Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, soaring pilots of the northeast have returned to Harris Hill on Thanksgiving weekends to test their skills in the unpredictable early winter skies for over fifty years. One wonders why from 100 to 200 people (including crews, organizers, cooks, and other dedicated helpers) each year will brave the harsh winds, snow, ice, and extreme conditions to attend a soaring meet. However, the Snowbird meet offers soaring enthusiasts fun, fellowship, hanger flying, good food, and a chance to end the soaring season in the northeast in a special and memorable way. It all began in the November, 1939, issue of SOARING (Magazine), when the following invitation was issued by the Elmira Aero Soaring Corporation:

Dear Glider Pilot: You are invited to participate in a three day gliding and soaring meet at Harris Hill, Elmira, N.Y., November 24, 25, and 26. We shall greatly appreciate your cooperation in extending this invitation to others of your acquaintance who would be interested. Prize money is in the bank and will be transferred to the prize fund at the rate of $25.00 per ship entered in the contest. Prize money will be distributed by the point award system on distance, altitude, and duration flights with the following minimum flight requirements: distance, 5 miles; altitude, 500' above point of release; duration, 1/2 hour. All ships will be classed as gliders, sailplanes, or intermediates, and will earn points accordingly. Ship classification will be decided by vote of the pilots entered. Airplane tows are free to qualified pilots and ships. There is no entry fee. Plenty of cabin space is available, but be sure to bring plenty of blankets! A party will be held on Sat. night. There will be plenty to eat and a sufficient selection of beverages.

Twenty-two pilots and ten sailplanes entered that first contest. Stan Corcoran with his Cinema II, Floyd Sweet with his Rhonbussard, Stan Smith with his two-place, side-by-side City of Utica, Bob Auburn with the SSA Schweizer 2-8 sailplane, and two Franklins were among those on the grid. Most of the contest flights were from winch tow, but Pete Peters of Ithaca brought down a tow plane and made several tows. Seven of the pilots made official flights, with Bob Auburn winning the duration flight staying up four hrs. and 31 mins., and Floyd Sweet winning altitude at 550' above release. Since there were snow flurries throughout the three days, Bob Auburn in writing up the event for SOARING called it "the Snowbird."

The Snowbird has been held annually ever since that year with the exception of the war years, 1941-45. Since many aviation people were preparing for a possible war in 1941, there was no scheduled Snowbird, but several "snowbird pilots" got together to soar in Wurtsboro on the weekend of Dec. 6-7, 1941. On Sunday, Ginny (Mayer, then) Schweizer was sitting in a car with the radio on, keeping the flight records, when she heard the shattering news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. That essentially ended sports flying of any kind in the US for the next five years. Many of our outstanding soaring pilots participated in the war effort.

But it takes more than a World War to end Snowbirds, so on Thursday, November 28, 1946, fourteen pilots and crews gathered at Harris Hill to resume snowbird flying. Dick Comey writes in the Jan.-Feb., 1947 issue of SOARING , that it was "one of the best three days of fun soaring he'd ever experienced." Seems the temperatures actually stayed above freezing for the first two days and that there were decent thermals. He flew five hours to gain his Silver C on the first day, but on Sunday, the temperature took a plunge down to 15F, and the snow came blowing in. The meet ended with six sailplanes doing a Lufberry circle in a snow storm out in front of the ridge. (What a great calendar photo that would have been!) Forty hours of flight were recorded for that meet with fourteen pilots flying. The ships included seven TG-4s, three TG-3's, one 2-22, one 1-19, and one PrattRead.

Paul Schweizer was flying the 2-22, and on Saturday, he realized that he didn't have enough altitude to make it back to Harris Hill, so he decided to head for Chemung County Airport. According to the written account, if he'd had 50' more feet of altitude he could have made it. As it was, he landed in a field adjacent to the airport and was able to tow the 2-22 up a plank and over a fence onto the airport without having to take the ship apart.

