National Soaring Museum

What National Soaring Museum does

The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is a single-site nonprofit aviation museum located at 51 Soaring Hill Drive on Harris Hill in Elmira, New York — branded the "Soaring Capital" since 1934. Founded in 1975 and incorporated as National Soaring Museum, Inc. (EIN 16-1004983), the museum's mission is to preserve and present the heritage of motorless flight and to promote education in soaring, aeronautics, and related physical sciences. It operates year-round with seasonal hours (April–October 10am–5pm; November–March 10am–4pm) and is led by Executive Director Adam Smith and President Ed Funk.

NSM's core product is its physical collection and institutional programs: a documented collection of 77 gliders spanning the late 1890s through the late 20th century (including aircraft from Wright brothers, Bowlus, Briegleb, and Schweizer); the sanctioned United States Soaring Hall of Fame with 133+ inductees; and the National Landmarks of Soaring Program with 16 registered sites across the United States. The museum also offers on-site sailplane rides on Harris Hill using a Schleicher ASK-21 High-Performance Sailplane. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are museum-physical rather than digital-native.

Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) visitor admissions and sailplane rides, (2) a seven-tier membership program (Individual $35, Family $50, Bronze $100, Silver $250, Gold $500, Diamond $1,000, Cayley Society $2,500), (3) charitable donations including a structured Planned Giving Program covering appreciated assets, donor-advised funds, IRA QCDs, and bequests, and (4) gift shop/retail sales of soaring-themed merchandise. The museum is the official repository of the Soaring Society of America and serves aviation enthusiasts, history buffs, and active soaring pilots and SSA members primarily in the Northeast US, with no disclosed enterprise customers or corporate sponsors.

Name

National Soaring Museum

Legal name

National Soaring Museum, Inc.

Website

https://soaringmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Soaring Museum is a nonprofit aviation museum in Elmira, NY, preserving the history of motorless flight through a 77-glider collection, the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame, and the National Landmarks of Soaring Program, serving aviation enthusiasts and Soaring Society of America members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAF

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJABAJ

Paragliding, Skydiving & Airborne Adventure Sports

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Adventure & Outdoor Experiences (Hiking, Rafting, Zipline, Safaris)

Keywords

• Aviation museum
• Glider preservation
• Motorless flight heritage
• Soaring education
• Historic glider collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmira

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with multiple tiers (Individual $35, Family $50, Bronze $100, Silver $250, Gold $500, Diamond $1000, Cayley Society $2500) providing donors with varying benefits and recognition.
2. Donations and Planned Giving: Charitable donations from individuals and businesses, including online donations, planned giving, appreciated assets, donor-advised funds, IRA charitable distributions, and bequests.
3. STF Campaign Fundraising: Soaring to the Future capital campaign focused on exhibit modernization and archive digitization.
4. Gift Shop/Museum Store Sales: Retail sales of souvenirs including Landmark of Soaring commemorative envelopes and aviation-themed merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the heritage of motorless flight and promoting education about soaring, aeronautics, and related physical sciences. Its core offering is a year-round physical museum exhibition featuring an extensive glider collection spanning the late 1890s through the late 20th century, complemented by the United States Soaring Hall of Fame, the National Landmarks of Soaring Program, sailplane ride experiences on Harris Hill, and tiered membership, donation, and gift shop programs.

