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In the early 1930s, the Chemung Valley's pioneering soaring sites faced most of the area's prevailing winds, with take-off locations selected daily to match predicted conditions. Gliders were launched by bungee cord into the wind so pilots could soar in upward deflected air along the ridges or glide over the valley in search of thermal updrafts. These take-off sites—Caton Avenue Airport, South Mountain, East Ridge, Rhodes Farm by Harris Hill, and Close Farm—were the center of activity until Harris Hill became the "Soaring Capital" in 1934, reflecting the Chemung County community and the pioneering soaring pilots who flew there.
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Big Flats, New York · United States
