An unforgettable Gift! Buy online now for $110 or in person at the National Soaring Museum
NOTE Covid-19 Update: We’ll resume passenger flights on June 29th and continue thru Labor Day, 7 days a week, from 10 AM – 6 PM. We will follow Covid guidelines, cleaning gliders between flights and both pilot and passenger will wear masks. The glider cockpit area is small and social distancing can’t be maintained. We DO NOT recommend rides for any passenger who may have special susceptibility to the virus.”(Last update June 22nd)
Normally open weekends April through mid June,
10 AM – 6 PM (607) 734-0641. We open for summer operation 7 days a week beginning mid June through Labor Day.
Always, weather permitting.
Make Harris Hill part of your Finger Lakes experience
Pure & Beautiful
Experience silent flight at one of the most scenic and historic soaring sites in America, Harris Hill. Co-located with the National Soaring Museum, and Harris Hill park a visit to the Hill makes a pleasant day trip amid the beauty of the Finger Lakes.
Your FAA-certified commercial glider pilot will take you aloft in a modern high performance ASK-21 glider. The ASK-21 carries a single passenger -you! and your pilot.
There is no practical age limit, young or old. All you need is a desire to experience graceful, silent flight over the Chemung valley.
Weather permitting, each ride lasts 15-20 minutes. All flights are towed to an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet above sea level. Your pilot will point out the local sights and on most days, Watkins Glen and the Finger Lakes are visible to the North with Elmira and Corning to the Southeast and Northwest, respectively.
Cameras are welcome to record the rolling hills and incredible beauty of Upstate New York from the air. Skirts and dresses are fine, but the location of the dual controls in the glider favors pants or shorts!
All seasons are great for taking a flight at Harris Hill with the Fall foliage in late September and October being particularly spectacular.
Want even more information? See our Detailed Passenger Ride Frequently Asked Questions, below.
ASK-21 High Performance Glider – $110 ($140 for an extra 1,000 feet up)

Photo by Brady Lane, EAA.
The ASK-21 is a two-seat (one passenger, one pilot) high performance, German fiberglass sailplane and the most popular choice for public glider rides. It features wrap around canopy for spectacular views, comfortable semi-reclined seating. The ASK-21 is quiet, modern, and ideal for a sight seeing.
Passenger weight limit: 245 pounds
Detailed Passenger Ride FAQs
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Ticket are purchased at the flight center for $110/$140 and are good for two years.. You may purchase a gift certificate in person at the National Soaring Museum. You may purchase a gift certificate online from the gift card cafe by clicking the button If you have questions about gift certificates or tickets, contact our secretary at secretary@harrishillsoaring.org On good soaring days, many of our club members will be sharing the line for the towplane with our customers. While we place a priority on our public glider rides, this can also slow things down a bit. Your pilot or the ground crew will assist you into the glider, make sure your seat belt is fastened and review basic safety information. He/she will also go over the function of the basic instruments before takeoff. Once the canopy is closed, it won’t take long before you are airborne and your pilot will point out the sights including the Finger Lakes, local cities and landmarks, other aircraft and so on. If the soaring is good, you will experience climbing in a thermal as you circle above the hills and valleys below. After 15-20 minutes, you will land back at Harris Hill on either our grass or paved runway. One other note – it is almost always windier at Harris Hill than the lower valley locations. If it is not a very warm day, be sure to bring a wind breaker or jacket! Whether you can sit up front or not is both weight and pilot dependent. Some of our pilots prefer to fly from the front seat. In addition airplanes (even really big jet airplanes) are like teeter totters and the distribution of passenger weight in the front and back seat affects the balance point and thus the aircraft handling. Smaller aircraft like our gliders are more affected by small changes in the distribution of pilot and passenger weight. Your pilot knows and understands those limits. Thus, the maximum weight limit per passenger is firm and it will be up to your pilot to determine whether you can sit in front or not. However, the view from both the front and rear seats is extremely good and the rear seat of the ASK-21 is quite a bit roomier than the front seat. Some passengers prefer the rear seat as they can see what is going on with the pilot and feel more secure sitting closer to the wing rather than out front. The only promise we can make is that the rear seat has an excellent view -just like the front seat.
Wind – We can and do fly with different wind directions, but if the winds are over 10 knots, especially if it is gusty, conditions are such that the rides may be uncomfortable for you due to shear and turbulence caused by our location. Even though we may not be flying public rides, some of our private members love these conditions and you may see them fly even though the passenger operation is grounded.
Clouds – Low cloud ceilings will limit how high we can fly and prevent passenger rides. Also, fog in the valley will prevent us from flying. Usually, fog will burn off by 10-11am and often occurs on very good soaring days. Cloud bases need to be approximately 4,000 feet above sea level to allow us to conduct passenger rides. This site forecasts cloud bases for the Elmira area.
Thunderstorms or rain – We do not fly in or near thunderstorms, rain or if rain is imminent. Summer afternoon flying can sometimes be cut short by the arrival of a thunderstorm, either temporarily delaying or canceling flying. As you can imagine, waiting 90 minutes for your ride on a popular day and having it canceled by a thunderstorm is frustrating for you and us. Arrive as early as you can but if you are canceled, remember that your ticket remains good for a flight at another time.
If the wait is lengthy, give us your cell phone number, if your ride is ready earlier we will give you a call. Meanwhile, head over to the National Soaring Museum to visit. If you show your passenger ride ticket, you may visit the galleries without paying the entrance fee.
Once you are in the air, your nervousness will have to compete with the incredible 360 degree view of the amazing Finger Lakes region. You’ll glide almost silently above the hills and valleys with only the whisper of wind to accompany you. You’ll easily be able to ask questions of your pilot, who will point out the sights of the region. Almost universally, our formerly nervous passengers exit the glider with a huge smile on their face and are extremely happy to have experienced the magic of soaring.
Still not sure? Come on out to Harris Hill and just watch the gliders takeoff and land. Watch them depart with passengers and return with soaring enthusiasts.
See the video at the bottom of our passenger page to see what it looks like from the rear seat of an ASK-21.