The NSM Facility
THE NATIONAL SOARING MUSEUM IS A 37,132-SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY LOCATED ON THE TOP OF HARRIS HILL.
51 Soaring Hill Drive - Elmira - NY - 14930
It is located directly across from the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation's airfield, with an elevation of 1,709 feet above sea level.
We have expanded greatly since opening at this location in 1978, with an 8,000-square-foot Heritage Hangar, a large archive area and a gift shop which sells many NSM and aviation-related items.
The Edward A. Mooers Community Room and select gallery spaces are available for rental by contacting us at (607) 734-3128.
Our Story: How NSM Came to Be
Soaring Roots in Elmira & Harris Hill
As early as 1929 & 1930, pioneering aviators recognized the unique topography of the Chemung River Valley — the hills and ridges around Elmira resembled the famous Wasserkuppe soaring ridge in Germany. That terrain, paired with favorable valley landings, made it an ideal location for gliding.
In 1930, the first U.S. national soaring contest was held here.
Between 1930 and 1946, Harris Hill hosted the first 13 national soaring contests, cementing its reputation as the center of American sailplane competition.
Gliding for War and Peace
At the outbreak of World War II, Elmira's soaring landscape was tapped to support the war effort: the area became the first U.S. site selected to develop a glider program and train pilots.
Meanwhile, the presence of Schweizer Aircraft Corporation — which would go on to produce more than half of all American-built sailplanes in the 20th century — deepened Elmira's central role in the history of motorless flight.
From Local Exhibit to National Institution
In the late 1950s, soaring enthusiasts in Elmira organized a glider exhibit at a local museum hosted at the Strathmont Estate.
As interest and collections grew, the gliding portion was relocated to Harris Hill during the 1960s — thanks largely to the efforts of the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation (HHSC) and the advocacy of Paul A. Schweizer, a co-founder of Schweizer Aircraft.
In 1969, the Soaring Society of America (SSA) formally designated Harris Hill as the site for the new National Soaring Museum. Two years later, in 1972, NSM was chartered by the New York State Department of Education as a non-profit educational institution.
Growing to Preserve History
Over the years, the Museum's facility has expanded: a new 16,000 sq ft building replaced the original (lost to fire) in 1979; a 12,000 sq ft addition was completed in 1989; and a 3,200 sq ft Collections Annex — built in 1993 — now houses a significant portion of one of the world's largest motorless-flight collections.
Today, NSM serves as the official repository for SSA archives and administers the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame.