Category: Articles

October Update & 2018 in review

10/20/2018

San Diego Free Flyers, we’ve got a bunch to catch up on! 

Year in Review

It’s been a rad year of learning for me. I spent most of this last year flying Blossom with the intent to build my basic XC skills of thermal flying and mini-XC legs over to the Cap & back.

The good news is that Blossom is still as technical and and fun and challenging/dangerous as it ever was, the better news is that I’m still in one piece to be able to enjoy it thanks to a bit of luck and a lot of guidance from the local pilot community.

Article by Nik Hawks

I should probably start naming names: Bill Davis was the one who saw the opportunity to shove me into a thermal over at Little Black, and I’ll probably always remember his super simple and intensely shared advice over the radio: “Keep turning, ya knucklehead!”

As funny as it sounds, that’s really all you need to get started with thermalling, although that’s just the start of the invisible elevator game.

Chris Cote spent lots of time at Blossom with me going over what he looks for and how he understands the sky from the ground and from the riser-feel once he’s skyward. It’s always nice to get the perspective of someone who has put in a ton of time in a very short period (and who holds more than one of the local site records.)

Ivan Guajardo was also more patient than he needed to be when it came to talking through the first steps of Blossom and the crossing to El Capitan, and Mike Dowdall has been about the most generous and encouraging pilot I’ve met on launch.

Yes, Phil Russman was there barking his occasional gems of wisdom, Paton always drops the technical flying info-bombs, and before he got sucked into buying a house, Robert Michiels was a fairly constant wingman.

I got to enjoy the glory of a hike with Dave Metzgar and hear his gravelly version of what’s right and wrong in the world of paragliding, which is one of those experiences that just makes you want to hear more.

On a few car rides to club meetings or out to Horse with Josh Gelb I got an exceptional and interesting view into club history, including many lines that are rarely flown now and the genesis of the Palomar launch.

Blossom Update

Speaking of launches and sites, the big news right now (end of October) is the fight to keep Blossom free of the massive El Monte Valley Sand Mine project. If you’d like to help (and you bloody well should pitch in on this one), cruise over to the Google doc

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13U-JA09VjHxhQSNhghwpAge0b3XXZeCv2S2l5mBL4kg/edit?usp=sharing

Will you pitch in to help maintain this beauty?

This view may be forever changed if the proposed sand mine goes in, with impacts ranging from lowered visibility, Valley Fever exposure (no joke, I have several friends who got this NON-CURABLE disease), environmental damage, and up to 170 trucks per day on that tiny little road snaking through the middle of the valley.

Here's what you can do to help. Yes, it involves reading & writing. You can do this!

Hit the link above and send in a written statement to the listed contacts prior to the Oct 25th meeting and submit it to the county planning commission.

Sunset Gliding at Blossom may change forever

Rough project outline that will be part of the proposed sand mining operation in relation to Flying Blossom. Essentially the entire wash area will be the sand mine.

Proposed Project Map from the last EIR presentation

Why SDHGPA & Why it Maters

Finally, an exhortation to those of you who either haven’t renewed your membership yet OR who are new and wondering what a membership actually gets you.

One of the reasons San Diego is such an excellent and reliable place to fly is that we lean heavily on just a few people to do all the paperwork and admin “stuff” to keep our sites open.

Access to Horse, the permission to fly Palomar, the ability to put up weather stations, keeping sites maintained, the website itself, and keeping us an insured & recognized club in good standing with USPHA is frankly a huge PITA.

There are two ways to contribute, one is easy, one is hard.

The easy way is to take the money you’d spend on your sweetie for a cheap dinner once a year and pay your membership dues. That’s a one-time action that allows the 4 or 5 people who do 98% of the volunteer work that keeps San Diego such a great flying area to keep on slaving away on our behalf.

Oh, and if you find anything other than a cheap dinner in San Diego for under $40, let me know!

The hard way is to volunteer to actually do all that paperwork, and there is a TON!

While I’d encourage you to volunteer, it’s far easier and also pretty effective to just pay your dues. We’ve got about 100 pilots who haven’t renewed yet, which represents a good chunk of our yearly income as a club. If you fly any more than 3 times a year it’s basically a no-brainer to continue supporting.

