Thomas School of Aviation - Present Day Cass Park

The Thomas Brothers operated a state-accredited flying school until the U.S. entered the war. Initially the school operated from Conesus Lake, where students flew Thomas airplanes on floats. When the factory moved to Ithaca, the flying school moved its operations to today's Cass Park area.

The school offered two types of flight instruction. On land, students learned to fly land planes equipped with wheels. On the lake, they learned to fly float planes.

The school produced a brochure for the flying school, of which the History Center has a copy.

Ithaca’s first airplane was the Thomas T-2, which first flew in January, 1914, from the Cass Park area. It won an order of 25 planes, built for the British admiralty. During construction, the Brindley Street plant was protected by armed guards.