Product overview

The National Soaring Museum is a single-site aviation museum offering preservation and presentation of motorless flight history. The museum's core offerings include an extensive glider collection with 77 aircraft spanning from the late 1890s to the late 20th century, the United States Soaring Hall of Fame honoring over 130 individuals, and the National Landmarks of Soaring Program recognizing 16 historic sites. Visitor experiences include sailplane rides on a Schleicher ASK-21 high-performance sailplane. The museum supports its operations through membership programs at seven tiers (Individual through Cayley Society), a planned giving program, and the Soaring to the Future Campaign for exhibit modernization and archive digitization. All offerings center on preserving and educating the public about the history of soaring and motorless flight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Soaring Museum Exhibition Year-round physical museum exhibition dedicated to preserving and presenting the heritage of motorless flight, promoting education about soaring, aeronautics, and related physical sciences; open to the general public.
• Glider Collection Exhibition Curated public display of 77 historic gliders spanning the late 1890s through the late 20th century, including aircraft from pioneers such as the Wright brothers, Bowlus, Briegleb, and Schweizer; many on permanent display, others available by request or on loan.
• Sailplane Rides on Harris Hill On-site glider ride experience on Harris Hill using the Schleicher ASK-21 High-Performance Sailplane, allowing visitors to experience motorless flight firsthand.
• United States Soaring Hall of Fame Recognition program honoring individuals who have made the highest achievements in or contributions to the sport of soaring in the United States; currently recognizes 133+ inductees.
• National Landmarks of Soaring Program Designation program that identifies and memorializes sites, individuals, or historic events related to the national history of motorless flight; currently recognizes 16 registered landmarks across the United States.
• Museum Membership Program Annual membership program with seven tiered levels (Individual $35, Family $50, Bronze $100, Silver $250, Gold $500, Diamond $1,000, Cayley Society $2,500) supporting preservation of soaring history and offering tiered benefits and recognition.
• Planned Giving Program Charitable giving program offering legacy and planned giving options, including donations by check or credit card, appreciated assets, donor-advised funds, IRA qualified charitable distributions, and beneficiary designations.
• Museum Store (Windrider Gift Shop) On-site and online gift shop offering soaring-related souvenirs and merchandise, including National Landmarks of Soaring commemorative envelopes and aviation-themed items.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77+ gliders preserved and displayed for public education
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Soaring Society of America (SSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NSM is the official repository of the Soaring Society of America, hosting the US Soaring Hall of Fame and maintaining close ties with the SSA for preservation and education initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Vintage Flying Museum: Nonprofit aviation museum in Fort Worth, Texas focused on preserving vintage and historic aircraft. Comparable as a small nonprofit aviation museum with collection-based programming, though focused on powered vintage aircraft rather than gliders.

Regional players

• Cradle of Aviation Museum: Long Island-based aviation museum focused on the region's aerospace heritage, including Long Island's role in early aviation. Comparable as a regional nonprofit aviation museum with similar collection-and-education model, though with different historical focus.

Direct peers

• New England Air Museum: Aviation museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, focused on New England aviation history including gliders and warbirds. Comparable as a regional nonprofit aviation museum with similar operational scale, seasonal hours, and reliance on donations and admissions.
• Glenn H. Curtiss Museum: Regional aviation and heritage museum in Hammondsport, NY, dedicated to aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and early flight history. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized nonprofit aviation museum in New York State with similar collections, educational programming, and donor-supported model.

Broad incumbents

• Commemorative Air Force: Large nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and flying historic military aircraft, with multiple hangar locations across the U.S. Comparable as a nonprofit aviation heritage organization that preserves and exhibits historic aircraft, though focused on warbirds rather than gliders.
• Museum of Flight: Major nonprofit aviation museum in Seattle with extensive aircraft collection including gliders and a large visitor base. Comparable as a destination aviation museum with collections, exhibits, and educational programming, though focused on powered flight broadly.
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The premier U.S. aviation and space museum with vastly larger scale, audience, and government backing. Comparable as a generalist aviation museum, but operates on a much larger institutional scale and covers all of aviation rather than specializing in motorless flight.
• EAA Aviation Museum: Aviation museum operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, housing historic aircraft and serving a community of general aviation enthusiasts. Comparable as a nonprofit aviation museum with active enthusiast community ties, though broader in scope than soaring.
• Pima Air & Space Museum: Large aviation museum in Tucson, Arizona with one of the world's largest aircraft collections. Comparable as a nonprofit destination aviation museum, though larger in scale and broader in aviation scope than the National Soaring Museum.

Others

• Soaring Society of America: The national membership organization for soaring pilots in the U.S. and the National Soaring Museum's core strategic partner. Comparable not as a museum but as the governing ecosystem organization whose members form a primary audience and donor base for the museum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-soaring-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Soaring Museum