Helen Hitchcock Bjorvand, one of the crew persons for this 1946 event wrote what is referred to as a "Sermon from the Clouds:" "Oh, when our atmosphere is thinned, And like a pocket without air, May heaven aid us with a wind, And send an up-draft at our prayer."

How could the winds gods turn down such a request? This prayer might be worth remembering when we get that hopeless, sinking feeling.

These early Snowbirds always began with people coming to share their Thanksgiving meal together in the old Administration Bldg. at Harris Hill. When the weather made taking to the skies impossible, there were movies (including several of Ed Seymore's Olympic bob sledding experiences in Italy and some taken in the Adirondacks), slide presentations, conversations around the fireplace until the wee hours, and there are reports of some occasional wild snowball fun. Bob Stanley, the first jet pilot for the US Airforce, met and "snowed" his to be wife at one of these early contests.

By the l950's several soaring clubs from Canada joined the Snowbird scene, and by the 1953 contest, there were sixty-three pilots and thirty-one ships registered on the first day. This included twenty-three Canadians from the Canadair Employees Recreation Club, who won the team trophy that year. It seems the trophy was presented filled with fresh powder snow, which was shared in the form of snowballs for the remainder of the gala evening.

Several annual awards were added to the normally presented Snowbird contest ones during the 50's: The Herb Sargent award was presented by the Hudson Valley Soaring Club to an individual who has contributed far beyond the call of duty to soaring. That year it was awarded posthumously to "Chuck" Smith, who had lost his life on Harris Hill that fall. There was also a Lawrence Gehrlein Award of $500 to the pilot who had flown the longest marathon flights of the year. Bernie Carris won the award in "53. for his two marathon flights to the Atlantic Coast.

From the standpoint of hours flown, the Snowbird meet of '55 was the most successful thus far. There were twelve clubs (from as far away as Fort Wayne, Philly, Ottawa, and Montreal), twenty-five ships, and over fifty pilots (with one from Australia and another from South Africa). There were 160 people signed up to participate and help during the weekend. Close to 100 hours of flight time were recorded during the two "soarable" days of the contest. On Friday. there was a snow squall that caught 22 ships stretched out at various levels. Most came in for fast landings, but a dauntless trio of Ed Seymore, Hal Bovenkirk, and Howie Burr rode out the squall. It is written that after visibility was restored and very concerned crews were being calmed by concerned friends, these three were spotted serenely pacing back and forth along the ridge in the calm of the after-storm!

The Herb Sargent Award that year went to a non-pilot, but the meteorologist, Barney Wiggin, for his continuous service in providing "meteorological information dished out in typical Wiggin jargon." He was also sent to England with the American team (as their captain) for the International Meet that year since they respected his advice above and beyond all other. His son, Leon Wiggin, is now (in the '90's) a Snowbird pilot. Howie Trampenau, another present day soaring and tow pilot, won 10th place in that memorable '55 Snowbird.

One of our present day pilots won the '56 Snowbird, none other than Dale Gustin, whose name begins to appear at the top of the list in all the Snowbirds after that one. This is the first Snowbird in which junior soaring pilots are mentioned, but they were not recognized as "official contestants" in the Snowbirds until the '57 Snowbird, when John Seymour, son of Ed, won a trophy. He was the youngest licensed glider pilot in the U.S.

Friday, November 29, 1957 was the best flying day in the history of Snowbirds up to that time, with Kai Gertsen leading the pack of pilots that remained up for over five hours. Over 67 hrs of flight time was recorded for 28 flights. On Friday evenings during these 50's meets, everyone was invited to a Swiss steak dinner at Schweizer's Aircraft and then had a tour of the plant, which included an exhibit of any new planes. Following the tour, they gathered back at the Administration Bldg. on Harris Hill where each club presented a summary of their year's activities. Often skits were a part of the presentations, and this year the Canadians did an exceptional skit in which they declared Brantford, Ontario as the Soaring Capitol of America for they had made over 3,000 soaring flights from Brantford, which beat Harris Hill's record for that year. The record states that their enthusiasm for soaring was contagious and that the Americans loved the friendly competition with these neighbors who should always be invited to share the Thanksgiving turkey, as well as the Snowbird.

