With just a few more weeks to go before the International Vintage Sailplane Meet, Harris Hill is gearing up.
During our annual Symposium weekend, IVSM chair Jeff Byard conducted a two-hour meeting with his team from Vintage Sailplane Association, Harris Hill Soaring Corporation and National Soaring Museum. We thrashed out answers to questions about trailer parking areas, checkouts and tows, camping, socials and awards. A couple of days later we emailed registration forms and information sheets to a list of about 70 previous participants (if you have participated in IVSM previously and did not get an email, please contact us; there were a few email addresses that did not seem to click). We “snail-mailed” some and the information is available on the National Soaring Museum website (<soaringmuseum.org>). Incidentally, we are inaugurating the “Bob Gaines Best Restoration” award this year.
We are getting a good response. Although it is too early to say how many gliders will be displayed, two dozen is a number that can be relied upon as the least. We are expecting several SGS 1-23s for a mini-convention of their own. Count two or three people for each glider and add folks who are coming without gliders (including friends from overseas) and you quickly get to a number of 60 to 70 participants—not bad at all in a year when everyone is looking over their shoulder nervously at the price of gas and hedging their bets on the future of the economy. It is hard to keep good soaring pilots down!
Our numbers will be augmented by a group of new participants, the RC (for Radio Controlled) Aerotow modelers. They will be here to enjoy IVSM and to fly their very interesting and at times very big models. The fascinating thing about them is that they have both powered planes and gliders under radio control and the powered planes tow the gliders, just like full-scale gliders and tow planes (I would be a bit frightened to do it—not knowing my right from my left as I do, or don’t). If present plans prove out, a regional group of vintage car hobbyists will visit and display on the final Saturday, and we also are planning to display works of art and historic items from the pre-War era—when Zanonia, our spotlighted glider, was born. We have a full schedule of social events including, we hope, a lake cruise for dinner one night during the week. Lunch will be available from the Harris Hill Junior Members—good food for a good cause.
Trailering through western New York toward Harris Hill in 2009. Paul Rabourn Photo.
Early July is a nice time up here at Elmira under a strong sun but often without the sultry air that settles in later in the summer. You can camp in the shady Youth Park if you get your reservation in early, and there is the big swimming pool and the kids park nearby with batting cages, a driving range, top-of-the-spud French Fries and Hershey ice cream just about any way you want it. We have held the line on tow fees, made arrangements for trailer parking quite near the flight line and I would not be surprised if we find the water flows like beer (or is it the other way around?) at IVSM this year.
Ron Ogden
