This website is no longer being updated.
- Rick Sheppe*
| 2008 - 2010 | The Region One Director is John Dezzutti. |
| December 31, 2007 | Today is the last day of my term as SSA Region One Director. Consequently, I have decided not to maintain this website any longer. It will stay in existence for an indeterminate amount of time, and then it will suddenly disappear. Happy New Year! |
| November 26, 2007 | SSA is looking for a new editor for Soaring Magazine. Here is the advertisement for the job, as it originally appeared in SSA e-News. How many logic, formatting, and punctuation errors can you find in the ad? The ad refers to this job description, not a Pulitzer-worthy document itself. I guess we really do need an editor. |
| November 1, 2007 | The Adirondack Soaring Club is offering a Private Pilot Ground School June 29-30. Full details here. |
| October 2, 2007 | Sugarbush is seeking a new Chief Pilot. This is a full-time instructor job. If you know of anyone interested, please call Dave Ellis: 802-496-7137. |
| October 2, 2007 | I just got home from the Fall Board of Directors meeting in Elmira, New York. Here is the report I submitted to the Board before the meeting, and here is my report to you on the meeting. This was my last meeting as Director. I urge everyone reading this to vote for your new Director next month. |
| September 17, 2007 | Here is the latest Mount Washington Briefing Document, which includes the LOA. |
| September 12, 2007 | Here is the latest Mount Washington Glider Area Letter of Agreement (LOA). |
| July 20, 2007 | So much for keeping the website up-to-date. Send me an email if you want my list of excuses. Of all the things I've neglected, the most important is dealing with the issue of my continuation as your SSA Director. I have decided not to seek reelection, but I have done very little to recruit a replacement. If you or someone you know would like to talk with me about the job, please contact me as soon as possible. |
| March 18, 2007 | The first contest of the season, the Seniors, has just ended. This was the contest's 17th year, and the first year that Charlie Spratt was not calling the tasks. John Good did a great job in Charlie's place, and Charlie promises to be back next year. There were 54 entries and 3 guests at the contest. Results for New Englanders were: Doug Jacobs - 3rd (Doug also won the Uff-da Trophy. You'll have to ask him what it is.), Bob Salvo - 16th, George Vakkur - 23rd, George Moffat - 34th, John Dezzutti - 39th, and Harvey Howell, 44th. I was there to score, and I was lucky enough to fly on the rest day, thanks to the generosity of Dick Butler. A lot of people asked me why we weren't having a contest in Region One, and I didn't have a good answer for them. |
| February 11, 2007 | My third SSA Convention as a Regional Director ended yesterday. As usual the Winter meeting of the Board of Directors took place during the convention. In advance of the minutes, which will be published on the SSA website, I have written this report. Our next meeting, in Elmira, New York will take place at the end of September, 2007. That will be the last meeting of my term. Would you like my job? There will be an election in August. |
| February 6, 2007 | The system of keeping World Records has some problems, and Austria and France have proposed to fix them. A vote on the proposals will occur on March 3. This link (which will probably disappear after the vote) explains the issue and reveals my bias. |
| January 21, 2007 | Sugarbush has decided not to bid on the 2007 Region One Contest. However, they have reversed their previous decision (see October 28, below) and will allow another club to host the contest on their airport. More. |
| January 15, 2007 | Here is my annual regional report, and here is a summary of the formation of the "Future Restructuring Task Force." Both documents will go into the agenda for the SSA Directors meeting on February 9. |
| November 22, 2006 | I just finished working on the formation of a Task Force that will be charged with restructuring the SSA by 2008. Thankfully, I did not wind up as a member of this group! |
| October 28, 2006 | It's official: we did not have a Region One Contest in 2006. I wonder how many people noticed. A couple of months ago, I was notified that the Sugarbush folks would not be making a bid for the 2007 contest, citing a lack of volunteers. I asked if they would approve some other club running the contest on their airport. The answer came back today: no. This time the reason given was that the contest interrupts their commercial business. |
| October 6, 2006 | My club (PMSC) just had a good experience with an engine shop in Massachusetts. Here is a recommendation from the club president. |
| October 1, 2006 | The fall meeting of the SSA Board of Directors ended yesterday. Despite our current financial scandal, the meeting ended on a somewhat optimistic note. Your BOD is committed to a complete investigation of what happened and to responsible management of our financial recovery. The big news is this: we accepted Dennis Wright's resignation as Executive Director. I wrote a report for you. |
| September 12, 2006 | We still don't have a site for the 2007 Region One Contest. Sugarbush confirmed today that they don't want it. Any volunteers? |