Finally, if you’re new and thinking about joining SDHGPA, please do!

Most club members are happy to chat with you and share as much as we know, along with introducing you to potential flying buddies and mentors. You can eat $40 worth of tacos at any one of our fly-ins, so if you’re a hungry pilot, think of coming to multiple fly-ins as basically being paid to fly and eat.

At $40 per year for a full annual membership, this is about the most valuable spend you’ll make this year. Ping us with any questions, and see ya in the sky!

Cheers,
Nik Hawks

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Palomar Safety Bulletin

10/14/2017

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On multiple occasions with this past Sunday being the most recent, pilots flying into rotor and possible venturi locations have been observed. All should be reminded that Palomar is a complex mountain site and all should review the Soaring notes of the Palomar Site Guide and also Review the Flying Effective Faces article pulled from our XC clinic talks.

Palomar is a complex mountain site

Fly effective faces that are perpendicular to the prevailing wind conditions. Note that on light and variable wind pure thermal days, the effective faces can be constantly changing and influenced by thermal activity. i.e. If the prevailing winds are west, trying to ridge fly the big south face or into the canyons will not be productive and can be turbulent. See Article on Flying Effective Faces and scroll through Palomar examples for different wind directions. Also Note that winds and effective faces will shift to thermal activity and geographic location / topography influences.

Do not fly into the canyons at or below ridge-lines down wind/ in the lee of effective faces. Note that effective faces and thermaling / soaring envelopes (out of rotor zones) typically extend up at the same slope as the effective face.

Canyon crossings should be made only with enough altitude to be able to fly from spine to spine arriving at the next spine with altitude clearance or to an effective face clear of rotor zones.

Do not attempt to ridge soar deep in the canyons of Pauma / Lion Creek below 6K, there are no lading options and are known venturi locations.

Thermaling / soaring envelopes typically extend at Slope of Face (out of rotor zones)

Do not fly into the canyons at or below ridge-lines or cross deep below 6K

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Spring is here - ready to fly?

4/24/2017

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Photo Cedit: Alex Turner

HG tips from a Jedi Master that cross over to the PG side.

Spring is here and ,maybe you are getting ready to fly after a bit of a layoff. Review your take off procedure. Do you like to have a wire crew? If you need a wire crew to stabilize your glider at take off you shouldn’t be at take off. You may want help getting to the spot where you start your run. This is especially true at the Laguna cliff launch where you have to get your glider up over a hump and get your wing tips past rocky bumps. It’s good to have some help, a little insurance, to keep the glider from getting away from you as you negotiate the obstacles. But once on launch you should be able to control the glider by yourself no matter what the wind does. Why? Well, when you say “CLEAR!”, you are the only one controlling your glider. What if at that instant, or during the first step or two of your run, the wind conditions where you need help, suddenly occur? You have to control the glider on your own.

You build a weather model in your head. At launch you study the wind conditions and see that there are times when the wind is too strong, or too cross, or too blustery. Then there are nice conditions. You decide that the nice conditions last long enough for a controlled take off. So you stand at launch with help controlling the glider during the not nice conditions and wait for a nice condition. It occurs and you say “CLEAR!”. What if you space-time weather model is wrong? What if the nice condition does not last as long as your model expects? What if the wind 20 feet down the ramp is not nice, that is the spatial aspect of your model is wrong? What are you willing to risk based on the weather model you have created in your head?
If you can’t control your glider during any conditions that could occur while you are standing at launch, you should not be standing at launch. This of course also involves a model. The model says that what you will experience at launch will be no worse than what you have observed over the past period of time.

Light wind conditions pose a different problem. Suppose you need a 10 mph wind on a shallow slope launch, and that is the maximum speed of the wind. Sometimes it is less. So you wait for a good cycle and off you go. If the wind holds, you are fine. If it gets lighter, then what? Again, you are basing your decision to take off on a model you have created in your head. If the wind is light you must be able to take off in no wind conditions.

Bill Helliwell

Photo Credit: Hadi - Henry Golian

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XC Season is On + Things to do in Preperation

4/6/2017

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Looks like the the XC Season has opened
& SDHGPA Site Records will not rest again this year!

