A History of Wurtsboro Over The Years
Wurtsboro Airport has been around since 1927… and since then, many notable figures have come and gone past these grounds.
Manuel Gonsalus
Manual Gonsalus was the first non-Native American settler in Mamakating, New York. His and his many descendants graves are located on the property of the Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Airport, just off the old homestead's property. His tombstone is dated April 18, 1752, and is one of the oldest tombstones in New York State.
Lee Helm
The Helms were a family of farmers owning the land of today's Wurtsboro Airport. They were farming these fields for generations. At some point in the early 20ies the field became the favorite landing place for local “barnstormers” and evolved into the Airport.
Mr. Lee Helm allowed individuals and groups of gliding enthusiasts to use his Airport.
The Helms were highly regarded and considered true friends of early glider pilots. They extended their hospitality with the use of the property, as well as auto towing primary gliders across the field and bungee launching for extended flight from the ridge.
Pilots of Wurtsboro Early Days
Original group of people who pioneered glider flying at Wurtsboro come from Airhoppers Glider Club, based in the Queens section of New York City. Club was formed prior to 1930 and operated at the field near Hicksville, Long Island. Club mostly used car tow as means to launch their primary gliders. At some point in the beginning of 30thies their operation was moved to the Helm’s field near Wurtsboro.
For the next decade or so many glider pilots were the members of the club. ( Emil Lahecka, Ginny Bennis, Steave Bennis, Alexis Dawydoff, Ted Pfeiffer, Bob Kidder, Herman Kursawe, Jack Brookhart, Don Lawrence, Guy Stover, Arthur Hoffman, Wilham Sullivan) and the club changed many times it’s name ( Airhoopers Glider Club, Airhoopers Gliding and Soaring Club, MASA Metropolitan Airhoopers Soaring Association, Sail Flights Inc.) Many members' names are still remembered, for they become instrumental in developing the soaring movement in the East Coast.
Another very active group of gliding pioneers at Wurtsboro Airport, were members of Hudson Valley Soaring Club, which had been formed from the old Mercury Glider Club. Members of Mercury Club included Atlee Hauck, Ernie Whidden, Robert Yellott and brothers Ernest, Paul and Bill Schweizer ( respectively 18, 17 and 12 years old when they built their first primary glider SGU-1-1). In Hudson Valley Soaring Club they were soon joined by Herb Sargent and Franklin Hurtt.
Emil Lehecka
Lehecka started his flying career as a teenadger in Hicksville, Long Island in NY. In 1931 after a short period of training he became the flight instructor in the newly established but short lived Bowlus-Hirth Gliding School at North Beach Airport. They used their Franklin Utility glider. He was a member of New York City Airhoppers Club. At some point in the early 30ies they moved operations to their new base on Helm’s Field, Wurtsboro.
Emil Lahecka was active in the soaring movement his whole life. He participated in many National contests before and after World War 2. In 1937 he was third in 8th Nationals, and flying Rhonsperber in 1938 he won Nationals and became the US Champion.
Ginny Bennis
Ginny grew up on a farm near Hicksville, on Long Island, New York. She joined the Long Island AirHoppers Gliding and Soaring Club whose members flew weekends from a vacant lot behind the family farm. In 1931 the club moved to a more formal operation at the Helms Farm which later became Wurtsboro Airport in New York. Now Ginny was flying the Franklin and G”ppingen 1 Wolf with auto, auto pulley and winch tows and learning soaring techniques by exploring the ridge and catching thermals in the gullies when possible to attain higher altitudes. In 1946 Ginny and Steve Bennis with their friends from Airhoppers days ( Alexis Dawydoff, Don Lawrence, Guy Stover) established The Gliding and Soaring Service Inc. located in Ellenville, NY. Just a few miles north of Wurtsboro. Their equipment included Franklin Utility, Cadet, Kirby Kite, Pratt-Read, Olimpia and two L-K’s.
During the Nationals in 1947 she flew to earn the first women's “C” Badge in the USA. Flying her Kirby Kite she also set the new altitude world record for women, gaining 7,200 feet.
Steve J. Bennis
Original member of Airhoppers Club. Flying out of Wurtsboro Airport from the early 1920’s
till the beginning of World War 2. After WW2 very active in the soaring movement, participating and organizing many gliding meets and competitions. Organized gliding operation in Sanford, FL, Ellenville,NY and Randall Airport in Middletown,NY. On September 9th, 1978 inducted to the US Soaring Hall of Fame.
Alexis Dawydoff
Russian aristocrat, son of Princess Maria Oblensky, left Russia for the UK during the Soviet Revolution. On arrival in the USA, and having some aviation background from the UK and working for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., he started flying in AMAC (American Motorless Aviation Corp.) in Cape Code and later got involved with Airhoppers in Hicksville, NY. With this group of people he did most of his flying out of Wurtsboro Airport and Ellenville, NY. Participated in multiple meets and Nationals. Was active in the soaring movement and in 1945 was elected to the Board of Directors of SSA. In 1964 become the first full time editor of Soaring magazine. Died August 1,1965 of heart ailment.
Herbert “Herb” Sargent
He had started flying with the NYU Glider Club in 1932 and became the inspiring leader of the Hudson Valley Soaring Club, which had been formed from the old Mercury Glider Club. The club operated at Wurtsboro, and used the Schweizer SGU1 -2 (called the “brick”) for training and the prototype SGU 1-7 for soaring. Herb Sargent, with the aid of Frank Hurtt and other club members , had built a winch for the club.
