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Meeting Minutes, News, & Articles

SDHGPA on Thermaling Etiquette

4/20/2015

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Thermaling Etiquette:
(4-20-15 update)
Consensus from an SDHGPA discussion on the topic (1-15-14) & (4-16-15):
(Well, these are the things that came closest to consensus. Maybe that was too high a bar.)

1)     Keep in mind that different aircraft and different configurations have different blind spots, and act accordingly 
  • Hang gliders cannot see above them or behind them
  • Seated paraglider pilots cannot see directly below them or behind them
  • Supine paraglider pilots (pod pylons) cannot see below them
  • Tandem paraglider pilots cannot see directly in front of them, behind them, or below them

2)     Fly in a consistent and predictable manner, such that other pilots can predict your position and flight vector (don’t randomly change direction, speed, or bank angle, especially in close proximity!).

3)     Communicate with other pilots. Wave, make some noise, and use eye contact to confirm that nearby pilots are aware of you. If nearby pilots are not aware of you or cannot see you, act accordingly (give them the right of way). Continually spot and make eye contact with those you are thermaling with. (Do not fly around looking at your wing).

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4)     Fly into thermals from the edge / tangent, turning the same way as other pilots already in the thermal. If you are entering a thermal, yield right of way to pilots already in the thermal. If entering may cause issues, wait to enter until there is a gap.

5)     If in a thermal with other pilots, attempt to match their direction and 360 rate/ angular velocity (don’t cut others off by increasing your bank and moving inside of them in the thermal). 

6)     Mixed wings and mixed wing classes / ratings with different air speeds can effectively fly and center up on the same thermal by keeping the same turn angular velocity. This is achieved by varying each gliders turn radius while visually spotting each other. Slower gliders will be in a smaller radius while faster gliders will be on the outside. If you feel like other gliders are flying faster and running up on you, try to turn tighter while centering up on the thermal. (Another possibility is that you are just flying too slowly.)

7)     If in a thermal with other pilots and you feel pressed for space or wish to follow an irregular pattern in the thermal, turn out of the thermal (away from the core and the path of other pilots in the thermal, not through the thermal and the paths of others). If leaving a thermal, you must clear your turn and time your exit to not interfere with other possibly faster gliders in the thermal. 

8)     When ridge soaring or entering a thermal, yield right of way to those already established in the thermal (generally yield right of way to those making the tightest turns). Do not fly straight through the thermal. (The sound of loud expletives is a good indication that you are doing this without realizing it.)

9)     If another pilot is coming up below you in a thermal (especially a pilot in a hang glider, who may not be able to see you above them), yield right of way and let them pass. Conversely, if you are rapidly approaching another pilot from below in a thermal (especially a pilot in a paraglider who may not be able to see you below them), yield right of way.

10)     In general, if you are overtaking someone else, you must yield right of way and not force them towards obstacles, other gliders, etc. . . . i.e. If they can’t see you.

11)     Watch where you are going. Clear your turns. Do not fly around looking at your wing. Watch shadows (handy way to tell if anyone is close to you, even in your blind spot). And listen – if you have the “jams” cranking in your headset, you won’t be able to hear other pilots warn you of impending collisions.

11)     (A personal addition from Dave M) – Realize that tandem paragliders are especially subject to blind spots, as our passengers are directly blocking our forward view and all views below and to the front of us.
For a Printable Older Version of this article See: 
ThERMALING ETIQUETTE - Print File
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SDHGPA XC Clinic Part 4: The Classic San Diego XC Routes

4/16/2015

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Starting in April 2015, SDHGPA meetings will be on the Third Thursday of the month for 2015 unless otherwise posted on the SDHGPA Calendar
SDHGPA Calendar

April 16th -  our Clinic Topics for the 2015 Year Continue

SDHGPA Clinic Series Topic Part 4: 
The Classic San Diego XC Routes  & Q&A Discussion
(Dmitri Soloviev, Bill Helliwell, Steve Rohrbaugh)

Rough Topic Outline, But Bring your specific questions:

Review Part 1 Section 2 & 3 -– Thermals & Thermaling
  1. Thermal draw
  2. Effective Ridge Lift
  3. How to Join In on a thermal
  • What to carry in Kit for XC Flight?

Part 4 – The Classic San Diego XC Routes
  1. Laguna
  2. Palomar
  3. Elsinore
  4. Other sites per request and Time
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Files used for XC Route Talk are available in Members Only Section:  http://www.sdhgpa.com/xc-maps--master-waypoint-files.html

When: 
6:30 BBQ & BYOB Mixer ($5)
7:30 Gen Meeting & Clinic Topic:
Where: 127 S. Rios Ave, Solana Beach CA 92075 (Greg's SDHGPA Club House)

Next Event: Spring Fly-in May 2nd @ Palomar
Mark your Calendar:

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Weekend buoy racing in the sky at Palomar?

4/8/2015

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The SoCal XC League will be running their Sprint Class Meet this weekend (4-11-2015) at Palomar for the 1st time!
It's kind of like a cross between weekend sailboat buoy racing and a geo-cash rally only in the air flying Paragliders or Hang Gliders. 
If you have been thinking about trying figure out how they fly comp style GPS tasks, this a great low stress fun way for Intermediate pilots to start expanding there site flying into a new dimension.
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Sprint Class Turn Point / Way-point Flags

From the Socal League site:
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"Sprint tasks are designed for pilots that are new to cross-country and task flying. Tasks are typically around 20km in length which is about an hour of flying for top pilots, or possibly two hours of flying for newer pilots. 

