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The History Center plays host to a full-scale 'Tommy Scout' wingHighlighting Ithaca’s link to the first days of flight
A group of Tompkins County aviation enthusiasts are connecting the past and present to remind the community of an important aspect of Finger Lakes industrial history, while re-energizing a generation’s interest in flying. Join us, this Wednesday, February 24th at 10am, when the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation will arrive at The History Center in Tompkins County, to mount a full-scale recreation of a ‘Tommy Scout’ wing, a replica from the Thomas-Morse S-4C Scout airplane that was once manufactured in Ithaca. The event is part of the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation’s ‘Tommy Come Home’ project, designed to preserve the rich history of Ithaca’s aviation-manufacturing past. The Thomas-Morse Aeroplane Company played a pivotal role in aviation history, considering that virtually every American combat pilot first soloed in a Thomas-Morse Scout before departing for active duty in World War I. The Thomas Brothers Airplane Company, Inc. came to Ithaca in 1914. The firm became the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corp. in 1917. While a half-scale model of a Thomas-Morse S-4C (created by Otis C. Drew in 1994, as a tribute to his father, Otis T. Drew, who worked on the production line of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corp) hangs in the lobby of the Tompkins County Regional Airport, the wing to be on display at The History Center is unique in that, because it does not have its final cover on yet, it will enable the public a rare glimpse into the internal wooden structure of ‘The Tommy.’ The wing will be on display at The History Center through May. For more information on the ‘Tommy Come Home; project, call Don Funke at 275-7176 or e-mail tomasareo@aol.com.
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