The 1958 Meet was truly a Snowbird as heavy snow began blanketing the entire Northeast on that Thursday morning, and many who planned to attend had to turn back, including most of the Canadians. However, even though the temperature remained near zero, twenty ships pulled onto frozen Harris Hill, and by Thanksgiving Dinner time, there were sixty people around the tables, including a glider pilot from India and two from Peru. Locals hustled up some winter clothing to supplement their rather tropical garments. By Saturday the snow had tapered off, but there was a strong cross wind and sub zero temperatures, making soaring marginal. Most pilots kept their ships on the trailers in the hanger, but Steve Bennis, Ed Seymour, and Brad Straus did get flights recorded. Although there was little flying during this contest, there were good times of films, entertainment by a hillbilly from West Virginia, who kept people laughing throughout the banquet, and exciting discussions throughout the weekend.

This year the contest rules were to have been changed to making flights of a prescribed length of time with a penalty for exceeding or undershooting the time and additional points were to be given for spot landings. Since only three hardy pilots made flights, they received the honors, and the rules were put in place for '59. These new rules encouraged clubs to to keep their ships in the air with different pilots, giving more people a chance to participate in the flying. It also encouraged junior pilots to fly with senior pilots in a junior-senior team. These factors were to be considered in accumulating club points, which remains the case today.

The 1959 Snowbird Meet also added a 1-26 award, given by Schweizer Aircraft to the pilot making the longest duration flight during the Snowbird. Stanley Welles, who had only recently soloed, won that award in '59 for staying up five hours. The Rochester Soaring Club won several of the '50's Snowbirds, with Ed Seymore and Kai Gertsen helping rack up points.

The last SOARING Magazine article to appear about Snowbirds until this present one was written by Jack Reynolds, the contest director for the 1960 Snowbird. He writes that "the Snowbird Meet is no doubt the most friendly soaring meet ever held. Every year the Snowbirders come from several states and Canada to bring the northeastern area soaring to a rousing and festive close. Comradeship abounds and as the season's soaring is relived, acquaintances become friends. The flying conditions are difficult, but that keeps everyone on their toes, as pilots show up to compete in varying and marginal conditions."

Reynolds's description holds true for the Snowbirds from that time to the present. Although there are no articles to research since '60, the cooperative competitive fun spirit of the this meet is still the same. In fact, several of the pilots from that meet have flown almost every Snowbird since then....Dave Welles, Dale Gustin, Kai Gertsen, and possibly others. The rules have evolved somewhat, but still focus on precision duration and spot landing skills. Scoring is now computerized and there are an increasing number of awards given at the Saturday night banquet, including more awards for the junior pilots.

The meets for at least the past fifteen years have begun on the Friday after Thanksgiving so that families could have their own traditional Thanksgiving meal at home and then head for Harris Hill. This has probably kept a bit more harmony on the family pond, but often the entire family comes along to crew or just join in whatever is going on, which is always something interesting.

This past November, 1996, the Snowbird Friday a.m. greeted us with four inches of snow, a temperature of 23F/-5.5C, and fog. Harry Kesselring, a neighbor/friend of soaring volunteered to come plow the runway, and the county trucks showed up to plow the roads. The juniors showed up to make chili and by noon the flight center and hill top were bustling to get this fifty-second Snowbird Meet underway. Forty pilots, representing five clubs, registered, as we waited on the weather to give us the necessary visibility. During the wait, I asked several pilots why they did this every year, exactly what inspired them to trek to Harris Hill in these conditions not ever sure they'd get into the air? (1979 is the only year that there were no recorded flights, but pilots still came and enjoyed hanger flying and other scheduled activities.) Responses were:

"Tradition!! Why, I can't imagine not coming. It's just what I do on this weekend, and it's always fun! Seriously I do believe it's important to have tradition in your life, and this is a wondrful tradition." Kai Gertsen (of Finger Lakes Soaring, which was once the Rochester Club, who often won the early Snowbirds)

"I come because it's the only contest where I can accumulate some points just for not crashing. Plus it's just fun to be here!" Hank Nixon (a top national competition pilot, of Valley Soaring. This club has won the team award eleven times in the past twenty years and are "fierce" competitors with the Harris Hill Club!)

