Original “June Bug” at the Glenn Curtiss Museum

One of the oldest airplanes here at the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y. in the Fingerlakes was the “June Bug”. It was flown by Glenn Curtiss in Hammondsport in 1908. Nearby the museum is the Pleasant Valley Winery with a large field next to it and a plaque. It says that Glenn Curtiss made aviation history here on July 4th, 1908 with the “June Bug” as he flew the plane up to 40 feet high in the air towards Keuka Lake almost a mile.

He landed safely and it became the first pre announced and publically witnessed flight of a powered aircraft in the United States.  He had an audience of reporters and nearly 1000 people. It won him the Scientific American Trophy. Curtiss worked in conjunction with Alexander Graham Bell. They frequented this valley at the Stony Brook Farm and made many test flights from the oval horse racing tract.