Glenn Curtiss’ pioneering early flights were honored by AIAA in a ceremony designating Hammondsport, New York, as a Historic Aerospace Site on 28 June. The ceremony included AIAA members, local community members, and representatives from the Hammondsport area.
“The Institute is committed to recognizing the daring people and memorable places throughout history that have led to modern flight — both in the atmosphere and beyond the Kármán line into space,” said AIAA Senior Director of Aeronautics Jim Sherman during the event.
“Glenn Curtiss’ breakthroughs laid the critical groundwork for powered heavier-than-air flight. His work was directly inspired by the Wright Brothers and shaped the future of aviation,” Sherman added.
Among Curtiss’ achievements at this site was the first U.S. vertical takeoff and landing flight – or VTOL – on 22 May 1908. The experimental helicopter of John Newton Williams was powered by an engine designed and built by Glenn Curtiss. The flying machine hovered about two meters off the ground before landing.
Curtiss made Hammondsport, New York, a center of aviation advancement. Working with the Aerial Experiment Association, he created revolutionary aircraft like the June Bug—the winner of the Scientific American Cup for the first public flight of over one kilometer in the United States, the Silver Dart—first aircraft to fly in Canada, and the Reims Racer—with which Curtiss won the Gordon Bennett Cup in France in 1909. Curtiss also produced the mass-produced Model D Pusher and Models G and J that led to the famous JN-4 Jenny that trained over 10,000 American pilots to fly during World War I.
The recognition of Hammondsport as an AIAA Historic Aerospace Site reflects the Institute’s ongoing commitment to preserving aviation history. Curtiss’ legacy in Hammondsport reflects the remarkable efforts he made to advance the aerospace industry—efforts rooted in the kind of breakthrough thinking that continues to define AIAA’s mission today.
The dedication plaque will remain at the Curtiss Museum until Curtiss Park opens in downtown Hammondsport.
