News & Info

January 11, 2021 - Franconia Soaring Foundation Announces Release Of A Request For Information. The Franconia Soaring Foundation recently announced plans to construct an Operations Center and multi-use facility on the south end of the Franconia Airport located at 1251 Easton Road, Franconia, NH 03580. Construction is planned to commence in 2022, with the exact date to be selected during contract negotiations. The initiative commenced with the release of a Request For Information (RFI) intended to gather the necessary information to scope the extent of the project. Responses to the RFI are due no later than February 28, 2021. The Board will review the information received to scope and develop detailed requirements and capital goals before issuing a detailed Request For Proposal (RFP) later this year. Details regarding the RFI may be found here.
December 7. 2020 – Franconia Soaring Foundation Establishes Finance And Fundraising Committee. During its December 7, 2020 Board of Directors meeting, the Foundation Board formally established a Finance and Fundraising Committee, which will replace the former Fundraising Committee. The decision to take this evolutionary step was based on the intimate interdependence between realistic and executable annual budgets and fundraising goals and objectives. President Tom Ganse highlighted that annual budgets aligned with the Foundation’s mission are almost exclusively tied to the Foundation’s ability to raise money. Combining budget development with fundraising targets, will provide greater efficiencies in executing current budgets while establishing more long-term financial planning. By charter, the Foundation Treasurer is established as an ex officio member of the committee.
August 3, 2020 – Franconia Soaring Foundation Establishes Education Committee. During its August 3, 2020 Board of Directors meeting, the Foundation Board formally established an Education to develop and oversee implementation of future initiatives to accomplish elements of the Foundation’s mission, specifically those of promoting, teaching, and sharing the art, science, and safety of soaring through introductory rides, ground, and flight instruction. The decision to establish this committee was based on the Foundation’s desire to provide dedicated support to accomplish these objectives. President Tom Ganse highlighted that this is the quintessential mission of the Foundation, and that, as an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) and New Hampshire Charitable Trust, it was vital to establish close management controls to ensure successful accomplishment of our mission while maintaining the public’s trust and confidence through development of necessary policies, procedures, and fiscal controls.
April 20, 2020 – Franconia Soaring Foundation Annual Meeting. The Franconia Soaring Foundation held its Annual Meeting April 20, 2020. The meeting was held virtually due to travel restrictions and social distance requirements imposed during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. Peter Eiche was re-elected to another three-year term as Treasurer and Joe Kwasnik was elected to serve a three-year term in the Director One position.
October 9, 2019 – Franconia Soaring Foundation Receives New Hampshire Airport Improvement Grants. The State of New Hampshire recently announced that two grants will be awarded to the Foundation for purposes of 1) removing encroaching trees on the approach and departure corridor to the north of the airfield and 2) treat the field for grubs and begin immediate remediation of the turf. The State will provide eighty percent of the bid costs for these efforts and the Foundation will raise money to pay the remaining twenty percent. The State also requires that the Foundation share be paid prior to issuing the grants for final payment to the services providers.
May 10, 2019 – Franconia Soaring Foundation Completes The Purchase Of Franconia Airport, K1B5. The FSF closed on the purchase of the Franconia Airport today. The sale resulted in title to approximately 14 acres that includes all current tie-down and staging areas, and roughly 60% of the runway. In separate but related transactions, the FSF also obtained deeded easements allowing unrestricted aviation use of the remaining runway, and approach and departure paths. Plans are in place to accelerate repayment of the remaining mortgage and proceed with the purchase of the remaining 13 acres comprising the north end of the field. The Foundation will also submit grants to begin remediation of the turf.