| September 7, 2006 | About a month ago, it was discovered that the SSA is in tax trouble. Read the official story here, and my reaction here. How we will recover from this is not clear at all. However, the Board of Directors is taking this as seriously as possible, and we hope to have a plan by the end of the next meeting, scheduled for the end of this month. I have received some feedback from the membership, almost all of it constructive. Let me know what you think we should do. And watch this space for updates! |
| August 31, 2006 | I was happy to learn of a new commercial operation in Maine. It is "Spirit Soaring," in Owl's Head. It is a motorglider-only ride business, and flight instruction toward the self-launch endorsement is available. For further information call 207-319-9514 or email. |
| August 10, 2006 | Bob Fletcher, GBSC member and former Region 1 Director, won the last day of the Standard Class Nationals in Uvalde, Texas, and finished fourth in the contest. Congratulations Bob! |
| July 28, 2006 | Congratulations to Doug Jacobs on his second place finish at the 18-Meter Nationals. Dave Nadler and George Vakkur also participated and can be found a little farther down the scoresheet. Also, congratulations to their New England-based crews, who spent at least ten grueling days in the hot desert! |
| July 27, 2006 | Web News: Sugarbush and Franconia have overhauled their websites and added some new information. Sugarbush now has a webcam. The Island Soaring website seems to have disappeared. |
| July 17, 2006 | Bob Morehardt of NESA has taken the Red Baron Trophy to Springfield, Vermont. This means that you will have to fly to Springfield to claim it. |
| July 17, 2006 | Walter Striedieck reports that this year's ACE Camp was a success, as usual. ACE (Aviation Career Education) Camp is a summer program for middle school and high school kids interested in aviation. It is sponsored by FAA and the state of Vermont. The kids go to ground school and get to fly in various types of aircraft for a week. Walter has organized the ACE Camp glider flights for several years now. |
| July 4, 2006 | The Franconia Soaring Association and the Post Mills Soaring Club combined forces for an enjoyable holiday weekend at Franconia. When the Franconia towplane developed a mechanical problem on Sunday, the PMSC towpilots worked overtime to get all the gliders in the air. The towpilots really are the heroes of this sport. |
| June 19, 2006 | Doug Jacobs came in 5th in the Standard Class at the 29th World Gliding Championships in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Read all about it on the SSA website, or on the official Swedish website. Congratulations, Doug! |
| April 22, 2006 | Only three New Englanders participated in the Region 5 contest at Perry, SC this year. And one of them is in the process of moving away from our region. In the Sports Class, the reigning Region 1 champion, George Vakkur came in third at Perry. Doug Jacobs was second in the 15-meter class, and John Dezzutti was 5th. We wish John all the best in his retirement to Florida. |
| March 18, 2006 | I'm headed home from the Seniors Contest in Florida, where I worked as scorer. There were a record 54 entries this year. The event was a total success, with perfect weather for the six contest days, and not a single glider scratched. Doug Jacobs won (for the second time), and other New Englanders finished as follows: George Moffat (6th), John Dezzutti (23rd), George Vakkur (24th), Bob Salvo (48th), Bill Nockles (51st), and Harvey Howell (53rd). Complete results here. Our hosts at the Seminole-Lake Gliderport, Knut and Ingrid, set new standards for hospitality. They deserve our continued support. |
| March 6, 2006 | I sent a proposal to the Rules Committee to eliminate the MAT. |
| March 6, 2006 | The annual meeting of the IGC Plenary has just ended. Here is an unofficial summary of all the votes taken. Thanks to Eric Mozer for his prompt reporting of the outcome of the voting. For details on all the agenda items, see the IGC website. It is also the place where the official voting results will be published. |
| February 20, 2006 | Yikes! Todd Herzog (Region 6) and Frank Reid (Director-at-Large) have both resigned from the SSA Board of Directors. This is bad news for everyone. Both have been dedicated volunteers. Frank is a former Chairman of the Board. I don't know what will happen next, but I see a major committee-structure realignment on the horizon. Stay tuned. |
| February 5, 2006 | I just got back from my third Directors meeting. I also attended the SSA Foundation meeting and the US Team meeting. I didn't make it to the Convention floor until the afternoon of the last day! At the banquet, the most active SSA Instructors were recognized. The Region One honoree was Wally Moran. Congratulations Wally! Here is my report from the meeting. |
| January 28, 2006 | A good time was had by all at the annual NESA dinner. They elected next year's officers and handed out the annual awards. Andy Lumley, who is not a member of NESA, was presented with their towpilot of the year award. You should ask him for the story behind that one. |
| January 21, 2006 | IGC has published the agenda for its March meeting. There are a lot of proposed changes to the rules for international competitions, including some really dumb ones. Here is a tabular summary of the agenda. |
| January 1, 2006 | Happy New Year! As of today, there are no bids for the 2006 Region 1 contest. However, this year's Region 3 meet will take place in Glens Falls, NY, not too far away. The dates are August 27 - September 2. For more information, see the Adirondack Soaring Club website. |
