Soaring sites in New Hampshire

[Craig Knowles]

Does anyone know whatever became of Northeast Gliderport in
Salem, NH? I took some lessons there years ago and wanted to
resume but the place is no longer in operation and seems to have
been converted into a golf course. In that line, are there any
sites left in NH or northern MAssachusetts at all known to
anyone?? Thanks in advance.

[Lee Marzke]

In article <3iobi0$jpe$1...@mhadf.production.compuserve.com>,

Craig,

I flew out of Salem only once to get my commercial/CFI many years ago
and regret seeing another site lost. Some of their members joined
surounding sites ( Greater boston in Pepperil NH, Sugarbush VT
(commercial site), and MIT Soaring Stirling, MA )

Each of these sites are fine places to resume your training, I'm biased
slightly as a member of MITSA.

BTW, MIT Soaring is open to anyone and has very little to do with MIT other
than our history. Good luck with your training.

info: http://adswww.harvard.edu/MITSA/mitsa_homepg.html, or (508) 251-1374

- Lee Marzke
- MIT Soaring Association, Stirling Mass USA, lma...@mv.mv.com
- Kollsman Avionics, Merrimack, NH lma...@kollsman.com

--

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- Gravity sucks, but it's the law. Lee H. Marzke -
- MIT Soaring Association, Stirling Mass, lma...@mv.mv.com -
- Kollsman Avionics, Merrimack, NH USA lma...@kollsman.com -
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[ehs...@tiac.net]

In article <3iobi0$jpe$1...@mhadf.production.compuserve.com> Craig Knowles <76123...@CompuServe.COM> writes:
>From: Craig Knowles <76123...@CompuServe.COM>
>Subject: Soaring sites in New Hampshire
>Date: 25 Feb 1995 22:38:56 GMT

Greater Boston Soaring Club operates out of Pepperell MA, Sports Center
Airport, form April 1 to Thanksgiving. For rides, there is Captain Eli's
Glider Rides also at Pepperell.

MITSA operates out of Sterling Airport, Sterling MA year round.

Franconia Soaring Center is a commercial operation at Franconia NH airport,
and the Franconia Soaring Association is a club with a Grog 103 there also.

[FoxPond]

Also don't forget Post Mills Soaring Club (most definitely non-commercial)
in Post Mills, VT (about 20 min. up I-91 from White River Jct.).

[Anton Verhulst]

In article <3iobi0$jpe$1...@mhadf.production.compuserve.com> Craig Knowles <76123...@CompuServe.COM> writes:

Well, that's about it... The land owner decided not to renew the gliderport's
lease and built a golf course on the property. A total waste of nice turf
field, IMHO.

The nearest available alternative is the Greater Boston Soaring Club out
of Peperell MA (about 20 miles west). I'd like to talk you into joining
the club :-). Call me at 603-881-2947 (days).

There's also the MIT Soaring Assn. out of Sterling MA (halfway between
Fitchburg and Worcester). Other clubs/FBOs are in northern NH and VT
(Sugarbush, Franconia, Stowe).

Tony Verhulst

[Anton Verhulst]

>Greater Boston Soaring Club operates out of Pepperell MA, Sports Center
>Airport, form April 1 to Thanksgiving.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Well, no. I flew GBSC gliders 3 times last month. Things clearly slow
down in winter but a couple of us have been flying all along. We're landing
on the paved runway 'cause the turf is still under the snow.

Tony V.

[MBerinst]

The Activity in Pepperell will restart on April 1st.
Come and check the placer, it's a nice bunch of pilots, including me.
Greeting's
Martin Berinstein

[babcie...@gmail.com]

My husband, Donald Brasseur, was an instructor at the Gliderport in the 1960's. He flew the glider sequences for The Thomas Crown Affair movie, starring Steve McQueen, in 1968. Jim Doyle sold the gliderport to Joe and Ginny Dion. It has been closed for many years. Ginny passed away a few years ago and I think that Joe lives in Florida now. If you Google "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields, you will get some info. Good luck.

[Tony V]

On 4/12/2014 7:05 PM, babcie...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Saturday, February 25, 1995 5:38:56 PM UTC-5, Craig Knowles wrote:
>> Does anyone know whatever became of Northeast Gliderport in
>> Salem, NH? I took some lessons there years ago and wanted to
>> resume but the place is no longer in operation and seems to have
>> been converted into a golf course. In that line, are there any
>> sites left in NH or northern MAssachusetts at all known to
>> anyone?? Thanks in advance.

More central than Northern Massachusetts - the Greater Boston Soaring
Club (http://soargbsc.com) - I fly and instruct there. That's pretty
much it for Mass unless you want to go near the New York state line
(http://www.mohawksoaring.org/). For New Hampshire, there the Franconia
Soaring Assocation (http://franconiasoaring.org/) - a wonderfully scenic
site and great people. That's about it. There are about 3 locations in
Vermont.

>
> My husband, Donald Brasseur, was an instructor at the Gliderport in the 1960's. He flew the glider sequences for The Thomas Crown Affair movie, starring Steve McQueen, in 1968. Jim Doyle sold the gliderport to Joe and Ginny Dion. It has been closed for many years. Ginny passed away a few years ago and I think that Joe lives in Florida now. If you Google "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields, you will get some info. Good luck.

I flew commercial rides there in the late 80's and early 90's. It closed
in 1993 to make way for a (gasp) golf course - as you said.

Tony "6N"

[son_of_flubber]

On Saturday, April 12, 2014 7:56:37 PM UTC-4, Tony V wrote:

> More central than Northern Massachusetts - the Greater Boston Soaring
>
> Club (http://soargbsc.com) - I fly and instruct there.

I'm impressed that you are contributing to this thread 19 years after your initial post.

[Tony V]

LOL! It Just showed up as "new" on my server. On the other hand, maybe
there's something else going on. If Ginny Dion "passed away a few years
ago" 19 years ago, I was talking to an impressive standing corpse after
that date. :-)

Tony

[Christopher Giacomo]

On Saturday, February 25, 1995 5:38:56 PM UTC-5, Craig Knowles wrote:

Only one in the area i know of is the Greater Boston Soaring Club... closest after that would be Franconia, NESA out of Springfield, VT, or Post Mills Soaring.
Hope this Helps!
Chris

[son_of_flubber]

On Saturday, April 12, 2014 9:34:47 PM UTC-4, Tony V wrote:
> If Ginny Dion "passed away a few years
>
> ago" 19 years ago, I was talking to an impressive standing corpse after
>
> that date. :-)

Not quite. In consideration of Mrs. Brasseur I'd point out that she posted in 2014.

On Saturday, April 12, 2014 7:05:14 PM UTC-4, babcie...@gmail.com wrote:
> My husband, Donald Brasseur, was an instructor at the Gliderport in the 1960's.

If you search on Google for rec.aviation.soaring you will see a link to read RAS in a browser tab via the Google Groups interface. It will display the dates of the posts prominently. The drawback is that you will have to push different buttons than you're used to pushing with your current news reader.

[Mike Friedman]

On Saturday, April 12, 2014 7:56:37 PM UTC-4, Tony V wrote:
> I'm impressed that you are contributing to this thread 19 years after your initial post.

So, another 9 years have passed for this thread. I learned to fly at the Salem Gliderport back in 1988, and flew there giving rides until they closed. I'm a CFI-G now, teaching at Jersey Ridge Soaring in Blairstown, NJ, which is owned by another Salem alum. I put together a video from old VHS tapes of the gliderport and soaring around the area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FwW27W0kKY

Also, a bunch of still photos on the Jersey Ridge Soaring facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1988915171334668&type=3