State History

A guided bus tour of Ithaca’s aviation-related sites on Friday, September 28, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., gives visitors an overview of Ithaca’s early aviation history on the eve of the centennial flight of a restored World War I-era Thomas Morse “Tommy” S4 Scout plane.

For a brief time in the early 20^th century, Ithaca was a thriving center of the young aviation industry. The Thomas brothers, aviation pioneers who produced early seaplanes, came to Ithaca to establish an airplane factory on Brindley Street in 1914. The brothers soon joined with the Morse Chain Company to form the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation. The fledgling company produced hundreds of the World War I-era “Tommy” S4 Scout planes right here in Ithaca, at the Brindley Street plant and at Morse Chain’s South Hill factory. The Thomas brothers also operated a flying school from a flying field next to Cayuga Lake at what is today Cass Park. The Thomas-Morse company briefly ran an experimental engine factory at what is today the Significant Elements architectural salvage warehouse and Historic Ithaca’s office.

The Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (IAHF) has delved into this history in order to restore a 1918 Thomas Morse “Tommy” S4 Scout plane. IAHF member Mike Shay, who has been directly involved in the restoration of the plane, will lead the guided bus tour of aviation sites and relate them to the history and restoration of the Tommy plane. The tour will include visits to the Hangar Theatre, the Aeroplane Factory site, and the Morse Chain plant (now Chain Works District). IAHF board president Don Funke will guide visitors through the Morse Chain plant and tell stories of what happened there 100 years ago and who the players were at that time. Don is known to get goose bumps when telling the story and maybe you will also. Don doesn’t believe in ghosts, but. . . .

The day after the guided bus tour, on Saturday, September 29 (2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.), the restored Tommy plane will take to the air on its centennial flight at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, and all are welcome to attend this free event.

Tickets ($25) for the guided bus tour can be purchased at: http://thehistorycenter.net/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=10.

The guided bus tour begins at the Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Boulevard, Ithaca, NY. Please note that the Morse Chain plant is not accessible to wheelchairs.

The Tommy Plane Tour is an Ithaca Heritage (www.ithacaheritage.com) tour, in collaboration with the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (www.tommycomehome.org).

ABOUT ITHACA HERITAGE:  Ithaca Heritage is a collaboration between Historic Ithaca and The History Center in Tompkins County to promote cultural heritage tourism in the county. Ithaca Heritage organizes guided and self-guided tours and other events to encourage residents and visitors to explore the cultural heritage of Tompkins County. Ithaca Heritage is supported in part by a grant from the Tompkins County Tourism Program.