Flying the Finger Lakes Region of New York

Winemaking, museums, and aviation history highlight the Finger Lakes corner of New York.

Jonathan Welsh

Friday, February 23, 2024 at 10:24 AM ET

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We chose Elmira Corning Regional Airport (KELM) as a starting point for exploring the area. [Stephen Yeates]

Key Takeaways:

The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York comprises 11 glacially-formed lakes, offering impressive aerial views and a landscape known for its gorges, waterfalls, and vineyard-suitable valleys.
It is a significant destination for aviation enthusiasts, featuring the National Soaring Museum at Harris Hill and the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, which chronicle the history of flight.
Beyond aviation, the area boasts diverse attractions such as the Corning Museum of Glass, a thriving wine industry with dedicated trails, the Watkins Glen International Raceway, and historical sites along the Erie Canal.
Pilots visiting the region, often flying into Elmira Corning Regional Airport, should be aware of challenging terrain, variable weather, and high traffic, particularly when flying sightseeing routes over the lakes.

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As you fly north across the middle of upstate New York on a clear day toward places like Ithaca (KITH), Cortland County (N03), or Corning-Painted Post (7N1), you will see them on the horizon: the Finger Lakes.

You are likely to spot Seneca Lake first, as it is 38 miles long and covers the greatest area of the 11 bodies of water that make up the Finger Lakes region. Just to the east is runner-up Cayuga Lake, with the city of Ithaca at its southern tip. It is huge, too, and it can be difficult to tell which of the top two is larger. Cayuga is 2 miles longer, but Seneca covers more acreage. The lakes have a roughly north-south orientation and fan out across the state’s midsection, seeming to point toward Lake Ontario.