East Haddam, CT (42B)
Visit Us
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At the prettiest airport in the Northeast– Goodspeed Airport and Seaplane Base –you'll be sure to want to stick around after your tailwheel training is done. There's a reason that YouTube videos and magazine articles have been written about our home base, and aircraft owners clamor for hangar space.
Goodspeed Flying Service is a family business, and we're proud to share that soon, one of our family properties will be available for rent by GFS students. Situated directly on the Connecticut River, this waterfront two-bedroom home, currently in renovation, is the perfect place for you and your family to experience air, land, and water. Please contact us directly regarding availability for summer 2024.
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Scroll through the ForeFlight comments on Goodspeed Airport and Seaplane Base and you'll discover that the beautiful Connecticut River Valley has more to offer than just tailwheel training. A variety of dining and entertainment options are available just a short walk away, or by bike at Goodspeed's complementary courtesy bicycles, located at the 42B Building.
Gelston House is closest to the airport and offers upscale dining indoors, with a deck open in the summer months that offers classic coastal New England pub fare. Further up the road, Sweet & Savory is a great little ice cream shop with a wide variety of flavors for you to sample. We are particularly fond of affogato al caffè after long days in the air. Probably our favorite local joint is Higher Grounds, just a few steps up Route 154, a "coffee house gallery" with a rotating menu of breakfast and lunch classics with an HG twist, along with baked goods, a homey atmosphere indoors, and great backyard seating in warmer weather. Ask owner Chris about his discounted coffee for pilots! Across the famous Swing Bridge are a Subway and China Royale, a local Chinese restaurant, as well.
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Unlike any other airport in the world (to our knowledge, anyway), just steps from the Airport, the Tony Award-winning Goodspeed Opera House offers shows all summer long.
Additionally, our friends at Goodspeed Seaplane Academy offer competitively-priced seaplane ratings in their Cessna 172 on Wipaire straight floats, as well as advanced seaplane training. They also offer scenic flights in the seaplane and their Piper Arrow.
Goodspeed Aero Craft, also located on site, provides comprehensive aircraft maintenance services, including on our 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. We're proud to have them as our partners in maintaining this vintage bird.