9th Annual Cumberland Maryland Spring Soar For Fun ~ March 21-25, 2018

[JimD]

All of the last little details were completed just in time for the 9th Annual Cumberland Spring Soar for Fun...and then the snow came! Day 1 of the event was burried in snow and no one made it to the field. All the guys that drove in for the event in spite of the forecast and obvious snow fall ended up at my house on the shop looking at the 1-26.

Days 2 & 3 were great for th slope guys and the Aerotow guys spent their time shoveling the runway...yes..shoveling the runway!!!

Day 4 was finally had conditions suitable for aero towing...but the snow bank around the shoveled runway made pilots quickly shake off the rust from winter.

Being the host of the event kept me busy with logistics, but finally on Day 5 it was time. After watching Peter fly his 1-26 a couple of times on Day four (one flight of which was nearly 3 hours long) I was mentally ready for the maiden flight of my 1-26.

Here is Peter's prototype coming in to land on one of his Day 4 flights.



Unfortunately, the wing shift d around to the northeast on Day 5, but I was committed to flying. About 12:30, it was time..the 1-26 lifted off behind Steve Kremer's DA-120 powered Porter and was solid and stable all the way up to a good altitude. Release was uneventful and flight controls were well balanced. No bad habits and confidence building flight unfolded, but all I could think about was that first landing. Decided to just get it over with and ended up landing at my feet!

Here we are post maiden...happy guy and beautiful model.

[MarnochS]

Congratulations Jim on a successful Maiden.

Glad you had the foresight to go with the Cream color scheme as it probably made it much easier to find your airplane when it was "parked" in all that white ground cover. That "other" guy must have had a dickens of a time finding the thing.......

[stevekremer]

Jim,

Excellent event. I would say as usual, but it was not usual. I did some unusual towing. First was towing Steve P's trailer to the top as it got stuck part way. Then there was towing the Model Box up the hill with a tow strap from Erich. Also different, Kevin and I stayed at the hotel as no room at the top of the hill for a camper, unless you were in a tent. Thanks Jeremy for a reduced rate. But had excellent lift and a ball towing! Always fun at Highpoint. Thanks for taking care of us Jim!

Steve K

[rkutchman]

Other photos from Sunday

[Steve P]

Thanks, Jim! It’s nice to have a second home in WV and a group of wonderful people with whom to share it.

Looking forward to July and the summer event. I’m reasonably sure the snow might be gone by then.

[Mosquito]

Looks like a good time with a great bunch of people! Thanks for sharing.

Tim

[JimD]

So many people to thank!!!!!

No one wanted to believe the forecast and we all tried our best to disregard the snow fall, but there is a depth (no pun intended) where you just can't ignore what is painfully obvious. Day 1 of the event was a snow out!

Undaunted, all who made the commitment to be here made the best of challenging weather and flying ensued. Actually, a lot of flying ensued!

Thank you to those who shoveled, thank you to those who helped with food preparation and serving, thank you to those who helped with logistics, thank you to those who did towing duty, and thank you to all for just plain holding forth against the elements!

The 9th Annual Cumberland Spring Soar for Fun is now in the history book...and what amazing memories it holds!

[Stew2]

Len summed it up best. We simply made something of nothing. Shows the character and fortitude of the soaring bunch. From the slope guys, to the aerotow guys to the lunch crews, it is simple camaraderie among an outstanding group of people. No one did to little, no one could do to much, we all just did and it was no less fun than any other event. Maybe more memorable, but only because of the contrast in color! Thanks everyone and especially the Dolly's!!

[hello82]

Yes, What a great event and soaring bunch. Thanks to all for everything and making it all happen with all the obstacles. It was a blast and had some super flights ...got to see more sights too of the local towns..I did not know George Washington had a little hut he lived in right under the bridge near the hotel! Took a picture from the window, since it was al locked up for the winter...

... Thanks Jim for hosting and all you both do ...congrats on the maiden! It was great to see your shop and home too!

Matt

[Soarntz]

I'm not one that can wax poetically so I'll just say thanks to everyone, I had a Great time and this event will stick out when I reflect on all the good times at Highpoint. I like that the group is ready to pitch in and do what needs to be done.

Dave

[JimD]

Went up to the field today to pick up the trash and button things up. Temperature was in the 50's and this how things looked...odd white line across the field. 🙄

[gunny11]

Oh, that's funny.

[hello82]

.....that is a real true slice of heaven you have there Mr Dolly!

We all missed you Gunny!!

Matt

[gunny11]

Yeah, I miss me too!

[Stew2]

That's Matt's runway in white... Or at least his roll arrester!!

[hello82]

hey , I needed to see what was behind the white stuff!

[ARUP]

Ahahahaha! You sure had some great flights!

[lenb]

This year's event was a challenge, even for those of us who thought we've seen it all.

But shoveling 7" of snow to make a 60x200 foot runway on the side of a mounting in West Virginia is a new one for me. It started out at breakfast that morning with someone saying " we should get some snow shovels and clear the runway" .... The next thing you know we're buying 6 snow shovels at Lowes and heading for the mountain.
As Scot kept saying, if we don't clear the runway today, theres now way we're going to be flying tomorrow. He was right, there would have been no aero towing at this years event if it wasn't for the group of dedicated, yet insane guys out there pushing the flakes.

It was great to see Peter Goldsmith at the event with his newly designed and flying 1-26. As expected it flew amazing and put up a near 3 hour flight. Jim also debuted his freshly finished 1-26 on Sunday, landing the plane at his feet after a somewhat uneventful maiden flight. The plane fly's great and looks graceful in the air. Congratulations Jim and thank you Peter.

We appreciate all the guys who hung in there and helped make this event a success, from the cooking crew to the tow pilots and everyone in between, you know who you are and your the best.,


Len