Exhibits On Display

Teaching the World to Fly
For Glenn H. Curtiss, building and selling airplanes was not enough. He wanted people to understand the idea and beauty of flying his aircraft. Starting with the first sale of an airplane to the Aeronautical Society of New York in 1909, he agreed to teach two of its members, Charles Willard and Alexander Williams, how to fly. These men were his first students. It was clear to Curtiss that teaching people to fly had the ability to open new doors to sales and lead to new improvements as well as a better understanding of science and flight. 1910 set a landmark in the opening of the Curtiss School of Aviation in Hammondsport, New York and San Diego, California. Rarely was anyone turned away. By 1916, people from all walks of life were attending one of ten locations across the country. The Curtiss School first trained U.S. Navy pilots, helping to create a strong Air Wing of the military. With newspapers taking notice of its vast diversity, the schools were no longer viewed as a curiosity, but instead recognized and declared a “ wonder of the century“. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, many of the schools and instructors would become extensions of the military. These flying schools trained some of the finest aviators the world had ever seen. Afterwards, the Curtiss Flying Schools merged into the Curtiss Flying Service, continuing well up to the beginning of World War II.
Curtiss Museum Aircraft Collection

Originals
1917 Standard “J-1” (on loan)
1919 Curtiss “Seagull” Flying Boat (on loan)
1927 Curtiss “Robin”
1929 Mercury “Chic” (on loan)
1929 CW “Chicago Pusher” (on loan)
1943 Curtiss C-46 “Commando”
1951 “Doppelraab” Glider
Restorations
1912 Curtiss “Headless Pusher”
1917 Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny”
1919 Curtiss “Oriole”
1929 Curtiss “Fledgling”
1929 Travel Air “2000” (on loan)
1931 Mercury S-1 Racer (on loan)
1931 Curtiss-Wright “Junior” (on loan)
1931 Curtiss-Wright “Junior”
1943 Curtiss P-40 E “War Hawk”


Reproductions
1904 Baldwin Dirigible Gondola
1907 AEA Glider
1908 “June Bug” (on loan)
1909 “Silver Dart”
1910 “Albany Flyer”
1911 A-1 “Triad” Seaplane
1913 Curtiss “E Model” Flying Boat
1914 Curtiss “America” Flying Boat
1943 Curtiss P-40E “War Hawk” – in ¾ scale
Curtiss Museum Automobile Collection
1904 Orient Buckboard
1909 Brush (on loan)
1914 Ford T Depot Hack
1918 Buick Model E46 Opera Coupe
1921 Ford T Roadster (on loan)
1922 Ford T Depot Hack (on loan)
1923 Oldsmobile Model 43A (on loan)
1926 Ford T Touring car (on loan)
1928 Ford A Sport Coupe
1931 Ford A Closed Cab Pick-up (on loan)
1931 A “Woody” Wagon (on loan)

Curtiss Museum Bicycle Collection

Velocipede ca. 1865
High Wheel Bicycle ca. 1890
Rear High Wheel Bicycle ca. 1890
Columbia Shaft Drive Bicycle ca. 1899
Waverly Lady’s Bicycle ca. 1899
Panama Men’s Bicycle ca. 1899
Rambler Men’s Bicycle ca.1900
CURTISS MUSEUM MOTORCYCLE (1904 – 1930) COLLECTION
1904 Curtiss Hercules Single Cylinder
1907 Curtiss 8 Cylinder (Reproduction)
1908 Curtiss Single Cylinder (on loan)
1909 Curtiss Single w/Sidecar
1909 Curtiss V-Twin “Wehman frame” (on loan)
1909 Curtiss Three Cylinder (on loan)
1911 Curtiss V-Twin “Cook frame”
1911 Indian Single (on loan)
1912 Curtiss Single Cylinder “Wehman frame”
1914 Indian V-Twin
1917 Henderson four Cylinder (on loan)
1922 Evans Single (on loan)
1924 Ner-A-Car (on loan)
1925 Cleveland Single (on loan)