On Memorial Day (then called Decoration Day) during the Eastern States Soaring Meet, after a long day of flying and operating the winch, he took his fiancee for a ride in a Piper Cub and hit a tree at the edge of the airport. Both died as a result of the accident.
Franklin Hurtt
When Paul A. Schweizer with his brothers organized the Hudson Valley Soaring Club in the middle 1930's Frank Hurtt and Herb Sargent became members. At that time the club had the SGU 1- 3 "Brick" utility glider and soon after they bought the prototype SGU 1-7 which was named the "Cruller" The club operated from the Wurtsboro Airport, N.Y. Frank and Herb often went with Schweizers on their yearly pilgrimage to Elmira from Peekskill, to attend the National Soaring Contests in the 1930's. He earned his Silver "C" award #47. From 1941 he had been a glider instructor for a EASC military glider school in Mobile and later a power instructor for a primary training school. At the end of the war Schweizers expected sailplane manufacturing to become a big part of their business. Frank Hurtt was hired to help with a subcontract administration, do graphic artwork, and to assist with advertising and promotion. When SAC’s (Schweizer Aircraft Corporation) glider program started, he became the company test pilot, and the first chief instructor at the Schweizer Soaring School. On November 4, 1945 stayed up on Harris Hill ridge for 9 hours and 17 min. The new SGC 2-22 was test flown in March 1946. Soon after Hurtt and Dick Powell, flying 2-22, set a new duration record of 10hours and 9 minutes. The same year he tried to fly the experimental SGC 1-19 with an attached engine. It didn’t work very well. He could stay airborne, but only circling low in a ground effect, and to the great annoyance of airport manager.The 1-26 Regatta Trophy is a painting, painted by Hurtt. Frank assisted with the creation of the original Harris Hill Soaring Museum in the Harris Hill Administration Building which led to the National Soaring Museum in 1969. He assisted the NSM in many ways as it grew and acquired the present NSM building.
Anthony Barone
Anthony Barone flew his first plane at 15 and got his licence three years later in 1932.
In 1942 he purchased the Airport in Wurtsboro with an eye on establishing the training base to teach the pilots for the War War 2. During this time he owned a few WACO biplanes, including N30169 “Miss Liberty” the one restored by his son in 1991 and still flying in Florida Air Tours.
As a civilian instructor he taught hundreds of pilots during the War War 2. During that period he spent as much time in the air as on the ground.
After the war, Barone’s work schedule was not much lighter. For a while he was flying passengers and cargo to South and Central America. He devoted most of his flying career, though, to training. He has logged about 30,000 hours in the air and taught more than 1,000 people how to fly.
George A. Barone (1945-2005) and his sister Patricia G. Barone (1948-2006)
George and Patricia took over the operation of Wurtsboro Airport from his father in 1974.
For George, flying and the airport was everything. Towing gliders, giving lessons and rides,
fixing airplanes, cutting grass, whatever was to be done... he was there. Always in an oiled black leather jacket, jeans and motorbike boots, he was doing what was to be done.
With Patricia taking care of clients and his mother Theresa running the office, airport was functioning like a well oiled gearbox. For many years George and Patricia resisted pressure from their siblings to sell the airport. They worked very hard to make enough to pay them off, pay taxes, all other expenses, and keep the airport running. They loved this place more than anything.
William "Dick" Padgett
October 19, 1925 - June 22, 2019
Active in Wurtsboro 1965 - 2018
Padgett, originally from Hightstown, N.J., volunteered for the war at age 19 in 1943. He told his grandparents, who raised him, that he didn’t want to be in the infantry because he “didn’t like walking too much.” His love of flying may have had a bit to do with it, as well. Padgett began flying when he was 13. He got a job at his local airport, working 40 hours a week without pay in exchange for flight lessons. He took his first solo flight on his 16th birthday, the earliest he was allowed. During World War II, Padgett piloted a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 8th Air Force. After the war ended, Padgett went back to Princeton University to finish his mechanical engineering degree. It was the Germans who led Padgett to eventually relocate to Wurtsboro. He was amazed by the Germans’ flying skills, and heard they all learned to fly in sailplanes. Padgett started spending his weekends at the Wurtsboro Airport, learning to fly gliders. As it happened, he spent there the rest of his life. Was over 90 years old, and still one of Wurtsboro Airport’s tow pilots. L-19 Bird Dog with his name painted on the side is still towing at Wurtsboro.
George Moffat
George B. Moffat Jr. is probably the most accomplished of all glider pilots flying in Wurtsboro. He is a multiple National champion. He represented the US in many World Championships, winning the title of World Champion twice. He is a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He began flying gliders in 1959, entered his first national soaring competition in 1962, and was still an active competition pilot as of 2008. Before getting into soaring ,he was an accomplished, internationally competing sailor. He has won five U.S. National championships, and is one of only two pilots to have won the U.S. national title in all three glider competition classes (Open, Standard and 15-meter). George Moffat is a holder of the highest award in gliding, the Lilienthal medal.
Christopher Reeve
There were celebrities flying from Wurtsboro as well. One of them was Christopher Reeve.
Not too many people know that he was an avid airplane pilot. In the late '70s he got interested in gliding, the closest Superman could get to really flying. He used his newfound wealth to purchase a glider in Switzerland. In the late seventies he was flying his ASW-20 sailplane here in Wurtsboro, Minden and ASW-19 in Booker in the U.K.