The E

Chris Cote just re-set the bar for the E to 54.5 straight line miles on 4-5-17. With a clean ~ straight line to Marshal, then down range to Desert Hot Springs. Each leg a nice flight in its self. Not the easy route through. . . Well done. http://www.sdhgpa.com/-xc-records.html

E to Marshal, then down range to Desert Hot Springs

Nice Clean line through tricky tight air space

Big Black

This past Saturday 4-1-17 was no April Fools day at Big Black and 2 site record flights were recorded for the day. Chris Cote held the site record for 65 min of 34 straight line miles landing near Barrett Lake. Chris & Phil were team flying most of the way but Phil Wessinger fell slightly behind at Cuyamaca and their routes diverged. Phil persisted and held on to Horse and was able to get re-established into the convergence and flew on to the Mexican Border near Tierra Del Sol taking the site record of 48.3 straight line miles.

(Photos & Photo Comments - Phil Wessinger)

When Flying XC, Fly Safe . . . and things to do in Preparation:

Set-up Live Tracking with A Personal Satellite Tracker or Cell Phone
Add Your Tracking device to the SDHGPA Group Live Tracking lists
Join the SDHGPA XC Contest
Study the Classic San Diego routes and information in the SDHGPA Members only section. Know Air space limitations and key hazards and places not to land out.

To qualify for SDHGPA Site Records and SDHGPA XC Contest:

The full flight must be a Clean Flight without flight violations. Any flight that results in a documented legal infraction (FAA or local law enforcement), will disqualify that flight from being a site record. Simply, flights violating air space will be disqualified and not scored for the SDHGPA XC contest or Site Record listing.
Flights after 2012 must have tracklogs submitted to Leonardo

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Radio Etiquette

3/17/2017

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Radio Etiquette slide from last night's talk is a good reminder for XC and all pilots even when Site Flying:

XC & Site Flying 101 - The Basics -

General Radio Use Guidelines:

If site flying: Use low power settings
Realize that if you are chatting it up, you may be blocking other critical transmissions up to 50 miles away.
Do not use up airwave time by asking for someone by name only or broadcasting non information.
Realize that your broadcast was probably heard, but other pilots were probably busy thermaling or your broadcast did not warrant a response.

Keep radio transitions short and useful to the point info:

Who: “This is “Pilot Name”
What: Who, what, where, other (conditions . . . that would be useful to others in route)
When: On transitions, getting low, back up, gaggle flying decision points, relaying/ rebroadcasting info from pilots that are low or that have landed out and may not have line of sight signal strength.
Where: “Location & Altitude” Learn and use common way-point names, and roads
WX & Other : (conditions . . . that would be useful to others in route) (short Gaggle coordination)

Examples of good radio transitions:

“This is “Pilot X”, 9K at Granite, Going on glide to Vulcan, Winds SE @ 10” “Pilot Z What's your 20”
“This is “Pilot Z”, Low, 1K over Earthquake Valley, may be landing, Winds East @ 10”
“This is “Pilot Z”, Back in game, Thermaling 7K over Scissors Crossing, Winds SE @ 2 in convergence line”
“This is “Pilot Y”, Setting up to land in Wash, Winds SE @ 10”
“This is “Pilot Y”, Landed Safe in Wash, Winds SE @ 5”
“This is “Pilot X”, 10K over Banner in convergence line, on glide to Vulcan; “Pilot Y Landed Safe in Wash, Wash winds SE @ 5 will need retrieve”

Slide for Printing:

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SDHGPA "Free Flight Forever" Donation Matching

2/29/2016

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3-29-2016 Update

THANKS TO ALL PILOTS:
The USHPA RRG initial minimum funding Goal Has Been Reached!

We Also Made Our full SDHGPA matching donation goal of 100 pilots and $10,000.00!

Thank you to all our members that donated so generously, to put SDHGPA into the Free Flight Forever Founders Circle.

If you have not already donated, it is not too late to add your name to the list of donors!

The money we raise above this initial minimum goal will be used to increase the RRG's initial capital, offset startup costs, and make it easier to gain approval from the insurance commission. This will make the RRG stronger and better able to protect our sites, schools, and members.

