Free Spirit Flight hang gliding club
Free Spirit Flight is a hang gliding club based in Elmira New York. We foot launch and fly hang gliders and paragliders at the mountains of Harris Hill, Indian Cliffs and Katydid. We aim to preserve man's dream of reaching the heavens and challenging the domain of angels. We defy gravity by riding on air that lifts, using wings of cloth and aluminum. We live to soar high, and to escape the relentless pull of the Earth. For up there in the sky is OUR PARADISE.
Tom Cassetta
The grandfather of hang gliding in Chemung County
Watching the paragliders floated effortlessly among the clouds the other day made me think of how it began in Chemung County many years ago. In the late 70's Tom Cassetta and his friends took to the hang gliding craze like eagles out of the nest. Everyone wanted to fly including his brothers and friends. His first glider other than a home built was a Whitney Portawing that folded up and fit in a golf bag. Seagull seahawks with their curved noses and in flight squeaks followed. They explored and opened launches on top of local hills including Harris Hill, Indian Cliffs, Katydid, Old Baldy (over looking Route 86) and Draht Hill. He was the senior pilot who guided me on my first flight from Harris Hill. Eager to fly I would call him every day wanting to know if it was soarable somewhere. In the 80's road trips to fly in California followed.
After hang gliding Tom became interested in flying ultralight aircraft. He built several ultralight aircraft in his garage. His most recent project was a 15,000 rivet, 200 mph light aircraft. In recent years he had been flying out of and helping maintain an airstrip in Monterey NY between Bath and Watkins Glen. One day in early July 2025 he took his final flight, not from the Monterey airstrip but from his home ascending to Heaven. Thank you Tom for all your hard work allowing future generations to enjoy soaring among the clouds.