2025 season

[chris toomey]

Pilots
We are quickly approaching the end of 2025 and another flying year will soon be behind us. But 2025 was a BIG year with some BIG flights! I know that on Labor Day we had over 20 pilots in the air at Harris, which is something that hasn’t happened for quite a while. So I’m curious. How was your season? I’d love to hear about how many hours you had? Longest duration flight? Longest distance?
This is your chance at some bragging rights. So please share, or send privately if you’d prefer. I had 5 hours in my HG with my longest flight of 1:15. I also flew my PG at Padgham. Not big numbers but after an almost 2 year hiatus, I was happy with that. Of course next year will be bigger and better!
I’d also like to remind everyone of our Christmas Party next Saturday, 12/20. It will be at Hopkins Point Lodge in Mendon Ponds. Please bring a dish to share. Looking forward to see you there.
Chris

Sent from my iPhone

[Rick Brown]

I took a couple flights with the HG from Padgham but 2025 was a PG
advancement year for me. A bunch of firsts on the PG, first hour long
flight at 1:14, first thermals, first flight to cloudbase and flights
in four different states. Not huge hours but getting more all the
time.

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[Katrin Parsiegla]

I wasn't sure if I would still be flying this year, but I did fly this summer with seven hours of airtime and some memorable flights 😃😛🙂

[Robert Skinner]

It was really nice to see you out there Katrin  : )

I ended the season with 37 hours on PG, PPG, and HG.

The most memorable local flights were on the HG at Indian Cliffs and a short 5mi XC at one of Dave Oddy's home sites:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hKUrqK9G9ZM9xo1T7IVj1Wft460uCviN/view?usp=drive_link

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--

Rob

[Robert Slebodnik]

For the season (actually, for the YTD--I hope to squeeze in another hour before the end of the year), I have logged 36:45 on my PG, with 103 flights (including practice launches and landings at Padgham).  Maximum altitude was 4393' msl (2776' ATO) at Harris (using GPS altitude) on August 30, 2025.  

August 30 at Harris was the best soaring day of the season for me.  I had three flights that day for a total of 2:33.  The three flights that day were: Flight #1:  1:03, maximum altitude: 4393' msl (2776' ATO), Flight #2:  30 minutes, max altitude: 3104' msl (1516' ATO), and Flight #3:  50 minutes, max altitude:  4180' msl (2586' ATO). 

Another highlight of the year was a very enjoyable, albeit short, trip to Woodstock, Virginia, on March 1-2 with Rob Skinner and Rick Brown. I had two flights at Woodstock totaling 1:06. Thanks, Rob and Rick, for making that a great memory.  

This year, we also had an 8-page story with great color photos about hang gliding, paragliding, and the RAF in Life in the Finger Lakes magazine (May/June 2025 issue).  Author and photographer Derek Doeffinger made several visits to us, including at Padgham, Bristol, and the Chute Clinic. Thanks to all who played a role in making that happen.

It was a good year. It has been quite a ride since I started observing flying with the RAF and FSF in 2019 or 2020 and taking my PG lessons in Utah in 2021.  I remember when I was 12 years old, writing to the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation in Elmira requesting books about soaring. 53 years later, I was finally soaring above Harris Hill.  This lifelong dream to fly has become a dream come true.

This is the time of the year to remember things for which to be thankful.  Thank you to all my flying partners for all your assistance, mentoring, friendship, forbearance, enthusiasm, and for making the clubs (RAF and FSF) great places to fly. 

Bob Slebodnik

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[bruce herman]

I took up paragliding in Salt Lake Utah this year. I also bought a second HG- Falcon 3. Bought a Lexus GX 470 to climb the hills here in Arizona. I’ll visit Rochester next summer.

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[Akshay Sood]

Here are my stats flying PG at RAF/FSF sites in 2025 YTD (out of a total of ~48 hours this year):

• No. of hours: ~37
• No. of flights: 55
• Max altitude gain: 5217' (7/29 at Harris)
• Longest flight: ~3 hours (7/30, ridge flying at IC)
• Max hours in one day: 4.083333333 (8/1 at IC, over two flights)

I joined the club this year as a P2 with less than 4 hours of flying outside of the training hill/SIV. Thank you all for your generous welcome, mentorship, and camaraderie!

Akshay

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