Near Bishop in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Fifty Year Soaring Commemorative
Robert F. Symons, pilot, Bishop Airport
| — | 2001 | — |
Photographed by Craig Baker, October 30, 2025
1. Soaring Commemorative Marker
This plaque is dedicated to commemorate: Bishop Airport & Robert F. Symons, local mountain pilot & “Dean of Sierra Wave Soaring” (1910-1958).
Robert Symons’ early flight & cloud studies brought the Air Force & UCLA to chart the jetstream at Bishop Airport 1950-1952. That “Sierra Wave Project” collected meteorological, stratospheric, & elevator cloud speed data with gliders.
The Bishop Airport, with gliding lift found nowhere else in the world, was the site of the project. Also the 6th & 25th National Glider Meets were organized by Symons & held at Bishop Airport.
Symons achieved:
• Gold C Soaring Badge No.7, Altitude with Goal Diamonds.
• The Soaring Associations’ highest award, Warren E. Eaton Memorial Trophy, “For outstanding contribution to the art, sport or science of soaring flight in the United States,” 1949.
• Absolute Altitude World Record of 38,305', 2-place category, 1951, with Dr. Joachim Kuettner.
• Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame award for Noteworthy Achievement in Soaring.
Bill Ivans achieved a single-seat altitude record of 42,100' in 1951 over the Bishop Airport that stood for ten years, Larry Edgar & Harold Klieforth set the absolute altitude multiplace world record of 44,255' at Bishop Airport, 1952, that
this page online
Erected 2001.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1949.
Location. 37° 22.262′ N, 118° 21.972′ W. Marker is near Bishop, California, in Inyo County. It is on Airport Road 0.7 miles north of East Line Street. Located in front of the airport terminal building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 703 Airport Rd, Bishop CA 93514, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Project Sierra Wave (a few steps from this marker); Mining & Ranching (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome To Our Homeland (within shouting distance of this marker); The Fortune Seekers (approx. 1.6 miles away); "Atlas Copco Mucker" (approx. 1.6 miles away); Slim Princess (approx. 1.6 miles away); Whiskey Creek History (approx. 1.6 miles away); James D. Birchim (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bishop.
Regarding Fifty Year Soaring Commemorative. The Sierra Wave is a type of air current that forms as winds hit the Sierra Nevada mountains and are forced to rise. The rising air is used by glider pilots to gain altitude and extend their flights above the Owens Valley.
In 2018, a new altitude record of 76,124 feet
Photographed by Craig Baker, October 30, 2025
2. Soaring Commemorative Marker
In front of the airport terminal.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 77 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
