The Knobley Mountain Range, located just west of the Cumberland Airport, is an excellent source of ridge or mountain lift. With the prevailing western winds blowing against the mountain side, air currents rise up over that area producing rising air. Bill Holbrook’s world record setting soaring flight used this ridge lift from the Knobley Mountain Range for part of his flight.
This article is an excerpt from the book “Wings Over Cumberland: An Aviation History,” and re-published here with the permission of the authors Bob Poling and Bill Armstrong.
Mountain or lee waves are common in the Cumberland area and are often distinguished by lens shaped or lenticular clouds that form at the top of the wave. They often occur in their strongest form when winds aloft are high and surface winds are from the northwest. The aero-towing of sailplanes in the Cumberland wave, especially when the wind is strong out of the northwest, can be an exciting experience for both the tow pilot and the sailplane pilot. It is often necessary to penetrate the ‘rotor’ which is an area of violent swirling air that can be extremely turbulent. The rotor is usually located downwind on the east or lee side of Knobley Mountain and must be contended with in order to climb over the mountain and enter the smooth ‘glassy’ realm of the wave by the towed sailplane. Flights into the Cumberland wave have resulted in pilots attaining altitude in the range of 20,000 feet. Altitude this high is not now permitted due to the limitations of air traffic control at the higher altitude.
Bill Holbrook and Bob Poling in earlier days had heard other pilots, talk of ridge soaring in small aircraft with the throttle at idle soaring from Keyser to the Cumberland Airport following the Knobley Ridge line. After confirming this soaring flight possibility in Holbrook’s Piper J-3 Cub, the pair decided to attend the Schweizer Soaring School at Elmira, NY in 1958. Under the tutelage of young Brad Strauss and the famous glider instructor Bernie Carris, Holbrook and Poling returned to Cumberland with the attainment of their Commercial Glider Pilot Ratings. In the autumn of 1958 the eager pair acquired a two place war surplus XTG-4A Laister-Kauffman training glider. The aircraft, tail number N2040, had been used to train glider pilots during WW II. After a winter of tender loving care the L-K was launched in 1959 by auto towing with Bob Poling’s station wagon automobile. This was accomplished by speeding down the 5,800 foot runway 6-24 at the Cumberland Municipal Airport. The transmission of Poling’s automobile protested and the launches were less than successful to tow the L-K high enough to obtain lift for a soaring flight. The duo then decided to try an aero tow using Bill Holbrook’s 65 hp Piper J-3 Cub. To their surprise the Cub was able to successfully tow the L-K to two thousand feet and at last high enough to enable soaring in their beloved aircraft. Holbrook and Poling were able to successfully fly several altitude and distant flights in the L-K using the Cub as a tow plane. On a couple of occasions the Cub was used with two pilots abroad, and two in the glider proving that even with that additional weight in the J-3 successful tow launches could be made. This was considered an amazing accomplishment with the Piper aircraft powered only by a 65-hp engine. In 1960 Bill Holbrook purchased a Piper Super Cub which made glider aero towing much safer and more versatile.
Now Poling and Holbrook really experienced the soaring fever. They introduced several other local pilots to the fascination of motorless flight with the L-K. In 1961, Jack Wagner and Franklin ‘Bud’ Young subsequently gathered ten pilots together who were willing to contribute $200 each toward the purchase of a used two place Schweizer 2-22 training glider for $2,000. Included in this group were Jack Wagner, Bud Young, Bill Holbrook, Dr. Bob Poling, Dick Aldstadt, George Nash, Ralph Frantz, Dr. Royce Hodges and W. Donald Smith. The eager gliding pilots designated themselves the ‘Algonquin Soarers’.
Soaring flight in the Cumberland area was at a primitive stage in the early 1960’s, but the potential for good soaring conditions attracted enthusiasts from Pittsburgh and the Washington area. The glider group grew by luring soaring pilots seeking a remote area to practice their craft. The club grew to nearly forty members, with a few having their own gliding aircraft. In 1965 the official name of the club was changed to ‘The Cumberland Soaring Group’. The club had become very active with frequent weekend meets and cross-country soaring contests. Many national and world champion glider pilots traveled to Cumberland to enjoy the excellent soaring conditions. The Knobley ridge west of the airport was utilized by sailplane pilots to set countless local, state, national, and world records. Today the Cumberland Soaring Group, Inc. is continuing its rich heritage as caretaker of one of the premier soaring sites in the country. Its membership has grown to include 55 families, and it operates five sailplanes as well the serving tow aircraft, which is kept busy launching flight after flight. The CSG has managed to keep the cost of soaring to a low level. Nearly any weekend a flurry of activity can be observed around the glider hangar. A large Quonset building, located on the southwest corner of the Cumberland Airport, serves as the club’s hangar and point of operation. The club welcomes visitors at any time and orientation flights may be arranged.
