Sundermier, also completed his A&P for the P-39 and it may have been in 1943 and he also went to Alaska. He wound up becoming a flight engineer on C-47 flying the Aleutians and they crashed flying to Fort Randall (Cold Bay now) on the Cathedral Valley glacier, March 1945. Ask your father in law if he happened to know my father. I have some photos of the “trainees” from the Army Air Corps in front of the school.
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I worked for an alumni of Casey Jones but don’t know when he was there or if the school had moved to LaGuardia by that time. He was Wm. L. Tenney, graduating CJ with honors. He entered the USAAF and became a crew chief on B-24s, winding up at Wright Field where he remained until the end of WW II.
He started a small company (Aeromarine, no connection with Uppercu’s earlier firm,) and hired an old friend, Charles B. Marks, to help in Bill’s development of improved 2-stroke engines. Charlie heard an operating, captured V-1 Buzz Bomb across the highway at Wright, went over to see more, then returned to Tenney’s shop and created the first of what became the Dyna-Jet, miniature pulsejet for model airplanes.
Both are now gone but I was given much material about Aeromarine by Bill’s widow, Patty, at their home near Minneapolis. She, too, has died but I have met and corresponded with their son, David. I’m trying to complete a book about the Dyna-Jet and its spin-offs, Dyna-Fog products. Bill sold his original business to Russell R. Curtis, in 1952. Curtis is also gone but his business is well-known and remains active, having become Curtis Dyna-Fog, Ltd. of Indiana.
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Thank you for taking the time to add this comment. It’s people sharing “lost history” such as this that make history websites worthwhile. I do have a 1941 Casey Jones brochure that is far more extensive than the one I posted. At that time the school at LaGuardia was already opened.
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My father, Edward J Czupryk (later Cooper when we had our name changed) talked frequently about Casey Jones. He was born and raised in Newark, the third of four children, and the second son. Dad graduated Columbia High school in 1937, I believe and must have started at Casey Jones in Newark in ’37 or ’38, since it is highly unlikely his father would have taken him all the way to what was shortly to become Laguardia. However, it was clear that he graduated across from Laguardia Field. He got his A&P certification after de-bugging a DC-3 and taking the written test, if I remember his story correctly, along with Robert Dowd, who I believe were working as a team. Bob Dowd went on to become a FE for TWA, and he and Dad were lifetime fast friends. He talked about troubleshooting one engine and getting it going, repairing a hole in one of the elevator panels, chasing several electrical “bugs” that were rigged into the plane by the instructors, replacing a hydraulic line and actuator (landing gear I think) and demonstrating some basic sheetmetal repair.
While finishing up at Casey Jones, Dad designed and fabricated a two-part roll-around tool box similar to what you can purchase at any tool shop today. Typical of Dad, he asked his sheet metal instructor, if he could make the chest after he started it. The design must have intrigued his instructor, because he was given permission, and in exchange for Dad’s blueprints for the tool chest, he was allowed the cost of the sheet metal from the school’s shop. The removable top chest has a shallow tray about 2″ deep on the top and five drawers below that can all be secured with a double-hinged lid/cover. The bottom roll-around part has six drawers and an open storage space about 12″ high on the bottom, and is secured with two latched and locking doors. the interior and drawers are all painted in light brown primer, and the exterior is various layers of paint used on TWA birds over the years. Dad made everything, knobs, handles, hinges, etc., himself, except the two recessed locks (I still have the keys for both) and the wheels, which he says have been replaced at least twice over the years. He used it for years at TWA at Laguardia and later at Idelwilde/JFK and when he moved up to management, the tool box came home where it was part of his workshop. I acquired it when he moved into assisted living several years ago. I have yet to get into the U.S. Patent Office archives, but I could have the prototype or at least a very, very early copy of the now ubiquitous roll-around tool chest.
True to the letter of encouragement from Casey Jones, he and his buddy walked into the TWA hangar at Laguardia the afternoon they graduated from Casey Jones, and they both got hired on the spot. Bob Dowd was told to start that night, and Dad was told to come in the next morning for day shift. Dad worked for TWA for 42 years, retiring as station grave shift aircraft maintenance supervisor for TWA at JFK.
