Weather Forces Gliders To Land
In Valuable Fields, Farmers Say

But They’re Invited To Dinner

By Chelsea Rose Sargent

Weather made soaring particularly tricky this year during Sugarbush’s annual gliding contest. Even with weather forecasters monitoring conditions, the weather was so unpredictable that gliders made emergency landings all along Route 100.

"I’ve been doing it 33 years and never seen anything like this," said Bill Stenson, chief pilot at Sugarbush.

On Tuesday, June 17, four of those gliders came down in Robert and Elizabeth Kennett’s fields at Liberty Farms and one landed in Brent Beidler’s wheat field on June 21. Though this was the first time for Beidler, this isn’t out of the ordinary for the Kennetts, who are used to gliders landing in their fields during gliding season.

On this particular occasion, however, Robert Kennett was present near one of the corn fields where one of the gliders came down and watched as the glider landed in valuable corn instead of a just-mown grass field 15 feet away.

"The poor guy who landed here was truly the most apologetic and remorseful of the whole group," said Beth Kennett. "He was a really nice guy. I don’t want to come down on him, it’s the sport."

After this landing, the Kennett’s had 12 glider pilots over to their farm for dinner so that they could discuss the layout of the land and what fields could be used when they are forced to come down. Kennett said that golf courses were avoided in these emergency landings because glider operators didn’t want to tear up the course, and they wanted to stress that crop land is valuable as well.

The dinner resulted in some of the pilots recommending Kennett give a presentation before next year’s annual contest so that she can educate them about which types of fields would be better to land in. She hopes to be able to get aerial photographs of different types of fields to help show them what lands are okay to land in.

"I understand an emergency landing," Kennett said. "We certainly want the pilots to be safe and sound." But she would also like gliders to fly responsibly, plan ahead, and be aware of the value of agricultural land.

"I apologize to the farmers," Stenson said, "We’re not trying to take advantage of anyone." In fact, they usually try to hold the contest after the first hay has been cut so as to minimize the damage of the two to three emergency landings, out of 28 gliders, that usually occur during the contest.

According to Stenson, with a little communication, glider pilots will usually compensate farmers for any damages that occur.