The facilities at the Cumberland Airport are excellent as a home base for soaring activities. The Quonset hangar with electric bi-fold doors on each end became available to the club during an interim period when the airport base operator changed. The large hangar, which can house a multitude of gliders, has remained leased to the Cumberland Soaring Group for a period of more than 40 years. The hangar is located close to the launching area and little effort is required to push a glider to the end of runway 11. A large paved area adjacent to the secondary runway 11 is available for parking of waiting sailplanes. This convenient situation is not found at other soaring sites. The launching runway is sufficiently long for glider launches regardless of wind conditions. Fortunately the departure end of runway 11 is some 150 higher than the adjacent farm fields and the nearby Mexico Farms Airfield which affords emergency landing sites. The Knobley Mountain ridge, just to the west of the airport, is an excellent source of ridge lift and is located away from the normal traffic flow which minimizes aerial traffic conflicts. The use of runway 11-29 has been used by the soaring pilots and this use does not impact on the powered aircraft use of the main runway 5-23. The landings of the sailplanes are on runway 29 and pilots plan their approach so that they can roll back to their launching area and quickly are in position to be launched on succeeding flights.
The grass areas, the taxiways, and the runways are maintained by airport personnel and are in excellent condition. With the large hangar facility, the convenient location and the friendly atmosphere, pilots at the local airport enjoy the best soaring site in the eastern United States.
Knowing when the mountain wave is present at Cumberland is difficult and usually required an exploratory flight to determine its presence. An enterprising local inventor and soaring pilot, A. Gene Moore, developed a device called a wave machine. A continuous running recorder of the wave machine gave Gene information as to what conditions were necessary and when they existed. Gene found that early mornings were a favorable time and also a period when lower surface winds were acceptable for the launching of sailplanes. Weekends became a favorite period for sailplane pilots who had heard of Moore’s wave machine. Often the tow plane, with a sailplane behind, took off while still in the early morning hours, sometimes while still in darkness. There were times in the early morning when six to eight sailplanes would be at perhaps 10,000 feet, and their forward movement would be practically equal to the speed of the wind of the wave in the opposite direction. With their low ground speed the sailplanes appeared as if they were standing still parked on a westerly heading. This was a beautiful sight as the rising sun appeared behind the aircraft, a scene that will remain within a pilot’s recollection of the beauty of flight.
Most pilots, however, enjoy both powered flight and soaring as well. Bill Holbrook provided the local soaring club with their first tow plane, a Piper Super Cub. Later a special Cessna 150, with a large engine, served the club’s needs. There have been numerous other powered craft at Cumberland used to launch the soaring pilots. They include a Bellanca Citabria, Piper Pacer, Piper Super Cruiser, Piper Cub, Piper Cherokee, and Piper Pawnee. Several Cessna aircraft have been used such as the Skyhawk, Skylane, 180, Birddog, Stationaire. Also used have been an Aeronca Champ, Aeronca Chief, Stinson, L-5, Shinn, and a Taylorcraft. That reliable Cessna 150, acquired in the early 1980’s, to this day supplies the CSG’s need for a tow plane. The tow plane, which has been the launch vehicle for hundreds and hundreds of successful hook-up and release of soaring craft, has long held an affectionate name. What could be more appropriate than you may have guessed - to be called ‘The Happy Hooker”
Wings Over Cumberland
The following is an excerpt from an Allegany County Library press release:
Bill Armstrong gives us a little preview of Wings Over Cumberland, explaining “it is an attempt to capture the flavor of aviation in this region over the last 80 years.†It includes stories about colorful personalities such as Torque Landis, an early barnstormer and Bernard Miltenberger with his flying-farmer comic act.
“Mexico Farms is the 2nd oldest airfield in the state. 1st. is College Park, which is also the oldest in the county,†Armstrong mentioned. “These airfields were started by the Army Air Service, which had a route between Washington D.C. and Dayton, Ohio in the early 20’s.â€
When Poling and Armstrong co-chaired a committee to determine the contents to be placed in the visitor’s gallery at the new terminal at the Cumberland Airport, Armstrong quickly became interested in Poling’s background. From an early age Poling had walked to the Mexico Farms airfield and collected memorabilia; he also collected newspaper clippings about local aviation. Armstrong, who had recently written Into the Wild Blue Yonder Gently wanted to see Poling’s collection preserved in a book. The two spent about 3 years compiling the book.
