The Red Wing Soaring Association was originally formed in 1963 and
flew at the Red Wing Municipal Airport. The 16 original members secured an
interest-free loan from the Red Wing Shoe Company and purchased a Schweizer
2-22C glider from the Schweizer Soaring School in Elmira, NY. Chuck Whitmore of
the Minnesota Soaring Club pitched in as the only Flight Instructor, literally
getting us off the ground.
In 1966 RWSA merged with the Northwest Soaring Society, gaining
members and aircraft. Moving to Benson's Airport near White Bear Lake in 1970,
the club found a long-term base of operations and an outstanding supporter and
friend in John Benson. We stayed for the next 34 years. During those years, the
club bought and sold many gliders, survived two destructive wind storms, purchased
a tow plane, and gained members and friends too numerous to mention here.
The Delbert Trophy
The Delbert was instituted in 1989 to foster friendly competition between
RWSA and the Minnesota Soaring Club. It is awarded to any pilot who makes a soaring flight
from one club to the other -a straight distance of about 75 miles. The trophy then
resides at the home club of that pilot until it is "retrieved" with a reciprocal
flight by a member of the other club. There have been at least 30 such flights to
date.
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