ASSOCIATION TAKES HOBBY TO THE SKIES.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The skies around Valencia High School on Sunday morning deserved a second look. Were those birds making graceful arcs on the gentle wind or were they planes?

The colorful wings gave away the gliders belonging to members of the Santa Clarita Soaring Association, a group of about 50 enthusiasts of the silent fliers that meets every Sunday morning.

``We fly sail planes and some electric planes they call park fliers, that can turn around and maneuver,'' said Hank Schorz as he walked over to a line of planes that ranged from almost weightless foam to balsa wood, with varying wingspans that went from a few feet to 134 inches.

The pilots wait their turn to use a launching mechanism, a trailer- borne assembly of wheels, pulleys, batteries and a car starter. Once their planes are hooked up to the machine, they fling the planes heavenward and a towing wire (similar to the string on a kite) becomes taught. The short tow gives the plane a quick rush, then it starts to soar in pursuit of thermals that will take it higher and farther.

Each pilot is assigned a radio frequency, the numbers marked on bright chips that clip to the antenna of the plane's controls.

``This is so nobody uses the same frequency,'' explained Schorz. ``That could be fatal for the plane, because one would crash.''

On Sunday, 15 die-hard pilots, each accompanied by a ``coach'' who would monitor the skies around the plane so the pilot could concentrate on flying, competed to get the best times and distance. A white tape marked the spot on the baseball field where planes were to end up; a series of shortfalls and ``whew, that was close'' landings proved that the pilots were not just honing their craft, but out for a morning of fun.

``We have all sorts of people in this club,'' said Schorz, as he walked toward the landing area. ``Mousketeers, movie stars, even rock 'n' rollers.''

Schorz admitted that he was the rock 'n' roller; as lead vocalist of the 1970s group Steam, his voice is the one everyone hears in the classic ``Na Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Her Goodbye.'' Now he works for a computer firm in Valencia.

It makes sense that technologically adept people populate the club; Joe Wurtz, an engineer at Lockheed, holds the most records in club competition and is a world champion in the F3B category.

Alex Eremenko, 43, a Ukranian scientist who works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, is another enthusiastic flier.

``I've been flying since I was 7 years old and when I came to America, I saw people flying at the Rose Bowl.'' He started a club in Pasadena, but when they lost their flying space, the club folded and he joined the Santa Clarita Soaring Association, which has been going strong for the last 30 years.

``A bunch of us used to meet on a slope in Canyon Country in the mid- '70s,'' Schorz said. ``We found that we had common interests. None of us could really fly. We'd throw our planes off the slope and they would crash.''

The lack of flying space in Santa Clarita is what brought the club to Valencia High School, as flying any sort of plane in the city parks is illegal.

``We have a special relationship with the school and a great insurance policy,'' Schorz said, laughing. ``We don't damage the field because we're not tearing it up with cleats or anything, so the field is really protected on Sundays. We also don't fly over the school. We want to make sure we maintain our good relationship.''

``And we don't use any pollutants,'' Eremenko said. ``No chemicals or fuels that could spill. And look at all the children here. This is the first step for them to become involved and do something with their hands.''

Teaching anyone who was interested seemed to be the goal of flier Myles Moran of Chatsworth, a spirited 71-year old who put the controls of his battle-scarred balsa wood plane in the hands of a willing visitor. After he tossed the plane into the breeze, he calmly directed right and left turns and the seemingly destruction-proof plane softly landed 100 feet away.

``This plane crashed from 600 feet at the intersection of Devonshire and Reseda,'' he recalled. ``The guy that was flying it threw it in the trash can; he didn't believe me when I told him we could fix it.''

Moran's plane has almost as much tape and rubber bands holding it together as balsa in the frame, but he says it's served him well.

``I fixed it, and since it's flown 500 or 600 times,'' he said, smiling.

For more information about the Santa Clarita Soaring Association, call Schorz at [phone], Ext. 232.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com