Night at the Museum

There's this book I read when I was a kid called "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler." It's by E.L. Konigsburg and was published in 1967, and it's about two kids who run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you haven't encountered it before, it's a great read about how they manage to go undetected in the museum and get wrapped up in a mystery involving a Michelangelo statue.

If those kids had been from this area, however, I imagine that they might have trekked up Harris Hill to live in the National Soaring Museum. Judging by the night I recently spent there, they would have had a fun stay. (Plus, they wouldn't have had to worry about food. That's for sure. :)

I took part in the overnight program that the museum offers for kids so that they can learn about soaring. Lots of Scouts take part in this, as it helps them earn requirements toward badges, but it's open to all sorts of youth groups.

Not gonna lie, when I chose a night to stay over, I was kind of rooting that I'd be staying with not all boys? And then the Powers That Be smiled down upon me and granted me Girl Scouts. It was amazing.

The night starts with a tour, during which I enjoyed getting to examine the gliders and exhibits up close. There are all kinds of moments in soaring history on display that'll make you appreciate the innovation and progression that went into getting us off the ground: 

These next three represent my personal museum favorites. The oldest glider in the collection, and then a piece of cloth from the wing of the Wright Brothers' 1903 glider (which they used for their historic first flight). There are only two places in the world where you can find this cloth, the other being the Smithsonian.

Rockin' since 1928.

A wing rib. Which we would shortly be building. 

The Albatross. 1930's National Champ.

That issue of Life featuring a war glider is from 1942, when it was 10 cents a copy and $4.50 for a yearly subscription.

Eileen Collins memorabilia.

After the tour, it's wing-rib buildin' time. Let me just say for the record that I'm pretty terrible at all things construction-related. I've got this truly tragic little wooden box I made in an eighth grade technology class to prove it. These Scouts, though? Like ducks to water in the shop.

I helped hold their wing ribs steady so that they could hammer, and supplied them with paper towels. It was the closest to being a Girl Scout that I'll ever get.

Impressive, no?

The overnight also includes trying out gliding and landing in flight simulators:

 I was looking pretty good at this point in the landing. So I'll just leave it at that.

Then everybody hunkers down for the night. Easily the winner of the Most Unique Place I've Ever Slept Award.

Air mattresses are a wonderful thing.

I have to pause here for a moment to comment on the menu while you're staying at the museum, because when Norm Smith, the operations and education director, said that everybody would be "well-fed," he really wasn't kidding.

He's been doing this overnight program for years, and believe me when I tell you, in addition to all of his soaring expertise and how well he engages the kids, he's also got some finely-honed food preparation magic going on here. It'll blow you away how fast everything gets rolled out and then rolled back in.

A snack break during the wing-rib building process included nachos, mini corn dogs, mozzarella sticks and even some homemade "famous in Rochester" cookies sent along from Norm's mom. There were late-night ice cream sundaes:

Looks pretty professional, right? My first summer job was at Friendly's.

And the breakfast spread:

 

 Regular and blueberry.

After breakfast, there was paper airplane instruction, which resulted in the best paper airplanes I've ever made in my life. The Scouts then went to town with contests to see whose flew the farthest, and proceeded to try and drop their paper helicopters down into pots.

The morning wrapped up with a trip to the Glider Hangar, where the Scouts were able to climb in and out of glider cockpits to their hearts' content.

And because I don't think a trip to Harris Hill is complete without taking a few minutes to appreciate the view, I went down the road to do just that:

This is also a fantastic time to visit the museum because an exhibit from the Smithsonian is currently on display. It's called "In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight." The exhibit is made up of 56 photographs by Carolyn Russo that focus on the aesthetic quality of some of the National Air and Space Museum's aircraft.

I got to sneak a peek on the overnight, and I'm excited to check it out. The exhibit is running through August 5th.

So if you have the opportunity to go see what makes Harris Hill the Soaring Capital of America, definitely don't pass it up! You can explore the museum, go for a ride, or just hang out and watch the gliders in action.

Despite the fact that I'm a bit claustrophobic and have a fear of flying, I might have even inched closer to giving a glider ride a try.

The National Soaring Museum, Harris Hill, 51 Soaring Hill Drive

Elmira, NY 14903, (607) 734-3128

www.soaringmuseum.org