Add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation
and SDHGPA will add $100 per new Donor!

Donate Now

If you have already made a donation and did not name SDHGPA as an Affiliation -
You can update your Chapter Affiliation , or privacy settings using this form:

Update Chapter Affiliation

1-27-2016

USHPA is getting close, But Let's drive this over the top!
The USHPA fundraising goal was set as a minimum. The more we raise, the lower our premiums will be.

Add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation
and SDHGPA will match $100 of your tax deductible donation!

Free Flight as we know it it today is at risk and we will likely lose most of our Flying Sites in San Diego on March 1st if we do not rally to support USHPA's Free Flight Forever campaign.

Martin Palmaz on State of USHPA Insurance

Yes, this is a big deal.
If we as USHPA members do not reach the , Free Flight Forever self insurance fund raising goals, and if USHPA is not able to reestablish insurance policies. We , SDHGPA members, will likely lose our ability to fly as we do today at Palomar, Big Black, Little Black, Laguna Upper Launch, Laguna Earthquake Valley LZ, Horse Anderson Field LZ. All of these sites will all likely be closed starting March 1st of this year if we do nothing.

What is SDHGPA doing about this big threat to our Flying Sites

The SDHGPA Board has met and we feel that this is as rainy day as it gets. The Board unanimously agreed to bleed down our SDHGPA reserve funds to help ensure that USHPA meets it's self insurance objectives. The following motion was passed unanimously:

SDHGPA will match $100 of each SDHGPA Member's "USHPA Free Flight Forever RRG Capitalization Fund" donations for those that donate naming SDHGPA as a Chapter Affiliation up $10K in total from SDHGPA reserve funds.

That would make a total of at least 20K from SDHGPA. This is about $80 per Annual Member that we had in 2015 if each member donated. It would be great if all members could donate, but unlikely; So we raised the SDHGPA Matching to $100 per member.

To Enable SDHGPA Free Flight Forever Donation Matching:

We need each and every SDHGPA Member to step up and help save our sites

Please consider increasing your donation to at least $100 to maximize SDHGPA Matching, or If you have not already done so, Please
Donate to The Free Flight Forever Fund.

Donation Link

When Making your Donation, add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation

If you have already made a donation and did not name SDHGPA as an Affiliation -
You can update your Chapter Affiliation using this form:

Update Chapter Affiliation

FAQ: Yes the SDHGPA match is retroactive. However, you will need to add an Chapter Affiliation if you did not list it. Early donations did not get the option of adding a Chapter Affiliation or sign up for the Donation level Shirt or Jacket. If you need to update your Chapter Affiliation, public/anonymous status and sign up for a shirt/jacket from previous donations, you can do that on this page: https://fs30.formsite.com/officeushpaaero/form25/index.html

Need more convincing on why it is so important?

Think of it as a cheap insurance policy that is tax deductible!
Would you consider driving down the road without auto insurance? - Don't think so -

Open Letter from Bill Helliwell

Will you fly without USHPA insurance?

As you may know, First Flight Insurance Group will not renew the insurance policies that USHPA has with them when the policies expire at the end of February. Check out the USHPA web site and “Free Flight Forever” page for information.

You aren't an instructor, you don't to tandem flights. So you think you don't need insurance?

Some of our sites that we cover as additional insured will be gone; Big Black, Little Black, and quite likely Palomar. But you will still be able to fly at Otay, Blossom, Horse (without Anderson's field), Laguna (without the upper launch and the lz's at Butterfield and Earthquake Valley).

So what's the problem?
What if you cause injury to someone's property or, even worse, to someone's person?

That injured person may sue you. Are you prepared to cover the cost in money and time? That is what the USHPA pilot liability insurance takes care of. What if you are found liable? That could take a big chunk of what you have now and a chunk of whatever you make in the future. Your quality of life would be seriously reduced.

Such accidents are rare, but can be very costly. That is what insurance is for. Such accidents have happened. One example is from Washington. In the setup area a dust devil picked up a hang glider and slammed it into a spectator. The innocent bystander was paralyzed. USHPA insurance stepped in to defend the pilots and land owner. Without that insurance the spectator and family would come after every pilot at the site. Paragliders are not immune. A gust of wind at launch could haul the glider and pilot across the ground and into a spectator. The loaded lines could easily cause catastrophic cuts or worse. It could happen. Do you want to take the chance?

