100 Things To Do In Finger Lakes Wine Country This Summer, #17 Discover Motorless Flight

Pilots and vintage sailplanes from all over the world have landed at the National Soaring Museum in Finger Lakes Wine Country since last Sunday through July 4th. Seeing as how I am afraid of heights, I appreciate looking at them on the ground. Harris Hill is hosting the 4th Annual International Vintage Sailplane Meet. The planes are really amazing to look at; rich with color, history and design that sets them apart from modern airplane design.

Since I am a bit timid about the thought of being in a glider, I didn’t know too much about them. I thought I should look up some information, just to be in the know.

The National Soaring Museum itself is an aviation museum located atop Harris Hill that preserves the history of motorless flight. The museum has a large collection of gliders and computerized flight simulators. What I appreciate about this museum is that the planes on display aren’t behind glass or thick plastic. You can actually go right up to the planes and see the detail for yourself. There’s also a really fun gift shop where you can pick up snacks packaged just like the food astronauts eat.

At the meet, you can expect vintage and classic gliders from all over the world. According to the Vintage Sailplane Association, a glider that has been out of production since 1958 can be classified as vintage or a recently built with the same characteristics as a glider built before 1958. A classic sailplane was built at least 25 years ago.

Since the planes are being judged, pilots have spent months restoring and getting their planes ready for this event. It only happens every four years and getting to see the planes is truly exciting since we won’t see them again until 2013. Awards will be given for categories like the best foreign designed sailplane, the best restored sailplane, best overall, etc.

I’m excited to take advantage of the fact that we have a National Museum right here in our area. People travel from all over the world to make it to this event and it’s practically in my own backyard. The pilots of these gliders are a unique group of people that are artists as much as aviation experts.

Besides the fact that an event that only happens every four years is in town, there are a lot of other really great things at Harris Hill for Finger Lakes Wine Country visitors and locals alike. My family and I brought a few hot dogs and burgers up last week and had a cookout. There are plenty of areas to picnic. There is also a swimming pool, a driving range, or you can practice your swing in the batting cages. The miniature golf course is a necessary summer outing as well as grabbing some ice cream at their new shop or taking a spin in their go-carts.

There’s a lot more information about aviation history on the National Soaring Museum web site or you can just ask the pilots who are reliving history at Harris Hill this week!