Poling is probably best known as a local retired dentist. He served in the Army Air Corps/Force and was a pilot in WWII. Armstrong retired as a Lt. Col. in 1975 from the Air Force. He was a jet fighter pilot. He is also known for his work as our local Airport Manager.
VON BRAUN AND WAGNER - A TALE OF TWO SOARING PILOTS
A unique friendship developed at the Cumberland Airport in the 1970’s between two individuals who shared a common interest, flying gliders over the Knobley Mountains. They participated in soaring through the skies seeking the best thermals or air currents to sustain flight. This was sport flying that both greatly enjoyed. These two, diverse in background, participants on different sides of World War II, one as a fighting airman, the other as a scientist and intellectual, could be called an odd couple. They would better be described as exceptional individuals whose common interest in soaring and the exhilaration of flight bound them together in their later years.
This article is an excerpt from the book “Wings Over Cumberland: An Aviation History,” and re-published here with the permission of the authors Bob Poling and Bill Armstrong.
The tale of the two - Jack Wagner and Wernher Von Braun - is one that could take reams of paper to properly put in words. Here, then, is a brief recap of their coming together as members of the local Cumberland Soaring Group in the 1970’s.
As a member of the Army Air Forces in Germany in 1943, Jack Wagner was a highly decorated B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ aircrew member who served as a waist gunner and flight engineer. Participating in twenty five dangerous bombing missions over Germany, Jack and his crew went through nine B-17’s in 1943 due to various and extensive combat damage. All of these aircraft were given the name ‘Wabbit Twacks’, a name not uncommon in the nose art identification of the time. Jack’s crew in these unescorted missions received credit for twenty-one Nazi aircraft destroyed, with Wagner personally downing three German fighters on one mission. On that day their aircraft had lost one engine and was returning to England alone when a group of twenty-five FW- 190 enemy fighters attacked what they thought would be a sitting duck. The end result of that low level skirmish over the English Channel was the confirmed downing of seven German fighters, with four other probable kills. The ‘Wabbit Twacks’ miraculously returned from that mission with 500 bullet and anti-aircraft holes as a result of the encounter. Wagner sustained wounds in the eye and foot and even used his large 13-AAA boot to plug a hole and assist in keeping the rudder in place until the Fortress got back to England.
Jack would later serve as a gunnery instructor and, then, as an acknowledged hero, became a spokesman for the war effort in bond drive raising endeavors. In the 1970’s Jack was living in Wiley Ford, WV and was the chief instructor for the Cumberland Soaring Group. It was here that he developed a friendship with a gentleman from Germany.
In Germany in the 1930’s a common avocation of the younger set was learning the art of flying gliders as the age of aviation came in full swing. One of these youths was Wernher von Braun. As the outbreak of war in Europe became overpowering with the German blitzkrieg resulting in the greatest war in human history, von Braun was intimately involved with the war machine serving the Nazi cause. As a scientist and engineer he was instrumental in the development of rockets resulting in great strides in this heretofore unknown field. The feared V-2 rocket that harassed London and other Allied cities was the outcome of von Braun and other German scientific minds. As World War II was ending von Braun and over 150 of his associates elected to surrender to the American Army, bringing with them all of their recorded research and some hidden V-2 rockets. This group, with Dr. Wernher von Braun as their leader, became the architects in the development of the post war United States space program. Wernher completed his conversion to the democratic freedom of the west by becoming a US citizen in 1955. After serving with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) until 1972 Dr. von Braun retired from NASA and became a corporate vice president with Fairchild Industries. By then he was a renowned figure and welcomed the opportunity to join the local Cumberland Soaring Group in regaining the sport of soaring while enjoying the anonymity far removed from the spotlight.
At Cumberland Dr. von Braun and Jack Wagner become close friends and Wernher was a frequent house-guest of Jack’s at his Wiley Ford residence. Von Braun frequently flew Wagner’s Libelle sailplane in high altitude mountain wave flights. Eventually, under Jack Wagner’s instruction von Braun obtained his qualification flights and was awarded the coveted Silver C Badge from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, issued by the Soaring Society of America. It was also here at Cumberland that Wagner taught Iris, von Braun’s daughter to fly gliders. The memory of Iris’ solo flight and the friendly, profound association of the unique couple of Jack Wagner and Dr. Wernher von Braun continue. Iris von Braun’s cut off shirt tail, obtained after her first glider solo flight in that continuing aviation ritual, still hangs on the wall of the Cumberland Soaring Group’s club room.
