Hartness State Airport Glider Camp

During the week of September 15, Hartness State Airport hosted a Certified Flight Instructor - Glider camp for interested pilots looking to receive certification in glider instruction.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/hartness-state-airport-glider-camp

Hartness State Airport Glider Camp Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 09/23/2014 - 2:23pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper NORTH SPRINGFIELD, VT -During the week of September 15, Hartness State Airport hosted a Certified Flight Instructor - Glider camp for interested pilots looking to receive certification in glider instruction. Camp participants received education in all aspects of glider instruction. The weeklong camp enabled glider pilots interested in obtaining their certification as instructors to have the opportunity to do so after completing the day-to-day activities during the camp. Activities included lessons in ground school, lesson planning and instructing others on how to fly a glider. “This camp was designed for glider pilots specifically,” State Airport Manager Christopher Beitzel said. “After completing the camp, glider pilots can become certified as glider instructors.” Beitzel said that one of the main purposes of the camp was for networking among glider clubs in the northeast. “There is a shortage of instructors in the northeast, and a real need for instructors in the area” he said. “[This camp] is a great opportunity for pilots to work together to promote the sport.” The state of Vermont sponsored the camp with the Civil Air Patrol, Beitzel said. Gliders used in the camp were donated by Sugarbush Soaring, Springfield Soaring Club,and the Civil Air Patrol. Camp participants and instructors had access to the Civil Air Patrol facilities at Hartness State Airport. This was the first year that this glider instructor certification camp was offered in Springfield. Six students participated in the camp throughout the week, and four instructors gave guidance and lessons in glider instruction. Camp participants ranged from local pilots in Vermont and New Hampshire, to pilots that had come from New York and Connecticut to participate. “Gliders don’t have engines, so a tow plane brings them up,” camp participant Charlie Freeman said. “During this camp, there are different things to accomplish to become an instructor. Sometimes you might go up just to land, and some days you have more lift, so that means more time in the air.” Freeman has been a glider pilot for 26 years and resides in Lebanon, New Hampshire. “I fly with the Civil Air Patrol, and we have a definite lack of glider instructors within our organization,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to get my instructor certification for close to ten years, and this incredibly generous offer by the state of Vermont to host this camp gave me the push I needed to do it.” Freeman said that his experience at the camp was eye-opening because he found that it was surprisingly hard to teach and fly at the same time. However, he said that flying in Springfield has been a great experience. “Springfield is like a nirvana for gliders,” Freeman said. “There is a glider club here and the Civil Air Patrol for the Northeast region is based here as well. It’s a great place to fly.” Local Designated Pilot Examiner and instructor for the camp, Bill Stinson, said that everyone in the camp was a commercial glider pilot going for their instructor rating. “All the participants have training,” Stinson said. “The purpose of the camp is to encourage soaring flight in Vermont.” Stinson has been flying gliders since 1975, and explained that how high a glider is towed by the tow plane depends on the lesson plan that the camp’s participants create. He said that a glider can be towed anywhere from 1,500 feet in the air to 3,000, and the height of the tow was dependent upon what was being taught that day. Glider pilot Alasdair Crawford said that he felt it was important for people to give back to the sport of gliding. “This camp is helping to bring in pilots to promote this amazing activity,” he said. “It’s great to see people come out and want to be trained to be instructors.” Crawford said that learning from the instructors at the camp was a real benefit, because everyone at the camp could fly, but the purpose of the camp was to learn to teach other people to fly. “The instructors pose as students in the glider, which helps us as the students [in the camp] learn,” he said. “We also have ground school each day and we make lesson plans for the flights.” Crawford has been a glider pilot for 20 years and said that the thing he likes most about flying a glider is working out what Mother Nature gives you for the day. “You have to figure out how to stay up and cover distance,” he said. “That’s what I love about the sport is that each day is different.” - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/hartness-state-airport-glider-camp#sthash.CQcGVPF1.dpuf