Dad got a leave of absence from TWA to join the Army Air Corps in 1940. TWA gave him a gold-backed engraved wrist watch as he left (I still have the watch, and it still works!) and he went on to fly B-17s as a copilot until shot down in April of 1942. He wore that watch on missions, setting his TWA watch on local time and his U.S.A. issue watch on Zulu time. For some unknown reason, when he was being interrogated by the Germans prior to internment at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany, his issue watch was confiscated, but the Germans allowed him to retain his TWA watch, but that is another story.
Does anybody have any idea where the roll-around tool chest came from, or was the first one blueprinted at Casey Jones?
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What an amazing story! Thank you ! My father worked at TWA for 27 years. Is your Dad still living?
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Ward,
It was interesting to read your comment about your Dad de-bugging a landing gear problem (among others) on a DC-3 for a Casey Jones exam. My Dad may have learned the same de-bugging at Casey Jones. He was trained there as an A&P and worked on P-39s in Alaska (they were sending them to Russia) but became a flight engineer on C-47s in Alaska in ’44 – ’45. He told me that he had to remove a floor panel one time when the landing gear would not go down due to a hydraulic failure but then the mechanical back-up would not work. He found that a cable had become stuck and managed to free it so that they could lower the gear with a winch. When they got back to Elmendorf (I think) he was interviewed and required to write a service bulletin showing how to fix the “C-47 landing gear problem.”
Sorry I don’t know about the rolling tool chest origins. I, of course, have one in my “shop.”
Paul Sundermier
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Dad was a pretty amazing guy. He passed away last July at the fine old age of 97. When he passed, he was the oldest/most senior employee in the company — or former company. The guy who was #2, used to call Dad up every year or so to see if he was still alive. 🙂
Guys like our Dads were probably the last of the mechanics. Planes were simpler then and they understood how they worked, and knew how to fix them when the tech manual ran out of ideas. They carried that with them into the jet age, and with the additional schooling that I know my Dad got with the Connie, Convair 880, and the Boings over the years they could fix planes. We tend to train box- and component-swappers today, and the aircraft are so complex the basic A&P is a thing of the past. Paul, that’s why your Dad was able to fix that “Gooney Bird” – he knew the airplane.
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Thanks again for your posts.
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My father, Harold Baldauf, graduated from the Casey Jones School in April 1944. He worked as a merchant mariner for more than 25 years, becoming Chief Engineer with United States Lines.
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Thank you for your comment. The Casey Jones School post has elicited many comments such as yours. The education they gave must have been very good, and their students, such as your father- exceptional. I appreciate you taking the time to post a comment.
John Lipari
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My father was influenced by Casey in 1928 in Syracuse New York. Casey gave a lecture on the opportunities in aviation. My father went home from that meeting and told his parents he was no longer going to Niagara University but was going to enroll in a technical school for aircraft engines and airframes. In 1940 my father was the test pilot and instructor at Franklin air Cool Motors in Syracuse New York. In in 1940, my father took Igor Sikorsky and Alexander deSeversky for a demonstration flight of the Franklin air-cooled motor. My father was part of a demonstration team that set a endurance record at the New York State Fair in Syracuse New York in 1938 with a total time of 106 hours of continuous flight in a Piper Cub. My father went on to become the chief test pilot for the Navy at the Naval Air Station in Trenton New Jersey working directly for Harry F Guggenheim. My son Grant is 21 and currently completing his requirements for his private pilot license. He is a 3rd Generation Aviator. Consequently, I owe a lot of thanks to Casey Jones. So glad you came Syracuse and 1928 to share your vision.
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Thank you for sharing your story. It is people such as yourself, who take the time to comment, that give true value to this blog.
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My husband’s grandfather is Richard Whatham–the dean of this school. Thank you so much for this blog post. We really enjoyed learning about this school! Do you have any other information about the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics?
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The course bulletin is actually quite informative. I only posted small sections. If you are ever in the Newark, NJ area feel free to contact me. I can show you the buildings where the school was and the program bulletins.
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The only information I have is contained in the course bulletins. The bulletins are a wealth of information. If you are ever in the Newark vicinity feel free to contact me.