Bill Holbrook
Holbrook is a dynamic person with a congenial and persuasive personality who accomplished much for the Kelly-Springfield Flight Department and the Cumberland aviation community. He constantly worked diligently and with rare vision to improve the airport and its instrument landing capabilities.
This article is an excerpt from the book “Wings Over Cumberland: An Aviation History,” and re-published here with the permission of the authors Bob Poling and Bill Armstrong.
Bill was one of those rare corporate pilots who flew professionally during the week and when off duty on week-ends came to the airport to fly small private planes or sailplanes. Holbrook rebuilt several aircraft and gliders and built his own sailplane, a Schreder HP-14. He was generous with his time and was known to use his own aircraft to teach many to fly. Bill was a gifted instructor and was especially helpful to young teenagers. For many years the Kelly Hangar was the hang out for local pilots. Bill Holbrook was and is a truly professional pilot, one who is worthy of emulation.
Dr. Edward E ‘Ed’ Byars, of the West Virginia University faculty, was a member of the Cumberland Soaring Group who based his sailplane at Cumberland. He and Bill Holbrook became close friends and realized the need for the dissemination of formal soaring information. They jointly formed ‘Soaring Symposia’, an organization dedicated to the furtherance of knowledge and the art of soaring. They presented their first symposium in February, 1969. Fortunately, Gene Moore, a local soaring pilot, had become nationally known for his pioneering work in the development of soaring instruments, principally a sensitive rate of climb variometer. Gene Moore’s presentations at the symposia were well received by soaring pilots. Ed Byars held discussions on aircraft structures and performance, while Bill Holbrook gave presentations on soaring techniques. The Symposia were held annually for several years. Their recorded proceedings were published and prized by soaring pilots. The Soaring Symposia eventually became the basis for the Soaring Society of America’s present midwinter annual meetings. Soaring Symposia also conducted a tour to the soaring sites and sailplane factories in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Bill and Ed also wrote a best selling soaring pilot’s textbook, Soaring Cross Country.
On May 5, 1973, Bill Holbrook set a world soaring record ‘out and return’ flight of 783 miles (1,260 kilometers) on the Knobley Mountain range, just west of the Cumberland Airport, and on adjoining mountains stretching from Lock Haven, PA to Hansonville, VA. The Hansonville point was just ten miles from the Tennessee line. This was a dangerous flight in that Bill had to fly his Libelle sailplane at the red line speed of 120 mph through severe turbulence 50 to 200 feet above the mountain ridges while navigating where the ridge lift existed. The gusts stressed the Libelle close to its design limits and Bill knew that he could be on the ground in a matter of a less than a minute if he did not remain in the updraft portion of the wind over the ridge. It was necessary to maintain a rapid pace near the red line speed in order to complete the required task during daylight hours. Surface winds blew so hard on that day from the northwest at the Cumberland Municipal Airport that members of the Cumberland Soaring Group had to nail the Quonset Hangar doors shut to keep them secure. Holbrook was only the tenth person in the world in 1973 to fly a sailplane over 1,000 kilometers. It was an outstanding achievement.
Bill participated in two coast to coast Smirnoff Soaring Derby contests. The contest consisted of a daily assigned cross country soaring route of several hundred miles, beginning in California and after several soaring days ending at Dulles Airport, Washington, DC. Many of the flights were in poor flying conditions, the opposite of Holbrook’s world record flight. Several of the flights were over stark and lonely areas with smooth glides of twenty to thirty miles across forbidding desert canyons and wilderness areas. Here an off-field landing and a retrieve by his auto-trailer crew would have been a lesson in survival.
Bill won the first event in 1974, competing against national and world caliber soaring pilots while flying his Kelly-Springfield sponsored Libelle sailplane, the ‘Spirit of Cumberland’. The Cumberland Dapper Dan Club honored him with its top award for this achievement which was highly commendable and reflected favorably on and gave noteworthy attention to the city of Cumberland. The following year Holbrook placed high in the derby while flying a lower performing Schweizer factory sponsored 1-35 sailplane.
Bill Holbrook is now living in Tucson, Arizona and makes occasional visits back to Cumberland. He retains his life long keen interest in aviation.
If you are lucky, you just might find a copy of “Wings Over Cumberland: An Aviation History” on amazon.com.
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