At this point, most of the drywall is up. Dropped ceilings are being installed and lighting is being put in all the rooms. Still to come: installation of elevator, painting of all walls, trim, doors, fixtures for restrooms on both floors and upstairs kitchenette, redwood wainscoting and trim for the second-floor conference room. And - the biggest job of all for the office staff will be moving all our stuff upstairs to new offices when renovations are completed!

Glenn H. Cur t iss Museum

Spr ing 2016

MUSEUM STAFF

Trafford L-M. Doherty Executive Director

Rick Leisenring Curator

Paul Trepes Education Director

Lynne Mason Museum Store Manager

Karen Trepes Bookkeeper

Arlene Day Weekend Supervisor

Weekend Staff: Terry Dee Jacquie Doherty

Jean Doherty Newsletter Editor Collections Registrar Membership Coordinator Special Events Coordinator Website Maintenance

A E R O G R A M INSIDE THIS ISSUE

B & H Railroad 2

Jules in Belgium 3

Restoration Shop 4

Darrel Rippeteau 6

Hal Thompson 7

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES AT THE MUSEUM

Grids are up for dropped ceilings

Tray ceiling takes shape in the conference room

Elevator shaft waiting for new elevator

Rear entrances to new restrooms off new hallway →

Plywood installed on lower portion of conference room wall - ready for application of

redwood wainscoting

From the Director - Trafford Doherty

Final Farewell to the B&H Originally incorporated in 1872, The Bath and Hammondsport Railroad was completed in that year as a narrow (36”) gauge line and was to operate successfully between Hammondsport and Bath for over 100 years. In 1888, increased demands led to converting the existing track to standard (56 & 1/2”) gauge and the weight of the rail was increased to 60 pounds (per yard). In 1908, the Erie Railroad Company purchased controlling interests of stock and proceeded to operate the railroad for the next 27 years. In 1935, a massive flood did major track damage to the extent that the Erie abandoned their 7-mile Hammondsport Branch. At that point, a group of local businessmen combined their resources and were able to take ownership, thereby returning the B&H to daily operation. By this time, passenger service was a thing of the past – it was all freight, with local coal deliveries and the wineries (Gold Seal, Pleasant Valley, Taylors) being the primary customers. The line operated with steam locomotives until 1949 when along came a brand-new GE “44 Tonner”. It was this little engine that I will always associate with the “Burp & Hiccup” (my dad’s name for the B&H). In the 50’s, when I was a kid, we lived about halfway between the village and the wineries – I saw it go by countless times pulling a few boxcars with our caboose (currently residing here, at the museum) bringing up the rear. The Hammondsport branch of the B&H continued on until 1993 when it ceased operations and this year, 2016, we saw the final chapter take place. In January, Steuben County quietly pulled up the rails with the apparent intention of making the right of way into a hiking path – “Rails to Trails”. I fully understand and support the creation of new trails, but it still saddened me to see the rails gone. If you ever wondered how the Whitewing, June Bug and Silver Dart were moved to Pleasant Valley to make their first flights, it was on a B&H flat car. .

CURTISS MUSEUM OFFICERS

Richard Honeyman President

Richard Rahill Vice-President

John Van Zanten Secretary

Gregory Hintz Treasurer

Trafford Doherty Director

TRUSTEES

Kyle Bower Dennis Carlson Michael Doyle

Cameron Dunlap Bruce Inglis

Jim Lally Ellen Shaw Maceko

Joseph “Bud” Meade, III Joseph Meade, IV

Terry Northrup Rod Pedersen

Thomas G. Snow Thomas Tranter Arthur H. Wilder

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Mardo Doherty Trustee Emeritus

Jill Flynn Trustee Emeritus

Carol G. Jenkins Trustee Emeritus

Charles “Bud” Shaw Trustee Emeritus

Peter Baker, Esq. Trustee Emeritus

#11 - the last steamer to operate on the B&H

B&H tracks gone!

A Belgium Connection We recently heard from Désirée Coertjens–De Meyer, a Curtiss Museum fan in Belgium who was very pleased to let us know that her husband, Jules, had won first place “Best in Show 2016” with his Curtiss Autoplane RC model airplane. She tells us that, in addition to looking great, it flew very well! Desiree had contacted us in January, and our curator, Rick Leisenring, had provided Jules with photographs of the Autoplane.

Désirée reports that Jules likes to fly his models but loves building them even more than flying them. He is an expert builder of scale models (aeroplanes and others) and he has won several 1st places with his models over the years.