USHPA is working on a solution, essentially helping to form an insurance company to self-insure USHPA activities. The insurance company will provide the three types of insurance, pilot liability insurance, site insurance, and instructor insurance. Each of the three types will have its own premium schedule, requirements, and payouts. Governments require such companies, referred to as self insured or specifically a Risk Retention Group (RRG), to follow organizational laws. The one that matters to us is that the RRG must have two million dollars up front. That money is required to form the company, I guess just to be there in case there is a suit soon after the company is formed. In time each type of insurance the company offers will be self contained, no mingling of premiums between the three insurance policies.

To Make a Donation today: https://www.ushpa.aero/donation_form-RRG.asp

If you have questions and want more information on the USHPA Insurance Issues See:

Free Flight Forever

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El Monte Valley Sand Mining - Call to Help Say No

9/24/2015

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Call to sign "vote NO on Sand Mining in El Monte Valley Petition"

SDHGPA pilots:

A sand mining company is proposing to remove sand from El Monte Valley. This is a huge operation, covering hundreds of acres and making a hole 100 feet deep. The initial work would be at the West end of the Valley. Take a look at this web site: https://saveelmontevalley.wordpress.com

Look at the various links, starting with: what when who how why

The input for the CEQA process is over, however, there is still a long process involved in gaining approval. The final step is when the County Board of Supervisors reviews it and says yes or no.

The main page of the web site has a letter to the Board of Supervisors. At the bottom of that letter is a link to a page that allows you to sign a petition requesting that approval for sand mining be denied. ( https://saveelmontevalley.wordpress.com/2015/08/16/petitioning-chair-of-san-diego-county-board-of-supervisors-bill-hornsdcounty-ca-gov/ )

What can we do today to help?

I encourage all residents of San Diego County to sign this petition. ( https://www.change.org/p/no-on-el-monte-sand-mines-in-lakeside-bill-horn-sdcounty-ca-gov-we-urge-the-county-board-of-supervisors-to-vote-no )

If you would like to help further, write a letter today to a County Supervisor.

If we can help Blossom Valley residents save their Valley it would help us maintain our good relationship with them.

Bill Helliwell
SDHGPA Site Director & Treasure

Go to Save El Monte Valley Website

Go to Save El Monte Valley Facebook page

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Little Black XC - OTB North Route

5/12/2015

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May 9th 2015 Flight Report by Steve Rohrbaugh

This past Saturday conditions looked to be setting up perfectly for an attempt at flying XC from Little Black. Forecast for the day indicated a possibility of being another record day if the conditions cooperated and all the stars aligned just right.

From past flight attempts along this route, the hardest part of this route is making the transition out of the San Pasqual Valley.

But getting to San Pasqual Valley is a great beautiful 12 mile XC flight all in it's own!

Stoneridge Country Club golf course from 3.3k at cloud base looking back to LB.

Little Black to San Pasqual Valley : 5-19-2015

As it tuned out, the expected post frontal conditions were playing hide and seek at Little Black . . . and were a bit more elusive then predicted.

I arrived around 11 and conditions were already on and pulsating between partially sunny to fully clouded over. Gate was locked due to it raining for the prior 1.5 days, so there were some hanging out there. (When the gate is locked, the the Park is still open. However the Rangers prefer for us to park over in the Ball Field Parking lot and hike over vs blocking / partially blocking the locked gate. They like the Road to dry out for a couple of days after a rain prior to unlocking the gate for vehicles.)

Conditions early looked good to 3k if your could work the small thermals before it turned to solid overcast. Early, there were many sun patches allowing for small growing clouds to form with bases around 2-3k indicating the lift was there and it was working. By the time we got up on launch, lots of the open sky had filled back in.

The early lift eluded many that launched shortly after as the clouds thickened back up completely shading out the early heating.

The key to climbing out at Little Black was working the effective SW faces to match the prevailing SW winds. This combined with turning tight enough to grab and stay in the small tight thermals in a complete 360 once having the ground clearance.

