Shop Overview
Restoration activities began in earnest when the Curtiss Museum moved to its new and much larger facility on Route 54 in 1992. Entirely staffed by volunteers, the Restoration Shop provides many
services to the museum. Everything from building and repairing equipment and displays, to restoring originals or building reproductions of Curtiss aircraft and other vehicles lies within the
wide range of activities regularly performed by this dedicated group of craftsmen.
Select Videos:
Story Behind the Curtiss A-1 - Part I (3:57)
Story Behind the Curtiss A-1 - Part II (3:36)
Story Behind the Curtiss A-1 - Part III (2:32)
Glenn Curtiss Museum Volunteer Builders (00:35)
Glenn Curtiss “America“ Construction - Part I (00:54)
Glenn Curtiss “America“ Construction - Part II (04:26)
Glenn Curtiss “America“ Construction - Part III (07:09)
Glenn Curtiss “America“ Construction - Part IV (09:56)
"America" Water Test (4:40)
F.L.A.P.S. Model Club - June Bug 100 Years (10:02)
1910 Curtiss Albany Flyer
On May 29, 1910, Glenn Curtiss completed a 150-mile public flight along the Hudson from Albany, NY, to Manhattan. Curtiss’s feat – the first
true cross-country flight in the United States – was a technological tour de force. Not only was it by far the longest flight yet attempted in the country, but it also meant traveling
over unpredictable terrain with virtually unknown wind and weather hazards – quite a different matter from the fair-weather demonstration laps around airfields that characterized most
of his previous flights.
Hundreds of thousands of people showed up to watch Curtiss’s flight down the Hudson, and the New York Times devoted no less than six full pages of text and photos to the occasion – the
most space the newspaper had ever allotted to a single news event.
On October 26, 2008, the resoration shop embarked on recreating Cutiss's 1910 Albany Flyer.
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1914 Curtiss America
A 72-foot wingspan reproduction of the 1914 Curtiss flying boat America was completed by the museum’s Restoration Shop crew in early September 2007. Escorted by county
sheriff personnel, the plane was transported by trailer to the boat launch at Hammondsport’s Depot Park. There the America was reassembled, launched and towed several hundred feet
down the shoreline to a special site where it would receive final preparation for flight. The museum greatly appreciates the generous help received from Mercury Aircraft - for personnel,
use of trucks and the construction of this set-up area.
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America Update, 2008
The America did fly for the public for the first time on Saturday, September 13, 2008. Two reworked OXX-6 engines with about 120 HP each, proved to be powerful enough to lift the plane
easily into the air. About 600 people had gathered on the shore to watch the flight, and this year they were not disappointed. Pilot Jim Poel, and co-pilot Lee Sackett flew the America
in two large loops up and down the lake – a distance of about 2 miles. This was the first time the plane banked and turned, and it did so with no difficulty. The America flew again on
Sunday morning and on Monday it was returned to the museum for display. |
Curtiss 1911 A-1
Completed in 2004, the A1 has performed beautifully in flights during September's Seaplane Homecomings of 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Piloted by Jim Poel, the A1 demonstrated several "firsts" in 2005. It was flown with a new float, new wheels and anti-skid panels. It was flown higher and faster, made its first turn and taxied
with two persons on board. In 2006, Jim flew the A1 to the Bluff and back - a distance of 7 miles.
Also achieved in 2006 was a flight with 2 persons aboard and a full tank of gas.