And (in a more somber tone) Hank continued: "You know, truth is I really appreciate a chance to do precision flying. The duration task forces the pilots to plan every detail of the flight and the spot landing is excellent practice for off field landings-especially when you have to land on a short field with a ditch at the end. Both of these tasks require superior energy control. The altitude gain task in a sky like today certainly requires skill or luck. Anyone who gains a foot deserves a prize. Arrrrrgh!"

"I come because it's fun and a nice way to get together with soaring friends before the real tough contest season begins." Charlie Mampe (of Valley Soaring and Contest Director for this Snowbird) One presently becomes Contest Director of the Snowbird by being the overall winner the previous year, and this is Charlie's second time around. He's been the overall winner five times in the nineteen meets in which he's participated. This could be a winner record, but with limited data, this is not "official."

"I come to keep my husband sane!" Carolyn Mampe (Charlie's wife, who also does a superb job of scoring and keeping everyone informed. Carolyn has developed a computerized scoring system on Lotus Notes for these meets...Bravo!)

"I always learn something, and this year I may be learning more than I bargained for!" Steve Lewis (a Harris Hill junior, who has been flying Snowbirds for years, and this year was the contest manager. Steve is an instructor, tow pilot, and an invaluable asset to Harris Hill.)

"Well, I've been sitting down in the valley (Elmira-Corning Regional Airport) on the runway for three hours in a Pawnee waiting for the weather to clear up enough to fly up here, so I'm just glad to finally be here." Ray Speicher ( of Schweizer Soaring. Ray flies everything that goes into the air and has been flying in Snowbirds for years and years.)

"Why, I'm here because it's the best place to be, even in bad weather. There's always something to do and someone interesting to talk to and I like the people here." John "Corky" Gill (of Harris Hill, who probably spends more time on the Hill than any other member.) Everything works better (esp. the tow planes and gliders) when Corky's around!

By 1:30 p.m. the visibility, runways, pilots and crews were ready and the fifty-second Snowbird was officially declared "open." The duration task was set at 10 minutes and release was 2,000 AGL. That says it all. The "lift prayer" afore mentioned was in order.

Each pilot competing must register and and must have a Field Check at Harris Hill prior to flying. Each pilot is responsible for submitting his/her own score sheet. Sample:

Suzanne Byers, the chief timer is always on hand to give people accurate times and she turns in a log of all take-off and landing times. She has the process down to an exact science, and no one argues with Suzanne. She keeps us honest. The juniors managing the spot landing check points, touch-down, and cone areas also help keep us honest. They deserve big credits for enduring the weather while doing these jobs, plus the "gopher" work, plus helping pilots pull planes back to the grid. Their organization is an invaluable help to the running of the Snowbirds.

The overall objective of the current Snowbirds is to allow safe competition between individuals and clubs that might not otherwise be possible, as the events are designed for pilots at various levels of ability. Pilots are permitted four flights terminating in the landing zone per contest day, but only the two highest scored flights will count towards his/her contest score. All dual flights must be conducted with the safety pilot having at least a commercial glider rating. A junior pilot is one who is either under 18 years of age, or under 21 years, but a full-time student. This separates the junior and senior categories, as well as determines the composition of a junior-senior team. Sailplanes are categorized as trainers (L/D equal to or lower than 1/26) or high performance (L/D better than 1/26). If weather conditions require that flight operations be cut short or changed, the contest director and manager will determine final standings based upon the the flights flown.