.

Spad A-2 - first place winner 2015

2014 Winner: from the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2015 Winner: 1909 Demoiselle Dumont

The recent model airplane show where Jules won first place was part of an annual indoor festival of a local aeroplane model club, LMC in Lommel, Belgium.

Jules is a member of two clubs, one in Lommel, LMC, www.lmconline.be, where they also fly indoors during winter and the other is MASH from Wiekevorst www.mash.be. Both are fun to be a member of, and every year many different events are held, as you can see on their websites.

And what does Désirée do for fun? She says, “And me? I am the proud, loving, supporting wife who just loves to dust the pieces and walk the dog.”

Curtiss Autocar RC model Jules holding plane and first place trophy

Restoration Shop - Art Wilder

P-40 Progress continues on this restoration with primary work being done on the left wing. The majority of the skin is now in place. Museum Director, Trafford Doherty, has just made a short video on our P-40 project and it is now posted on YouTube.

Wright J-6-7 Radial Engine The assembly of the Wright J-6-7 is being done in our Welding Shop. This project is close to completion. .

Wright R-3350 Ready for restoration.

Lou Fell looks over the R-3350

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June - November 2016 Warehouse 53 Exhibit:

Adventures in the Cinema

June - September 2016 Art Exhibit

August 6-7, 2016 Motorcycle Weekend

August 15, 2016 Curtiss Golf Classic

Sept.16-Nov.6, 2016 Civil War Exhibit

Sept. 17, 2016 Seaplane Homecoming

Nov.18-Jan.22, 2016 Embroidery Exhibit

Nov.19-Feb.12, 2016 26th Annual Miniatures &

Dollhouse Exhibit

MUSEUM RENOVATION DONATIONS

PHASE I Dennis & Mary Lou O’Connor

Welliver McGuire, Inc.

Belinda & Patrick Crowe

Kirk & Barb Vieselmeyer

Les & Bonnie Schweizer

Elizabeth Wilder

Page 5

Marketing Committee Report - Denny Carlson

Here we are, already one month through Spring 2016. Time is moving quickly as is the renovation project at the Museum. The project is still on target to be completed by Memorial Day Weekend. As of April 15, the main entrance is now open. Naturally, everything is still a bit moved around but our visitors now have a more visible entrance. This is especially important with the nice weather coming and hopefully increased numbers of visitors.

Once we get past Memorial Day, visitors will experience a more inviting reception area and desk, shop in a brighter, more accessible Museum Store with enhanced merchandise display and utilize improved restroom facilities. We hope that these improvements will be a first step to better receiving increased numbers of Museum visitors over the next 3 – 5 years.

To elevate our exposure to potential visitors and keep us on track with our planned visitor growth curve, the new website will be on line on or about May 1. This website will present a fresh look for the Museum, be more user friendly, easier for us to maintain/update and will be more versatile in information that it will contain.

In addition to the website, we have been investing time and money in gaining more exposure in Air, Motorcycle, Boat and Tourist publications focused on the GHCM both regionally and well as nationally. Efforts have also been put into the creation and execution of radio interviews and videos that capture the imagination that the GHCM presents. Relationships with other area and regional attractions are also being expanded to draw visitors. These efforts will continue as we recognize the fact that “being out of sight, puts you out of mind”. As many of the comments from visitors on TripAdvisor and our Facebook state: The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is a Hidden Gem. Our job is to capitalize on that.

The expectation is that these efforts will contribute significantly to a strong level of visitors in the June through December timeframe.

Again, we cannot forget that word of mouth is one of the best ways we have to bring repeat and new visitors. We appreciate your telling others about the GHCM and making sure you tell them that the GHCM is moving forward and is and will continue to be a strong local tourist destination.

Wright J-6-7

A closer look at the mix of new metal next to salvaged original sections of the P-40 fuselage

AEROGRAM Page 6

IN MEMORIAM

DARREL DOWNING RIPPETEAU

January 14, 1917 - February 8, 2016

Long time Curtiss Museum member, Darrel Downing Rippeteau of Delray Beach, Fl died peacefully at home on Feb. 8, 2016. He had celebrated his 99th birthday on Jan.14, 2016.

Darrel was born in Clay Center, Nebraska in 1917 and was a prominent architect in the northeast. He was a long-time resident of Watertown, NY. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1941, with a BA degree in Architecture. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and went on active duty in May 1942. His military duty included service based in the Pentagon and he was involved in development of a secret deception warfare program at the Army Experimental Station at Pine Camp, now Fort Drum, near Watertown, NY.

