Take flight to museums that specialize in aviation
The Buffalo News
January 18, 2015
Aviation history did not start and end at Kitty Hawk with the Wright Brothers. In fact, Western New York can lay claim to playing a major role in the development of manned flight and a number of museums across the region pay tribute to the many connections.
Western New York was one of the country’s leading aviation centers in the early 20th century. Many early flying enthusiasts belonged to some of the numerous cycling clubs popular in this area in the late 1800s. Some of them formed the Aero Club of Buffalo, the oldest aero club in America. Often members would try out their inventions on what is now the Grover Cleveland Golf Course at Main Street and Bailey Avenue.
Around the same time in Hammondsport, Glenn Curtiss, a motorcycle manufacturer was experimenting with his own inventions. By 1908, the Hammondsport area was the only area in the world developing commercial aircraft. Curtiss later moved his manufacturing operations to the Buffalo area during World War I. Another Western New York aviation pioneer was Lawrence Bell. He designed aircraft for the military in the 1930s. When World War II broke out, the massive Bell plant was built in Wheatfield. Between 1941 and 1944, thousands of planes were constructed in the plant.
You don’t have to go that far to begin experiencing the thrill of the flight. At the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, you can get an overview of the region’s role in the aviation industry.
This museum, located at the Niagara Falls International Airport, is dedicated to the thousands of area residents who contributed to the aviation and aerospace industries, including Bell. Included in the museum’s large collection are aircraft, helicopters, model planes, and products made for the aviation industry.
Over the years this museum has been in several different venues in Niagara Falls and Buffalo. This is by far the most impressive display and since it is at the airport, the perfect location.
Aircraft of special note include a 1917 Curtiss JN-4, commonly known as the “Jenny,” a two-seater biplane which was the first mass-produced plane. The Jenny was the principle American training craft of World War I; 95 percent of American and Canadian pilots trained in these during that war. After the war thousands of these planes were sold to civilians to be used as “barnstorming” planes. Also displayed in the same area is a 1910 Curtiss Pusher and a 1929 Curtiss F-1.
Another unique aircraft on display is a P-39 Airacobra, dubbed “Miss Lend Lease” by the museum staff. This plane was built in the Bell plant and then sent to Russia in 1943 to help them combat the Nazis. More than 10,000 “lend lease” aircraft were sent to Russia during World War II. The plane went missing in action in 1944 and was later recovered from a lake in northwest Russia in 2004. It was returned to Western New York in 2008 and is being preserved by the museum.
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport houses a collection of early aircraft, motorcycles, bicycles and household items that belonged to the Curtiss family. The collection includes 22 historic aircraft including a reproduction June Bug and a Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny.” Curtiss (1878-1930), a Hammondsport native, was one of America’s most prominent aviation pioneers. He held 87 patents for his inventions and is considered “the father of naval aviation.”
Curtiss, a motorcycle manufacturer, held the title of “fastest man on earth” for racing his Hercules motorcycle at 136.3 mph in 1907. He became interested in aviation and started building and test flying aircraft in the Hammondsport area. His July 1908 flight of over 5,000 feet in his “June Bug” was the first officially recognized, pre-announced, publicly observed flight in America.
There are two aviation museums in the Elmira area, about 50 miles southeast of Hammondsport. The Wings of Eagles Discovery Center (formerly the National Warplane Museum) houses a collection of military aircraft and aviation memorabilia including an extensive collection of military aircraft from World War II until today. The museum also has several flight simulators and other interactive exhibits.
A few miles away, perched high on Harris Hill, just north of Elmira, “Soaring Capital of the World,” is the National Soaring Museum, home to the largest collection of gliders and sailplanes in the world. Interest in gliders began in the late 1890s. But once powered flight became popular, soaring took a backseat until the late 1920s; after Charles Lindbergh took his famous flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Public interest in flying grew and many people got involved in soaring because it was inexpensive and easy to learn.
In addition to the numerous aircraft displayed, both on the museum floor and suspended from the ceiling, the museum has several hands-on exhibits, including flight simulators that allow you to see what it is like flying and landing a sailplane.
If you want to experience soaring firsthand, the adjacent Harris Hill Soaring Center offers sailplane rides weekends April-October and daily flights during July and August (weather permitting). Your 20-minute flight gets you get a panoramic view of the Finger Lakes Region.
There also are a few smaller museums in the region to visit, including the National Warplane Museum (formerly the 1941 Historic Aircraft Group) in Geneseo. This museum is dedicated to restoring and flying vintage aircraft of World War II and the Korean War. They have several fully restored aircraft in their fleet and their annual airshow (July 11-12) has been rated one of the top 10 airshows in North American by Aircraft Illustrated Magazine.
The Lucille M. Wright Museum in Jamestown is named after Jamestown’s “First Lady of Aviation.” The mission of this museum is to motivate youth through aviation and aerospace. The museum features planetarium shows, flight simulators, miniature rocket launches, and an opportunity to maneuver the Mars Rover by Web cam.
If you go
Niagara Aerospace Museum, 9900 Porter Road, (Niagara Falls International Airport) Niagara Falls, 297-1323, www.wnyaerospace.org 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, (607) 569-2160, www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, until 5 p.m. in summer.
Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, 339 Daniel Zenker Drive, Horseheads, (607) 358-4247, www.wingsofeagles.com Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
National Soaring Museum, 51 Soaring Hill Drive, Elmira, (607) 734-3128, www.soaringmuseum.org. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; closed Saturday and Sunday in January and February.
Harris Hill Soaring Center, 57 Soaring Hill Drive, Elmira, (607) 734-0641 or (607) 796-2988, www.harrishillsoaring.org Open April to October.
National Warplane Museum (1941 Historical Aircraft Group), 3489 Big Tree Lane (off Route 63) Geneseo, (585) 243-2100 www.1941hag.org Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, April-October; open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday November-March.
Lucille M. Wright Air Museum, 300 N. Main St., Jamestown, 664-9500, www.wrightairmuseum.com Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
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