Soaring Like an Eagle with Freedom’s Wings International


glider

When Juergen Klingenberg from the Adirondack Soaring Club dropped by Southern Adirondack Independent Living’s office offering introductory sailplane rides, he did not have to ask me twice. In cooperation with Freedom’s Wings International and their hand-controlled sailplanes, the club gives free lessons to disabled users, giving them a chance to experience flight. I have always loved flying, to the point that I proposed to my wife over the ocean in an open-cockpit antique biplane within sight of the Wright Brothers’ historic first flight in North Carolina. As a young nondisabled man I had flown a hang glider, and post- injury I have flown in antique biplanes, hot air balloons, a boat plane, several small powered planes and regular commercial flights. Some day I would like to have a pilot’s license.

Flying a glider is close to flying like a soaring eagle. Getting into the sky requires a tow from a small powered plane. With a little assistance from the enthusiastic members of both clubs, I nestled into a bobsled-like cockpit. The Plexiglas bubble windshield allows over 300 degrees of view. Helpers leveled the wings until moving air would steady our craft. Off we went.

My teacher Bruce did the hard part, flying the tethered glider before releasing at 2,700 feet. As we banked right, away from our host plane, the quiet glider slipped through the atmosphere. Bruce gave me a primer on operating the controls and how the gauges worked. The hand controls were surprisingly sensitive. Subtle nudges on the stick were all it took to pitch and roll our glider.

Roads and homes very near to my own house revealed themselves from a higher perspective than I had ever seen before. Landscapes and topography moved around as our plane negotiated the wind and updrafts. I was really hoping to fly over my own home and thought the nearby ridge would nudge air upward, allowing us to wheel around and gain altitude. We got close, but the requisite rising air did not allow us to fly high enough. Bruce told me to take a good look and some quick photos as we tilted back around towards the county airport. Once on final approach Bruce skillfully guided the plane to a gentle landing on the concrete runway.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I may not be able to afford training and a full-fledged membership, but I will stay in touch so I can cooperate with them in future sailing opportunities.

Further contact information and amazing photos from both clubs can be found at www.adirondacksoaring.com and www.freedomswings.org

Denis Livsey belongs to two advisory councils regarding access, one for the New York State Department of Conservation and another for the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trails Council. He has over 38 years of experiencing nature in many ways with a SCI. The photo accompanying this post is from Freedom’s Wings’ online gallery.

 


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