National Soaring Museum

National Soaring Museum

Established	1969
Location	Elmira (Harris Hill), New York
Type	Aviation Museum
Website	www.soaringmuseum.org
Warren E. Eaton Motorless Flight Facility
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	62 Soaring Hill Dr., Big Flats, New York
Coordinates	42°07′18″N 76°54′05″W
Built	1969 (1969)
NRHP reference No.	13000778[1]
Added to NRHP	September 25, 2013

Harris Hill Overlook

The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, United States.^[2]

The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's official repository. In 1975, the SSA Board of Directors transferred the Soaring Hall of Fame to the National Soaring Museum.^[3]

The museum features a large collection of vintage and historical gliders.^[2]

The museum also administers the National Landmark of Soaring program to recognize people, places and events which are significant in the history of motorless aviation.

Harris Hill Wing Monument

History

Elmira and Harris Hill have long been associated with soaring in the USA. The establishment of the nation's most prolific glider manufacturer, Schweizer Aircraft in Elmira and the holding of first 13 National Soaring Contests at the site between 1930 and 1946 guaranteed its stature as a location.^[3]

During the US National Soaring Contests in the 1950s competitors and organizers discussed the concept of a national soaring museum. A local Elmira museum at Strathmont Estates featured a display on the subject at the time.^[3]

In the 1960s, the gliding segment of this small collection was moved to Harris Hill as a result of the work of the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation and Schweizer Aircraft co-founder Paul A. Schweizer.^[3]

By 1969 the Soaring Society of America had earmarked Harris Hill as the location for the future National Soaring Museum. The museum was established as an independent nonprofit corporation. The New York State Department of Education chartered the museum as a non-profit educational institution in 1972.^[3]

The museum replaced its original fire-damaged building in 1979 with a new 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m²) facility. In 1989 an addition of 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m²) was completed and in 1993 a 3,200 sq ft (300 m²) Collections Annex was completed.^[3]

The presence of the NSM at Harris Hill was instrumental in convincing the National Warplane Museum, now called Wings of Eagles to move to the area in 1997. Along with the nearby Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York, these three aviation history museums are major tourist draws to the Elmira region.^[3]

In 2013 the original Warren E. Eaton Motorless Flight Facility was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

Collection

The NSM collection includes:^[4]

• Backstrom EPB-1C Flying Plank
• Baker-McMillan Cadet
• Berkshire Concept 70
• Bölkow Phoebus C
• Bowlus BS-100 Super Albatross
• Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross
• Bowlus BA-102 Two-Place Baby Albatross
• Bowlus Senior Albatross
• Briegleb BG-6
• Briegleb BG-12BD
• Chanute-Herring 1897 glider
• Culver Rigid Midget
• DFS Olympia Meise
• Elmira Dagling Primary
• Franklin PS-2 (Three examples)
• Franklin-Stevens PS-2
• Glasflügel BS-1
• Glasflügel H-301 Schuemann Libelle
• Glasflügel H-301B Libelle
• Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa
• Göppingen Gö 1 Wolf
• Gross Sky Ghost
• Hall Cherokee II RM
• Hall Ibex
• Herring-Arnot 1897 glider
• Hutter H-17
• Laister LP-15 Nugget
• Laister-Kauffman LK-10A
• Marske Genesis I
• Mitchell Nimbus III
• Mitchell U-2
• Nelson BB-1 Dragonfly
• Nelson Hummingbird (two examples)
• Peel Z-1 Glider Boat
• PZL-Swidnik PW-5 "Smyk"
• Perl PG-130 Penetrator
• Pratt-Read PR-G1
• Prue IIA
• Prue 215
• Rogallo Hang Glider
• Ross R-6
• Ross-Johnson RJ-5
• Scheibe L-Spatz 55
• Schleicher ASW 12
• Schleicher Ka-6E
• Schreder HP-8 Airmate
• Schreder HP-10
• Schreder HP-11A Airmate
• Schreder HP-16
• Schreder HP-18
• Schweizer SGP 1-1
• Schweizer SGU 1-7
• Schweizer SGU 1-19 (three examples)
• Schweizer SGS 1-23D and 1-23HM
• Schweizer-Burr SGS 1-24 "Brigadoon"
• Schweizer SGS 1-26
• Schweizer SGS 1-26E
• Schweizer SGS 1-29
• Schweizer SGS 1-35
• Schweizer SGS 2-8
• Schweizer SGS 2-12
• Schweizer SGU 2-22
• Schweizer SGS 2-32 (two examples)
• Slingsby UT-1 Dawydoff Cadet
• Slingsby Kirby Gull
• Slingsby T-3 Grasshopper Primary
• Slingsby Type T43 Skylark III
• Waco CG-4A
• Wright 1902 Glider (Replica)
• Wright 1911 Glider (Replica)
• Zoegling Primary

See also

• List of aerospace museums
• List of gliders
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Chemung County, New York

References

1. "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/16/13 through 9/30/13. National Park Service. 2013-01-18.
2. National Soaring Museum (2008). "Welcome to the National Soaring Museum!". Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
3. National Soaring Museum (2008). "The History of the National Soaring Museum". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
4. National Soaring Museum (2017). "Sailplanes in Our Collection". Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.

External links

• National Soaring Museum website
• Detailed photographs of the NSM sailplane collection
• Photos of sailplanes, gliders and other exhibits at the National Soaring Museum