This year there were fifty contest flights flown (with thirty-two scores turned in) on Friday and seventy-one (with sixty-four scores turned in) on Saturday, when the temperatures were warmer by a few degrees and the snow had turned to slush. The total number of contest hours flown is only estimated to be twenty, which is a far cry from those early meets, but a ten minute challenge can be as difficult as a three hour one when the weather holds the trump card. The six off runway landings in the slush and snow on Saturday also presented some interesting challenges! The last flight of the day was a real "doosie," when Dave Graham, truly an outstanding junior pilot and superior instructor, kerploped 400' short of the runway into deep slush. The juniors will never allow him to forget this one.

There are currently no big plans made for Friday evenings, but perhaps that could change for next year since we've read about all the special activities of the "good old days." An all out effort is now put into making the banquet on Saturday night a gala and grand affair, which it always is, with special appreciation to Janell Sullivan and her committees.

The banquet was attended by 110 persons, who enjoyed a roast beef dinner catered by Bill Marie's (a Harris Hill pilot) new resturant, the "Connection." The highlight of the evening is always the presentation of awards and prizes. John Trimber, the President of the Harris Hill Club was a first rate "MC" and Charlie Mampe carried the ball (mike) with the awards.

The '96 winners were: Altitude gain (of 550'), Guerry Howard (Harris Hill); Best Spot landing, Mary Beth Klinger (Harris Hill, Junior); Duration (with 10 mins. 0 secs.) a tie between Corky Gill (Harris Hill) and Mark Glauner (Harris Hill, Junior); Best Junior Pilot (and second Overall), Pete Burdulis (Harris Hill) and Best Overall Pilot, Tim Welles (Harris Hill). All of these winners received the coveted Kiwi Bird trophies. The uncoveted award of a tee-shirt with "Worst Landing of the Year" went to Dave Graham (Harris Hill).

The club trophy goes to the club with the highest average score and was won for the eleventh time by Valley Soaring. Hank Nixon and Charlie Mampe (Valley Soaring) also won the Tom Smith Award, given to the best family team. This award has been given for the past nine years and this year broke the tie between Tim and Paddy Welles, who have won it twice and the Nixon/Mampe team, who now have three family team wins. The best Junior-Junior team was Pete Burdulis and Mark Glauner (Harris Hill); the best Senior-Senior team was Tom Cassetta and Shane Lese (Schweizer); the best Junior-Senior team was Shane Lese and Kyle Schweizer (Schweizer).

Harris Hill takes advantage of this festive occasion to give special recognition to members of our club who have made outstanding flights or contributions throughout the year and these awards were: The Christian Jansen Award for the longest FAI Badge flight made from Harris Hill went to Jason Howard, a Junior, who flew a 217 mile gold distance. The Bernie Carris Award, which goes to the Junior who makes the longest flight from Harris Hill went to Mark Glauner; for a five-hour flight. The Harris Hill/Schweizer Cross-Country Contest (known as "the Corky contest") which recognizes the pilot who accumulates the highest number of points, scored on distance and speed, for the best cross-country flights from the 1st of March through the 1st of November each year, was won by Tim Welles (for the ninth time since the contest originated by Corky Gill in 1980). Roy McMaster and Dave Welles also have won this contest several times each.

The Curt Speckman Award for "service above and beyond" in the Junior Club was shared by Juniors Chris Vrabel and Dave Pangia, and special recognition was given to Tom Cassetta and Jeff Moersch for their dedication and commitment to mentoring and working with the Junior Club.

The Joseph C. Lincoln Award for the best writing in the English language on the subject of Soaring is also announced each year at the Snowbird Banquet.. Corky Gill, who chairs the committee for the selection of the award, literally shocked me out of my seat when he presented the beautiful eagle carved in Steuben glass to me for my story last year, "Grandma Learns to Fly." Grandma's still learning. Grandma's also deeply appreciative to Paul and Ginny Schweizer and to Bill Gallagher for their special help in researching the journals and sharing their memories to make this article possible.

We members of the Harris Hill Club hope that many of you reading this will come join in the fun flying, fellowship, and festivities of the 53rd Snowbird, to be held this year...come November,1997. The good Lord willing, snowbirders will keep on soaring.