Tommy Plane - 2018 Centennial Flight

After a ten year restoration project by the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation (IAHF), the Thomas-Morse S4-C Scout made a public flight on September 29, 2018, at the current Tompkins County airport.

The plane, and original "Tommy Scout" manufactured in Ithaca in 1918, had been donated to IAHF by Dr. William Thibault, and restored to full flight worthiness by a dedicated team of volunteers. Most of the fuselage is original, while the wings are new construction. It was part of the first batch of 100 airplanes ordered by the Army. We know this because it is the early ‘B’ model which was replaced by the more common ‘C’ model in the next order. IAHF believes it was the 91st S-4B produced.

For its centennial flight in the skies of Tompkins County, Tommy was flown by pilot Ken Cassens from the Rhinebeck Aerodome.

A crowd of hundreds gathered below to watch the flight. See the youtube.com/@TompkinsHistory for videos of the flight.