The Glen Curtis Museum: Teaching the World to Fly
Hammondsport: Teaching the World to Fly
Perched on the southern end of the most unique of the Finger Lakes, Hammondsport has always been a small village full of big hearts and even bigger ambitions. And Hammondsport native Glenn Hammond Curtiss was no exception. Even before he became an aviation pioneer, he was known for speed, motorcycles, and all manner of mechanical experimentation.
In 1910, Curtiss opened the Curtiss School of Aviation in his hometown as well as in San Diego, California. He understood that the budding field of aviation wasn’t just about building better aircraft; it was also about how people felt about flying. It was about teaching the right people to fly confidently, improving every aspect of the machines that would take these brave souls into the air, and expanding what everyday people believed flight could do.
At the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, that history is alive and humming. There, Curtiss’s emphasis on teaching is on display in fascinating exhibits that underscore his belief in the science and potential of flight. After all, his teaching mission was how he opened new doors for sales, science, and the sentiment behind manned flight. That teaching mission didn’t stop at American shores. The Curtiss schools trained students from China, Japan, Cuba, the Netherlands, India, and Puerto Rico as well.
The Curtiss legacy also extended to a whole new class of aviation pioneers with the Curtiss-Wright Cadettes during WWII. After the United States entered the war, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation found itself very short-staffed after many men were called to serve. As the corporation was a leading producer of aircraft for the war effort, its leaders knew they needed to keep up with demand. So, they proposed something radical for the time: an aeronautical engineering training program for women.
The program was extremely abbreviated and rigorous, preparing a select group of women already proficient in math and science for entry-level positions with Curtiss-Wright. This Cadette program was similar to others created out of a need for labor as men went to war—the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), the United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), and the Rosie the Riveter and Wanda the Welder campaigns. The Cadette program launched in 1943 at seven universities across the country, from Purdue to Cornell to the University of Texas. Curtiss-Wright covered the women’s tuition and lodging and provided stipends in exchange for a minimum commitment of 50 hours a week to classes and study. What normally took a student two and a half years, these Cadettes completed in 10 months or less.
After graduating, the Cadettes took roles at one of five Curtiss-Wright plants across the country. Although the majority of the Cadettes were replaced once the war ended and the men returned, many women went on to pursue degrees and enter careers and new roles within their communities.
Today, visitors can explore this unique pioneering history—including the story of the Curtiss-Wright Cadettes—at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, just half a mile south of Hammondsport. There, an impressive collection of original Curtiss aircraft, restored aircraft, reproductions, automobiles, bicycles, and motorcycles collectively tells the story of this pivotal figure in aviation history. Also on view is the museum’s restored P-40 Warhawk, manufactured at the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo while the first group of Cornell-trained Cadettes were there applying their new knowledge and skills to the war effort. The aircraft remains on public display as the museum continues to develop its next featured exhibit.