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Richard Whatham was my grandfather’s brother. He immigrated from the UK before WWII. My mother came over during the war to live with her uncle in Hempstead. I knew he was involved in aeronautics. I would love to chat with your husband as he’s uncle Dick’s grandson.
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I have course bulletins, framed photos and some class notes taken by a student.
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My mom (Maud Genung Gubernat) and dad (John Gubernat) graduated East Side High in Newark in June 1943. Dad served in the 95th Infantry Division receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Mom trained at Casey Jones (not sure if in Newark or NY and learned how to assembly aircraft to help the war effort. My dad always kidded Mom saying “That’s why we almost lost the war.” I was proud of both of them!
John Gubernat III
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Hey! i’ve been doing a lot of reading on this school for my own interest. I’ve been trying to get information on it before they moved to queens. Do you have anything in those bulletins on the Aeronautical Engineering Course?
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The course bulletins do provide the curriculum and course descriptions for the aeronautical engineering program. You may contact me at johnlipari@aol.com for particulars.
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My dad, Aaron (A.C.) Yellott, graduated from Casey Jones in 1934. He was hired by American Airlines upon graduation and sent to Chicago as an apprentice mechanic. Many of his letters to my mom (his future wife) tell about his buddies from Casey Jones; a number of them were hired by American. I still have some of his original drawings he made while a student at Casey Jones.
My dad was well trained but always had a thirst for more knowledge. He became a Jr. Mechanic, then a Mechanic. During the war, American allowed the military to use many AA employees; my dad was trained as a flight engineer with the Air Transport Command. After the war, he continued work at American, ultimately retiring after 40 years with AA. He passed away in 1995.
I would love to hear about more Casey Jones students in the early 1930’s.
Carol
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My uncle, Robert B. Bartels, attended the school back in 1938-39. I’m seeking any information about the training he likely received (are there any archival records in existence?). He worked in aviation mechanics most of his life…
Please reply to Bartelsp@cableone.net
Phyllis
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The Vaughan School of Aeronautics is the successor school to Casey Jones and they are located at LaGuardia Airport in NY. They may have records.
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I have(had) many black & white pictures of myself and my Uncle Joe from 1941, when I was born, until fall of 1942. I was 16 months. My father, my uncle’s brother, told me many stories of the two of them as they were growing up in PA, New Jersey and New York.
The two of them built in 1935, on a family farm in PA, a exact full size, flying copy of the Wright Flyer. it appears to be a 1909/1910 model from the best I can tell from the old, tired photos. Both brothers flew the aircraft they build together until 1937 when my Uncle Joe went full time for two years to Casey Jones School in Newark, NJ. During his time at Casey Jones School, he joined the Civilian Air Corps and was taught to fly by US Army Pilots. Upon completion of Casey Jones School(1939) my Uncle joined the Army Air Force full time at different airfields in the south, and was trained as and became a B-26 fighter/bomber pilot.
In late April, 1942 , my Uncle and his crew picked up their aircraft just off the production line in St. Petersburg, Florida to train as a crew and start the formation of a B- 26 Squadron. During the training time there is almost no information because what Uncle, crew and ground crew were was Top Secret!
It is my understanding the Squadron flew their planes to England in early Spring 1943.
I WILL CONTINUE THE REST OF THE STORY IN A FEW DAYS.
PJB
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Please finish your story. I think its great!
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My father, A.C. Yellott, went to Casey Jones in 1936-8. He was hired by American Airlines, worked at LaGuardia and then was transferred to Chicago. In 1943, he was trained as a flight engineer by the Air Transport Command and flew to England and France taking supplies and bringing wounded troops back. He never talked about it much, though.
Carol
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I just found all of my Dad’s flight manuals and tests from when he went there in 1941/1942, He became a flight engineer in the Navy, on the PBY, patrolling the eastern coast. These binders are so interesting and I would love for them to find the right home. I also found his Popular Aviation and Flying magazines from 1936-1966. He also spoke so well of his time there along with the Navy.
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Hi Patti,
Have you had any luck trying to find a home for your father’s binder’s? Please let me know.
Thanks,
John Lipari
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Also a Todd Shipbuilding ID card and a medical coverage card.
