Alby

Here is the Alby trophy. A number of years back, retired Product Engineer and California resident, Sergio Colacevich, conceived the idea of creating a trophy that would represent a soaring bird that would travel great distances.  Such a bird is the Laysan Albatross, which is known for just that – soaring while traveling (sometimes) great distances.  Sergio's vision was that this trophy would travel across America in the cockpit of a sailplane.  That vision was to be realized – not in one sailplane – but many.  From Williams, California, on October 5, 2008, Alby (which stands for America Land and Blue Yonder) went for his first sailplane flight - with Sergio at the controls.  This marked the beginning of an adventure that ultimately would take over 9 years and involve 38 pilots flying 26 different types of sailplanes.  On September 14, 2015, Alby landed at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 

But the trip wasn’t finished yet - Alby still had to get here to the National Soaring Museum - and that was finally accomplished on November 10, 2017.  It was a long haul; Williams to Elmira required 179 hours and 39 minutes to cover approximately 3000 miles – in 65 individual flights!

Sadly, less than a year later, Sergio and fellow sailplane pilot, James Alton, lost their lives in a flying accident.  This beautiful little trophy stands as a testament to their love of soaring – and to the many people who contributed time and skill to carry Alby safely across America.