Alasdair & Colby attended the annual Thanksgiving weekend “Snowbird” spot landing contest at Harris Hill this year. Needed another body or two to enter a NESA team so we flew for valley Soaring Club.

Friday was too windy to safely have a spot landing contest with winds ~18G27, however it was a spectacular ridge day. Colby got his first real ridge flying experience with Hank Nixon (UH) as his instructor in the back seat.

Saturday was spectacular with 78 flights flown! The club trophy went to Valley Soaring. Colby and Alasdair placed 2nd in the Junior/Senior team category and Colby placed 3rd in the Junior category.

The event wrapped up with a nice Banquet and awards ceremony in the National Soaring Museum.

Maybe next year we can field a couple more participants and enter a NESA team.

Thanks to the efforts of NESA stalwarts Bill B, Jerry S, Greg H, Steve H, Jim M, Ben B, Brian X, Cameron C, Paul H, Larry P and A&P/IA Andy Gelston, the club’s yellow 2-33 and 1-26 received their annual inspections Friday and all five club aircraft were secure in club member’s hangars at the end of the day Saturday. All are ready for flight at the first sign of spring. Thanks, Bill, for the delicious potato leek soup both days!

Club members achieved several milestones this season. NESA welcomed eight new members in 2022. Jim Malecha, former chief tow pilot for the Memphis Soaring Society, relocated to the New London area a few years ago and joined in January, piloted the Callair for 147 tows throughout the season, and attained the CFI-G rating in October. Steve Hurd soloed.

On the junior front, Ben Berg attained his Private Pilot-Glider certificate in June and soloed in Bill’s Cub in September. Colby passed his written and Sebastian made his first solo!

356 tows in 2021, 441 this year, an increase of 24%, still a bit low but directionally indicating a return to more “normal” times.

Watch for updates concerning the club Annual Meeting in January.

Saturday, November 5th was the First Annual NESA Aircraft Wash and Precision Landing Contest. 

We had a good turn out on this 75 degree November day with Jim M, Steve H, Ben B, Colby vK, Gerry S, Paul H and Bill B. The yellow 2-33, 1-26, 1-34 and the Callair all got washed and they gleamed in the sunshine. 

Then we brought the yellow 2-33 and 1-26 to the flightline for some precision flying. The rules are simple; a touchdown line on the grass Rwy 29 was established with two orange buckets and if the pilot touchs down before the line it is a DQ (disqualification). Measured was the touchdown after the line. A vertical pool noodle was erected as the rollout stopping point and closest to the noodle was measured. Each pilot took a 1000’ tow. 

Results:
Both CFIGs Bill B and Gerry S were DQ for an early touchdown
Steve H landed long, way long
Colby vK had the cross-wind get super strong during his flight and he elected to land into the wind on Rwy 23. He gets the good judgement award. 
Paul H came in second with 13 paces beyond the touchdown line and 113” from the noodle for a strong second place. 
Ben B in the trusty 1-26 landed 10 paces beyond the line and! 3/4 of an inch from the noodle to win the Contest. Congratulations Ben

Fun was had by all. If you are now addicted to sailplane landing competition, talk to Alasdair about the “Snowbird Contest” at the Harris Hill Gliderport,  Thanksgiving weekend. A very fun event.