In time, I will forward a color photocopy where relevant, B & W otherwise to John Lipari.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwalb
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Patti,
This description is almost exact to the history of my grandfather. My father just found a photo of the July 1941 master mechanics graduating class. My grandfather then went on to the navy and flew PBYs on the eastern coast and ended up on a post in Africa. I’d love to connect you with my father for more information or the binders please let me know. This is great!
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Lauren,
I can be contacted at johnlipari@aol.com
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Hi It was interesting reading of the accomplishments of Casey Jones graduates. My dad also was a graduate of Casey Jones School of Aeronautics. He was born and raised in Newark. Before he passed at 93 I was able to get a little of his history out of him. He must have been at the school in 40 and 42. He talked of being interviewed and offered a job by Claire Chennault in China, more money than he dreamed possible. He turned it down to complete his training. Shortly after wards the school was nationalized and they were all drafted into Signal Corps and then USAAF. In the USAAF he travelled a bit from Presquile Maine assembling aircraft for the Lend Lease program, then setting up bases with a team around the country and finally ending up in DAKAR Africa transiting aircraft from Brazil into Europe and then back to the States after VE day for the Pacific Theatre. After the war he obtained his FAA A&E and flight engineer ratings and worked for Flying Tiger Line for over 40 years. After he retired he was given the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. I have his graduation class dinner photo from June 1942
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Dear Robert,
Many thanks for your comments regarding The Casey Jones School and your Dad. I have found that the people who respond to the Casey Jones post tend to have the most interesting stories ! Thank you so my for sharing your Father’s story.
Regards,
JohnLipari
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Thank you for your comment. Casey Jones School of Aeronautics had a rigorous curriculum. The men who graduated tended to be the best and brightest. Kudos to your father.
John
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Hello! Thank you for the fantastic post. My Grandfather graduated Casey Jones School of Aeronautics in ’37 as a Master Mechanic. It makes me smile reading through all the comments! Thanks again, Christina
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Thank you for your comments. Casey Jones was the premiere aeronautics school of its time.
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My dad graduated from there around 1936 or 1937. Went on to have a long career with American Airlines only interrupted by WWII when he flew in the Air Transport Command, Atlantic division, as a flight engineer.
Wish I could find more information about his time at Casey Jones. I do have some of his notes and drawings, though.
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The school still exists at LaGuardia Airport under the name of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. They may have student records.
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My neighbor is helping a friend clear things out of his home, the man is 88. He showed me an old picture in a frame and it has “Day Class Casey Jones School of Aeronautics Inc. Newark NJ. December 1939” in the lower left corner. I took it so it didn’t get thrown out with other things. Does anyone know if there is a list of who was in that class to go with the photo? My family goes back a few generations from Newark and Kearny, so I found it interesting.
Jim
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There is the Vaughn School of Aeronautics out by LaGuardia Airport. They are the successor school to Casey Jones. They might have those records.
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Casey married my grandmother, Hulda Cole, in 1962. They both were born in Castleton Vermont. I never know much about his past and they were living in St. Thomas. They would visit my grandmothers house in Castleton during the summer. Being a teenager at the time, I didn’t spend time getting to know him. I had an old Jaguar XKE that I took him around in the mountains a few times. He said it reminded him of the cockpit of early airplanes. I wish I had spent the time to get to know him better.
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This is absolutely fascinating. Would you have a picture by any chance that you could share?
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My Dad, Robert Bruce MacDougall, went to Casey Jones Aeronautical (day) School in Newark, NJ and I believe he is in the picture of the 1937 day School graduating class (pictured in second row from the bottom, the tenth in from the left). He was involved in a flight training crash and ultimately lost both his legs and could no longer fly. Determined to stay in the industry however, Pop went back to school and studied aeronautical engineering. He worked for Grumman Aviation (and a few other companies such as Curtis Wright) as a desgn engineer, ultimately retiring from Grumman. I believe the last project he worked on was the design of the nose cone in the ‘LEM’. After retiring, Dad, who never lost his love for flying, went back to school, yet again, on Long Island where he regained his pilot’s license. On Sundays he would buzz his and Mother’s home in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. Pop passed away in 1974.
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Your father sounds like an amazing person. A true model of courage and fortitude. If graduating from Casey Jones School of Aeronautics had been his only accomplishment he still would have been extraordinary.
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