The format for the tasks will generally be an elapsed time start with a launch time, meaning pilots can launch after a set time and start flying the course once they are ready once they are flying. Scoring will ignore all time points and reward pilots solely for flying the greatest length along the course. 

Unlike traditional XC competitions, this means several or all pilots could be awarded 1000 points for the day provided they all make it to goal. This will reinforce the idea to pilots that making it to goal is the primary factor and getting there quickly is only an ancillary goal. I believe this will promote more thoughtful, conservative and safe flying as well as establish excellent habits for all future cross-country flights by Sprint league pilots."

All pilots flying at Palomar and the SoCal League Sprint Class Meet must be thoroughly verse in the Palomar Site Protocols. 
Always fly in a manner that you can make an acceptable non closed LZ. 

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Palomar Tip:  Pay attention to wind shifts and evaluate your best soaring and thermal trigger options to those wind shifts when making your moves. Read our short article on "Effective Ridge Lift & Thermal Flight - Mountain Sites" with Palomar examples.

Flying Palomar can also be a fairly technical site as there is not a simple ridge line and prevailing winds shift through out the day depending on your location on the mountain or valleys. 

Check out the So Cal XC League on Face Book and their web page for more info:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/socalxcleague/
http://www.socalxcleague.com/articles/sprint_tasks
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Black Mountain Glider Port (LITTLE BLACK) Flight History DOCUMENTARY

4/3/2015

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We are proud to announce that our Black Mountain Open Space Park Flight History mini documentary has been released. 
Follow us for a day of hang gliding and paragliding at the Black Mountain Open Space Glider Port, a historic San Diego location that has been home to free-flight activities since the 1930s. Unpowered, foot-launched  gliders soar over Black Mountain Open Space offering a unique way to explore the park and commune with nature.

A Long Tradition of Flying at Black Mountain Park from Jim Karnik Films on Vimeo.

Black Mountain in Rancho Penasquitos is commonly referred to as Little Black to distinguish it from another Black Mountain in San Diego County that is commonly referred to as Big Black.

San Diego has a rich heritage of flight history that dates back to John Montgomery’s 1st glider flight in 1884. In the 1930’s re-interest in gliding was rekindled with Charles Lindbergh learning to glide off Mt Soledad and the cliffs of Torrey Pines with his wife Anne Lindbergh. Local school kids got very excited about gliding to be like Lindbergh and used Black Mountain as a proving ground for their wood shop class built full size gliders.

In the 1970’s Black Mountain once again became a popular location for Hang Gliding. This tradition continues today with Hang Gliding and Paragliding in the Black Mountain Open Space accessed from the Glider Point Trail and service road to the towers.

This video was Produced by the San Diego Hang gliding and Paragliding Association and the Friends of Rancho Penasquitos Preserve (penasquitos.org ) with support of the Black Mountain Open Space Parks Citizen Advisory Committee.
We produced this video to be included in a series of films presented by The Friends of Rancho Penasquitos Preserve and will posted on their web site (http://penasquitos.org/video.htm) .  The Video will also be included in the San Diego Parks and Recreation Ranger Movie Nights play reel.
SDHGPA will also be adding this video into a flight history section of their www.SDHGPA.com web site.

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The Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and management of the preserve and the adjacent open spaces and lands that once made up the old Peñasquito Rancho Spanish land grant. We support educational and recreational activities that foster an appreciation of the natural environment.
The San Diego Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, SDHGPA, is a hang gliding and paragliding club dedicated to the promotion and preservation of foot launched soaring (non motorized "free flight") in San Diego County. SDHGPA is a local chapter of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, USHPA. SDHGPA’s guiding principle is that all foot launched pilots of hang gliders and paragliders alike share common goals and interests best served by a united effort to promote flying safety, education, and good community relations in San Diego County.
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Filmed and edited by Jim Karnik Films fieldnotes.com

A big thank you goes out to all of our SDHGPA Pilots that participated on our flight filming day; Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve and the the Black Mountain Open Space Parks Citizen Advisory Committee for their continued support; Ranger Cary Goldstein, Gary Fogel, Mike Kelly FLPC Conservation Chair, Ranger Ed Christensen, and all the other park rangers for their support and help with filming; Steve Rohrbaugh, Bob Hammond, Mike Latour, Peter Jay Brown, and Lee Hector for providing additional flight footage; Antonella Zampolli for all of her coordination in pulling all this together and making it happen, and special thanks to Jim Karnik for all his efforts and flexibility in waiting for the perfect flight filming day through our off season and wading though hours of resulting flight footage.

Steve Rohrbaugh
SDHGPA President

For more information, see: Black Mountain Open Space Flight History and San Diego Free Flight History

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    SDHGPA

    The San Diego Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association


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SDHGPA is a local chapter of 
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USHPA 
(United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association)
SDHGPA, PO Box 720895, SAN DIEGO, CA 92172
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