Following WWII, He settled in Watertown to run the regional office of the architecture-engineer firm Sargent Webster Crenshaw & Folley of Syracuse, NY. He rose to Managing Partner of this awarding-winning firm, which was active mainly across the Northeast. Projects included the Justice Building on the new New York State Capitol campus (Empire State Plaza) in Albany.

Darrel also was a founding member of the Shipyard Museum, now the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. Darrel retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel. When his secret WWII service was eventually declassified, his war role was described in the book, Secret Soldiers: The Story of World War II’s Heroic Army of Deception by Philip Gerard (Dutton, 2002). He often stressed the beneficial connection between his military training and his professional success.

He was a pilot who enjoyed happy hours in his Piper Cherokee, which his children named The Pterodactyl. The family is planning a memorial service in the summer in Watertown, NY, with burial of the ashes in the family cemetery plot.

ORCHARD DUSTER PROJECT

MEMORIAL

In Memory of Donald “Scott” Green

John & Bev Webster Hugh & Kathleen Hiney

MEMBER DONATIONS

John & Janet Rodenhouse Tom & Lyn Chadwick

Frank Pratt Karen & Bill Speicher

NEW MEMBERS

Curtiss Society

John & Janet Rodenhouse

Donor

Michael Campanelli

Contributung

Robert & Ruth Ann Cuffney Bruce Shoemaker

Kelley & Chris Elliott Tom McGrew & Jennifer Long

Kenneth Kent

MEMBERSHIP UPGRADES

Curtiss Society

Tom & Elizabeth Tranter

Patron

Kirk & Barb Vieselmeyer

Sponsor

Wayne Wallace & Nancy Barber

Lloyd & Barbara Young

Supporting

Fred & Flo Taylor John & Bev Webster

Robert & Mary Jo Wich

Duncan Springstead, Jim Mitchell and Lou Fell are working on the restoration of this antique duster. Lou found an ad for the exact item in a 1916 newspaper, The Chicago Packer.

AEROGRAM Page 7

VISIT FROM DENNIS HARBIN Dennis Harbin of Rag Bag Aero Works in Louisa, VA, visited us early this week, bringing along a set of OX-5 exhaust manifolds which he had fabricated himself to donate to the museum. The workmanship on these manifolds is superior and Dennis was able to stay long enough to describe for us the process he used to create them. Dennis and his wife run Rag Bag Aero Works as a family business - check out their website at: www.ragbag.com.

Dennis Harbin with OX-5 manifold

HAL THOMPSON and the P-40

We are expecting a visit this month from Hal Thompson, who led the project to retrieve our P-40s (SN 43-124362 and 44-7305) from the Florida swamp in 1986. This location was approximately 18 miles from the Gulf of Mexico near the Suwannee River. Hal retrieved the airplanes in pieces, assembled the wreckage on a trailer frame and displayed these at various air shows. Also involved was rubble from another P-40 which crashed on St. Simons Island - (SN 43-24033). Hal then sold the project to Jerry Bensinger in Iowa, then it was sold to Healey Works in Sioux City, Iowa. In 2011 we bought the project from Healy Works.

We’re very anxious to meet Hal and expect that he will be able to answer lots of questions we still have about these airplanes.

P-40 parts as they were staged near the site after being removed Hal Thompson removing wreckage from the swamp

MUSEUM HOURS

WINTER Nov.1-Apr. 30 Mon.-Sun. 10

-4

SUMMER May 1-Oct.31 Mon.-Sat. 9-5 Sunday 10-5

Museum closed on the following holidays:

New Year’s Day

Easter Sunday

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

MUSEUM HOURS

WINTER Nov.1-Apr. 30 Mon.-Sun. 10-4

SUMMER May 1-Oct.31 Mon.-Sat. 9-5 Sunday 10-5

8419 State Route 54 Hammondsport, NY 14840

GLENN H. CURTISS MUSEUM 8419 State Route 54 Hammondsport, NY 14840 Phone: 607-569-2160 Fax: 607-569-2040 Email: info@glennhcurtissmuseum.org Web: www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

SPRING 2016

Please check the membership category of your choice and return to:

The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840

___ Contributing $50 ___ Sponsor $125 ___ Patron $500

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Cur t i ss Museum Membersh ip Form