Soaring season opens

Weekend gliding instruction for the Civil Air Patrol Northeast Region cadets began on April 14 and 15 with cadets from Weathersfield, Windsor and Chester participating.

http://compasspaper.com/soaring-season-opens-at-springfield-p6450-111.htm

SOARING SEASON OPENS AT SPRINGFIELD Cadet Matt Power is Ready! SOARING SEASON OPENS AT SPRINGFIELD HARTNESS STATE AIRPORT GLIDING ACTIVITIES BEGIN The Compass Weekend gliding instruction for the Civil Air Patrol Northeast Region cadets began on April 14 and 15 with cadets from Weathersfield, Windsor and Chester participating. They were joined by cadets from the Rutland CAP squadron. None of the young men or women had ever flown in a glider or experienced controlling one while held aloft by thermals. The New England Soaring Association took advantage of the perfect weather conditions and shared a runway at Hartness with Springfield’s Catamount Squadron cadets. Two privately owned jets made several take-offs and landings which delighted the cadets who all hope to graduate into powered flight training and licenses. Earning a glider license and a powered flight license are both possible for Civil Air Patrol Cadets. Glider pilot and instructor Capt. Thomas Sheidegger from Lebanon, NH went over every aspect of a glider during a pre-flight check with the cadets. The local area cadets, Vincent Moeykens of Windsor Middle School, Matthew Power of Weathersfield Middle School and Robert Carlock who is homeschooled in Chester, learned the use of stick, rudder and ailerons and their effect on controlling the glider in the air. They then had the opportunity to gain some skill in flight. Cadet Airman Powers, climbed into the cockpit Saturday afternoon, gave Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Tom Hayes of Woodstock, a ‘thumbs up’ and declared, “I can do this! I CAN do this!” By Sunday evening, Power and his cadet peers had flown three times. All cadets are allowed 5 glider orientation flights without charge. Cadet Carlock, grinning from the cockpit of the Schweizer3-22A informed us, “CAP is my way to the Air Force Academy----I hope!” The gliders, which are owned by CAP, are winter stored at the Springfield squadron post site in a trailer or in a hangar owned by private pilot, Walter Streideck of Springfield. When spring snow has melted and the ground is firm the gliders are assembled and securely tied down near the flight line. On Saturday, April 14 the bright yellow Schweizer was the training craft. On Sunday, April 15, the more compact but comfortable white Blanik was put to its first use for the season. Every weekend through June soaring instruction for cadets from squadrons in the Northeast Region is scheduled. The activity is completely good weather dependent and can be cancelled at the last minute if an unsettled condition arises. Safety is the driving concern in all Civil Air Patrol activities. If you are near the airport and hear an engine revving that could be the tow plane, or Maule, which pulls each glider forward and up from the tarmac until soaring conditions are reached and the glider can be released to follow its own and the thermals course. A good instruction flight lasts between 15 and 25 minutes after release from the tow plane. Both CAP and New England Soaring Association personnel welcome on-lookers at the field so long as safety rules are strictly observed by old and young alike. Soaring is a beautiful, may I say “uplifting” activity to watch! In August, the CAP Northeast Region Glider Camps of Excellence will hold two 8 day camps at the Springfield squadron post as they have done since 2009. Twenty-four qualified cadet applicants, 12 for each co-ed camp, are selected from New England and from other CAP regions and overseas posts. These are intense learning experiences and each summer a number of cadets earn their glider wings. Springfield Cadet Airman Moeykens, of Windsor, VT says, “I plan to be one of those, well maybe next year.” The Civil Air Patrol, a non-profit organization and the official auxiallry of the U.S. Air Force for 70 years, performs 90 percent of inland Search and Rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force in the Continental U.S. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center credited CAP with saving 54 lives in 2011. CAP has 61,000 volunteer members, 27,000 are cadets. These volunteers also perform official Homeland Security duties, drug interdiction, border patrolling and disaster relief missions at the request of Federal, State and local agencies. CAP received the World Peace prize in 2011. For more information about CAP visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or for local information about joining call Thomas or Diana Hayes at 802 457-2858 twnpines@aol.com Submitted by Lt. Diana Hayes, PAO Springfield, Vermont