Date: September 18, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Summary
1980 CESSNA 172 Skyhawk
Fixed wing single engine
Owner
LONG ISLAND SOARING ASSOCIATION
Shirley, NY
Airport
BROOKHAVEN CALABRO AIRPORT
Description
This Cessna is operated by the Long Island Soaring Association out of Brookhaven Airport in Shirley. The plane hooks up to a glider at Brookhaven Airport and takes off, slowly climbing in a straight line toward Center Moriches or Eastport to get the glider to an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 ft, at which point the glider detaches. The tow plane then performs sharp, descending spirals or loops to lose altitude quickly and get back to the airport as fast as possible to pick up the next glider.
Long Island Soaring Association is a private soaring club. They operate multiple aircraft out of Brookhaven Airport to support their glider operations. The noise isn’t coming from essential commercial flights, but rather from a private recreational club utilizing a municipal runway.
Because a tow plane must climb slowly while dragging a heavy, unpowered glider, it spends a prolonged period of time running its engine at high power at low altitudes directly over local neighborhoods before releasing the glider. These daily glider operations are a primary source of the low-altitude, repetitive circling and drone-like noise that you frequently hear if you live in or around Brookhaven.