AIAA Historic Aerospace Sites

Hammondsport is the home of Glenn Curtiss, an early aviation pioneer perhaps surpassed only by the Wright Brothers. All his early aviation work took place here, from the first motorcycle engine used in Thomas Baldwin's dirigible in 1904 through production of the JN-2 in 1915. This includes aircraft built with the Aerial Experiment Association — the June Bug, the Silver Dart, and the Reims Racer that won the Gordon Bennett Cup in France in 1909. The Curtiss School of Aviation, founded here in 1910, is where Blanche Stuart Scott made the first solo flight by a woman in the U.S.

Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory (CAL), founded in 1946 when Curtiss-Wright transferred its research laboratory to Cornell University, became one of the world's foremost aerospace research facilities. CAL pioneered variable stability aircraft for in-flight simulation, conducted landmark research in automotive safety including early seat belt research, developed the Bumblebee surface-to-air missile, and operated the world's largest altitude chambers. Its successor, Calspan Corporation, continues this tradition today.

Founded by Lawrence Dale Bell in 1935, Bell Aircraft's Wheatfield plant was home to some of the most remarkable achievements in aviation history. On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager piloted Bell's X-1 to become the first pilot to break the sound barrier. Bell also developed the P-39 Airacobra, America's first jet aircraft the P-59 Airacomet, and the Lunar Module ascent engine used by all twelve moonwalkers. Bell pioneered helicopter development with the Bell 30 and the iconic Bell 47 — the first commercially certified helicopter.

The Malton site, home of Avro Canada, represents one of the most remarkable chapters in aerospace history. Beginning with WWII Lancaster bomber production under Victory Aircraft, the site became Avro Canada, which produced North America's first jet-powered passenger aircraft — the C-102 Jetliner — Canada's first indigenous jet fighter the CF-100 Canuck, and the CF-105 Arrow. A revolutionary Mach 2+ supersonic interceptor, the Arrow was cancelled on February 20, 1959 (Black Friday). Many of the 14,000 displaced engineers went on to shape NASA's Gemini and Apollo programs.

The National Research Council Canada's Aerospace Research Centre has been a cornerstone of Canadian and international aerospace innovation since 1929. Its facilities include state-of-the-art wind tunnels, propulsion test cells, icing research facilities, and structures laboratories. Key achievements include pioneering icing research, preliminary development of Canadarm control technologies, the first civil jet powered by 100% unblended biofuel, and decades of collaboration with the RCAF, NASA, and leading aerospace manufacturers worldwide.