The History of RWSA

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.