HAMMONDSPORT, N.Y. – The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, often called one of the hidden gems of aviation history, has reached a new milestone. The museum has eclipsed the 99% recommendation mark from guests using TripAdvisor, a website for traveler and tourist ratings and recommendations.
TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 375 million unique monthly visitors, and more than 250 million reviews and opinions covering more than 5.2 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 45 countries worldwide.
“The phenomenal reaction by visitors to the museum speaks to the incredible stories we’re able to tell of how speed, adventure and manned flight became one through Glenn Curtiss, a true American hero who is at the heart of aviation as we know it,” said Scott Perkins, marketing services director.
“At a time where the Wright Brothers are basking in attention with the publication of David McCullough’s new book, dedicated flying enthusiasts are seeking a more complete story of how man overcame gravity. With a visit to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, they are discovering the intriguing stories of the Wrights’ chief competitor and threat, whose innovations and designs are still in use today.”
Curtiss is considered to be the founder of the American aircraft industry and the father of U.S. naval aviation. He gained world recognition as an aircraft builder and pilot in 1909 when he won the Gordon Bennett Trophy for speed at the First International Aviation Meet held in Reims, France. A year later, he made the first long distance flight in America between two cities. In 1911 he mastered the technology associated with taking off and landing an aircraft on water, thereby making the seaplane and the flying boat practical realities. This led Curtiss to an association with the U.S. Navy that began when he trained its first pilots and built the A-1, the first naval aircraft.
Visitors to the museum are able to experience a full-scale reproduction of the A-1. Additional aircraft in the collection include a 1912 Pusher, a 1913 Model E flying boat, a 1917 Jenny, a 1919 Seagull flying boat, and a 1927 Robin. From the Curtiss-Wright era (post 1929), included are a 1931 Junior, a ¾ scale P-40 and a rare C-46 WWII transport.