| December 14, 2005 | The National Soaring Museum has published the Mount Washington Landmark information on their website: Here it is. |
| December 12, 2005 | Disassembly day for Danielson. |
| December 1, 2005 | The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has decided to stop distributing airspace data to the general public. They warned us here and here, and they made this final decision. We opposed it, to no avail. The consequences for us aren't clear, but they can't be good. An excellent editorial on the subject can be found here. |
| November 13, 2005 | Last day of the season for Post Mills and Nutmeg. Only 153 days till opening day. |
| October 31, 2005 | Last day of the season at Sugarbush. Happy Halloween! |
| October 9, 2005 | The 14th National Landmark of Soaring dedication took place last night. About 100 people showed up for a good party at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods. Thanks to all who attended. |
| October 8, 2005 | The new Mount Washington Soaring Association was founded. It is the same as the old one. Stay tuned for details. |
| October 2, 2005 | The Fall Directors Meeting is over. Here is my report. My agenda item was well-received. I was asked to flesh it out for the next meeting. |
| September 25, 2005 | The last contest of the year, the Region 4S meet at New Castle, Virginia, has ended. For some reason, they let a Yankee be the CD. Doug Jacobs did a fine job, by all accounts. John Seymour was in first place in the 15 Meter Class after three days, but unfortunately for John, the weather was good, and the contest lasted five days. He finished second to Hank Nixon. Tim Donovan and Harvey Howell were 26th and 29th. That's it for 2005 racing season. Only 156 days to go till the 2006 Seniors. |
| September 16, 2005 | My Agenda Item, on international representation, was accepted by the Executive Director. |
| August 26, 2005 | I bought my airline ticket to go to the fall Directors meeting today. The meeting will take place on October 1 in Memphis, Tennessee (the probable location of the 2007 SSA Convention). The agenda has not yet been published, but I suspect that most of the meeting will be about finances/membership. If you have any issues, concerns or messages for the BOD, let me know soon. |
| August 25, 2005 | After a long string of successful regional competitions, the Sugarbush Soaring Association has decided to take next summer off. They will not bid to host the 2006 New England Gliding Championships. Who wants to take over? |
| August 3, 2005 | There is a new regional contest. Be the first to fly from all four permanent soaring sites in Vermont in a calendar year and you're the winner. Details. |
| July 16, 2005 | Congratulations to Peter Scarpelli for winning the Standard Class at the Region 3 contest in Elmira! They had four contest days in difficult weather. Bob Salvo was 4th. In the 15 Meter Class, John Seymour was 3rd, and John Dezzutti was umm... last (17th). In Sports, Mark Koepper and Bill Nockles came in 5th and 6th. |
| July 2, 2005 | Allan MacNicol |
| June 25, 2005 | The 2005 New England Gliding Championships ended today. Congratulations to the winners: Ed Crawley, George Vakkur, and Bob Fletcher. More. |
| June 23, 2005 | The US Standard Class Nationals in Ohio ended today, with New Englanders Doug Jacobs, George Moffatt and Bob Salvo coming in 2nd, 8th and 22nd. Chuck Lohre did an unusually good job of writng the reports for this contest. |
| May 14, 2005 | The National Soaring Museum has approved Mount Washington as the 14th National Landmark of Soaring. The new landmark will be dedicated on October 8, 2005 at the Mount Washington Hotel. Read about the landmark here. |
| May 3, 2005 | Kevin Brooker, the Vermont SSA Governor and Record Keeper, has declared that June 19 - 25 will be "Vermont Soaring Week," timed to correspond with the Region 1 contest at Sugarbush. The idea is to get more of the general public involved. |
| May 2, 2005 | First-of-the-year Sugarbush online newsletter published. |
| April 25, 2005 | Congratulations to Doug Jacobs who won this year's 15-Meter Class race at Perry (R5N). John Seymour was 4th in the class, and Harvey Howell was 33rd. George Vakkur placed 6th in the Sports Class. Despite Harvey's modest rank, he managed to get his picture in the paper. |
| April 4, 2005 | I sent a mathematical suggestion to the US Team Selection Committee. |
| March 29, 2005 | I squawked at something the Executive Director wrote for the SSA e-newsletter. He sent me a reply. |
| March 12, 2005 | The first contest of the year, the Seniors, is history. Karl Striedieck was the winner with these ranks for pilots from our Region: Jacobs 9, Moffat 17, Salvo 27, Vakkur 31, Howell 41, Nockles 50. On the last day Bob Salvo landed safely in a remote place. He hadn't been retrieved when I left the contest at noon the next day. I'm sure he has a story to tell! |
| February 12-13, 2005 | SSA Directors Meeting. Report. Regional Director's criticism of the Commercial Rights Policy submitted to the Chairman of the Board. |
| January 22, 2005 | GBSC Annual Winter Party. Snowed out! |
| January 22, 2005 | NESA Annual General Meeting. Good party. |
| January 5, 2005 | Beginning of campaign to put Mt. Washington on the list of National Soaring Landmarks. |
| January 3, 2005 | Director's opinion paper on Mass Limits sent to our IGC delegate. |
| January 1, 2005 | New Vermont SSA Governor appointed: Kevin Brooker. |
| January 1, 2005 | First day on the job for the new Region 1 Director: Rick Sheppe. |
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