I’m not going to lie. There are many pictures in this series, 68 total, and please give yourself some time to go through these. Most are aerial shots of the airpark throughout the years, but some are from different Western New York areas. I have broken it up into seven subpages to make it easier to navigate.
I love this silhouette of my father flying his J-3 Cub!
I’ve organized the subpages in chronological order to the best of my ability, and please contact me if you see something out of place or have something to share. I’ve also numbered all of the photos after their descriptions for easy referencing.
I hope you enjoy viewing these pictures as much as I did, and together we are discovering Gardenville Airport/Buffalo Airpark’s history.
Where it all began! The future site of Gardenville Airport/BAP, 1938. (1)
The best aerial photo that I have of Gardenville Airport, 1944. Tony finished building the Quonset hangar, the operations building is only a single story, and the horse stable is being used as a maintenance shop/garage. The remnants of his first “North” hangar are visible, center left, from the devastating fire in February 1943 that destroyed the building. (2)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. Notice “Gardenville Airport” that Tony painted on the Horse Stable roof, lower right. (3)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. Notice paving just started in front of the Quonset hangar, center left. (4)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. Look at all of the undeveloped land at this time! You can just make out French Road at the top of this photo. (5)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. (6)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. (7)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. (8)
Gardenville Airport, 1944. (9)
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The Cessna 150 is a successor to the famous tail dragger Cessna 140, which ended production in 1951. This new Cessna 150 started production in 1958 and was later replaced by the Cessna 152 in the summer of 1977. The landing gear changed from a tail dragger to a new tricycle design, and the new…
Since this is the 43rd anniversary of The Blizzard of 1977, it’s only fitting to look back at the hanger collapse at Buffalo Air-Park and remember the planes that were lost. I was only 9 at that time and still remember the sadness I felt seeing so much destruction. Discover more from Buffalo Air-Park Subscribe…
Where to start with the Cessna Skywagon? I’ve learned quite a lot about Cessna, and the many different names or model numbers that refer to the same aircraft when scanning these promotional photos. It’s no surprise with the Skywagon, and hopefully, I can explain what I’ve learned so far. Cessna started branding the “Skywagon” name…
I believe this photo was taken sometime in the 1940’s. The original building was only a single story and then Tony added the second story later on. Also added was a right rear addition for the snack bar and restrooms. The front service area was to the left as you walked through the front door…
Imagine walking into a bustling airport operations building in the 1960s, where the walls were lined with vibrant aviation posters showcasing the latest and greatest aircraft from Cessna. These posters were more than just decorations—they were powerful marketing tools that fueled the dreams of aspiring pilots and reinforced Cessna’s reputation as a leader in general…
Hello, and welcome to my blog. My name is Anthony W Riccio II, aka Billy, and I’m dedicating this website to my father, Anthony (Tony) Riccio. He was a pioneer in aviation to the Niagara Frontier during the 1940s, and his story needs to be shared. Tony was always interested in aviation when he was…