By doing so, I managed a nice 12 mile OTB XC to San Pasquale Valley before running out of sun by tracking and flying from sun spot thermal to sun spot thermal along my selected route. For the most part, I was able to stay ahead of the completely shaded over areas until San Pasqual Valley.

The Thermal by Thermal

The 1st good thermal and climb out of Little Black was out in front along the SW spine of the 800. This took me to 3k and drifted with that back behind the towers. This was feeding a cloud that had a higher base then clouds on each side of it just to the West and East. This took me to 3.5k 1/2 way back to the 15 were the airspace steps up.

There was significant sink on the back side of Little Black and I jumped onto 3/4 speed bar until well past the 15. At that point I was on glide for Landing at the Rancho Bernardo HS or Bernardo Heights Country Club. In route, just over Camino Del Norte at 2k msl, I picked up another solid thermal and took that back up to cloud base at 3.5k. That 1st thermal always sets the pace for the day in this flatland flying segment.

From there, went on glide toward Stoneridge Country Club golf course and Starvation Mt while working slightly more north / cross wind to allow for thermal tracking drift further down the route. This would buy me some margin without worrying about being pined up against the Ramona Airspace later. Once again at ~ 2k I found another nice thermal to 3.3k over Old Coach Rd.

Then again on a cross wind glide vectoring for the Wild Animal Park. The next thermal was on the West spine of Starvation Mt. This was a nice but week thermal with significant drift. If it were not for having to stay clear of the Ramona Air Space, I would have stuck with that thermal as it was drifting toward a nice large sunny area on the north side of Ramona back near and well past Charlie's house. Problem is, that area is right smack in the Air Space on the north side of the airport. That thermal did however give me enough at 2.6k to comfortably enter into the San Pasqual Valley without rotor concerns and enough left over for a stress free glide to the Northern side of the Valley.

Once there in the Valley I was about 1-2 miles West and behind the sun patches. This left me with no heating or workable lift beyond a buoyant glide down the valley's north ridge line. There was also no effective ridge lift along the North side of the valley were I was expecting there to be lift along the west facing features due to relatively weak prevailing W winds. Without getting any lift along the way and realizing the winds were very light for any type of sustained ridge lift, I could not safely make the next jump over some power lines and onto the west facing side valley.

I landed in the Sana Ysabel Creek Wash at the 78 crossing bridge. Just as I was landing, I was greeted with a few spits of rain that fortunately did not mount to much more then a few drops.

Last 1/2 of flight glide segments Video

Flight Stats:
Linear distance 12.0 mi (11.0 mph)
Max Distance 12.6 mi (11.6 mph)
XC Distance 14.1 mi (12.9 mph)
Duration 1:05:22

Max alt (ASL) 3522 ft
Min alt (ASL) 419 ft
Takeoff alt (ASL) 1164 ft
Altitude gain 2358 ft
Max speed 37.3 mph
Mean speed 16.9 mph

Big thanks to Dmitri for the retrieve!

Track Log for the Day and the North XC Route out of Little Black

This route requires Flat Land thermaling skills and glide ratio judgment while threading available safe landing options. To add to the challenge, This route also typically requires cross wind glides to get around the Ramona Air Space.

Notice West thermal drift in comparison to NE glides on this most recent flight. This route is easier with a SW tail wind, but still usually requires cross wind work to the north. The benefit of this North route is that it avoids Miramar approach Air Space ceilings to the south.

5-9-15 Flight Track w/ Ramona Air Space Overlay

Some other Notable flights along this route making it to the San Pasqual Valley from Little Black with similar lines: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/compare/1155133,831460,518775,315702,867622

XC Map and Way-point Files are available in the Members Only sections:

SDHGPA Route Maps & Waypoint Files

Conditions we are looking for to Fly XC from Little Black:

Screen Shots of 5-9-15 & Using theFlight Prediction tools on the SDHGPA WX Dashboard

Those that flew Little Black later in the day or re-hiked up were well rewarded with flights lasting till sunset with altitudes to 2k late in the day.

Fred & Joseph Enjoying the Late Evening Glass-off Into the Sunset.

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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).

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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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.

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.

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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