Category: Articles

Radio Etiquette

5/17/2023

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Updated 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
Think about what you want to say, then then broadcast keeping it short and to the point.
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. 
It is reaffirming for the and helps to repeat a message if you are at altitude or on the ground and it is convenient for you to do so.

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 or in fight)
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: “Location & Altitude” Learn and use common way-point names, and roads. Note that multiple Sites can here the transmissions and is good to know what LZ or launch you are reporting conditions for.
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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Santa Ana Winds and Flight

12/20/2020

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This article has been a long time coming and is a collection of posts and input from multiple respected pilots in our area.

As pilots, we should not underestimate warnings about Santa Ana (devil/ satin) wind.

Santa Ana winds can be violently unpredictable. However, "mild" SA conditions can give sites like Elsinore lovely ridge lift in the late afternoon & evenings. But how does one know if it is a mild event?

Look at the gust factors at the site AND surrounding stations 10-15 miles away.
If the gust factor is 2-3X the base wind, it will not be good, even if the base is light. https://www.sdhgpa.com/weather-stations.html
Are there opposing wind factors? (those need to be added) A West wind @ 5 meeting an East @ 5 = a wind factor of 10)
Remember, predicted winds and models do not consider micro environmental factors
Are the gust factors and predicted gust factors within USHPA recommended flight parameters for your rating?
Get it wrong and there can be dire consequences. This is one reason that we closed Fuzz.

Simply, Flying Elsinore 500' off the deck parked in even mellow gusty conditions is really not all that fun with a high pucker factor.

Another way to put it: If local hot pilot Chris Cote is not flying due to SA conditions, you should think twice about launching on an SA day. Chris routinely flies bronco air and still doesn't like SA conditions.

SoCal Santa Anas are similar to Bay area and Central Cal "Diablo" wind patterns caused by descending cold air in the Great Basin.

The Devil Wind: A Brief History of the Santa Anas The Devil Wind: A Brief History of the Santa Anas

Southern California usually sits in a delicate climatic balance. On one side, the chilly waters of the Pacific, transported from Alaska via the California Current, stabilize air temperatures and provide a ready source of moisture. On the other, a palisade of mountains blocks the extremes of the desert from coastal communities.

The Santa Anas upset that balance, ushering in hot, dry, desert-like conditions. But while the Santa Anas are often called desert winds, the term is misleading; the winds are not simply blowing desert air over Southern California's coastal plain. Instead, Santa Anas result from a cool, dry air mass that hovers over the continental interior of the American West. When that air descends from the higher-elevation basins to sea level, it warms and becomes even drier.

KCET Lost LA episode
The Devil Wind: A Brief History of the Santa Anas

Also great Article along with the above show: https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/a-brief-history-of-the-santa-ana-winds

David M:

Flying SA conditions is always rolling dice. If you like that sort of thing, go for it - but if you have kids, a spouse, a pet, anything that depends on your continued productivity, remember that you're rolling dice for them, too.

Chris Cote:

I consider Santa Ana as advanced pilot conditions. They can change in strength quickly which can move the convergence line quickly to the west.

Have a look at the site you are choosing to fly and imagine the wind flow reversed. Where's the rotor now? What landing options? Any new dangers?

It can be done and can work very well at times, but it's for advanced pilots, not new pilots hungry to fly.

A post from winter, 2018: For any visiting pilots, the NE winds we've been experiencing will continue today, but should ease a bit in the afternoon. This is not a typical Santa Ana where the air is warm, it's very cold. This allows it to gather speed as it descends towards the coast and push under the ocean air-mass.

The foothills is where it's the strongest.

On a typical hot SA day it's possible to get a flight on the convergence line(usually the ocean side). I've never personally flown this type of condition.

Today is probably a good day to do some site seeing as the viability is quite good.

Steve Rohrbaugh:

As a general guide line, we don't fly our east facing Sites in Santa Ana conditions unless tail end or very mild events. For 80% of Santa Ana condition events, it is likely not a good idea to fly and better to find an alternative activity.

We fly our East facing Sites in katabatic conditions and early day thermal activity with the days switching to convergence flying. Think of and use the East Facing Sites as light wind pure thermal Sites vs windy ridge lift sites.

Horse & Fuzz Site Guide on SA conditions: Sub Site Fuzz Launch: (Closed)

Fuzz was a rarely used historical launch on the southwest side of the valley (across from the primary Horse Canyon launch site).

Due to the conditions is works in (east winds), it is extremely dangerous and should be considered closed. Fuzz should not be flown in easterly Santa Ana wind conditions. Santa Ana winds and lift tend to be highly unpredictable and often violent.

On Convergence days, it is better to wait for the convergence winds to go to 0 or slightly blowing in on the Horse side of the canyon, then cross the valley with altitude if flying over Fuzz is desired.

Launch at Fuzz is 1/3 height of Horse altitude and ground clearance, as well as being small and unimproved which lead to additional problems.

Most advanced pilots find the risk to reward ratio not worth the effort to launch Fuzz.

Fuzz is closed and use is highly discouraged.

What makes the Santa Ana winds blow through Southern California?
Summary Recap of WX Article from the LA Times: (worth reading the fill LA Times Article)

Cold Great Basin high pressure airmass flows through the mountains toward low pressure on the coast.
As the air sinks, it is compressed and warms.
The air heats up and dries out as it flows down slope over the mountains multiple times.
Mountain ranges block the air in places as it heads toward the sea. The winds seek openings such as passes and canyons, which accelerate the velocity, creating a venturi effect much like a nozzle on a garden hose.
Winds can gust from 45 to 100 mph as they squeeze through passes and canyons

Gusts become more and more unpredictably sporadic and turbulent as the winds get chopped up over and through each mountain leeside, pass and canyon.

Good Articles on Santa Ana weather conditions:

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Weather station on Little Black

1/14/2020

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This past Sunday (January 12th, 2020) we got the year off to a fine start with another Holfuy weather station installation, this time at Little Black. After about a year and half of working with the park rangers there (well done Jeff Brown!) we agreed on a spot, set up a date, and rallied the troops.

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What's on your deck?

2/20/2019

5 Comments

Sky flyers! What do you use to navigate the ocean of air? Are you a flying Luddite or a Techno-Tim?

At a recent club meeting a few of us shared what instruments we're flying with. The clear favorite was David Hatfield's, but it was interesting to see how both new and more experienced pilots set up their kit.

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What's your weather flow?

2/2/2019

3 Comments

People of the sky, let’s talk about weather! More specifically, how do YOU look at the local flying forecast? What sites do you go to, what do you look for on them, and how often do you check?

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SDHGPA XC contest 2019

1/18/2019

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The SDHGPA 2018-2019 Season XC Contest pages have been set up for the year and ready to list & score flights for the season.

Looks like Brad is in the current leader position for this year, but hold onto your seat boards as we are just two months in and the prime season is yet to begin.

You don't need to be a contest leader to join in on the fun. The Shirt Awards are for individual achievements and . . . it is never too late to join in!

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The 9 Points of control: groundhandling

1/11/2019

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I was out kiting the other day in swirly winds and was joined by a relative newbie to the sport. As I watched them kite, I noticed a few things that suddenly gelled for me.

First, that kiting (and paragliding) is an extraordinarily complex activity that pretends to be simple: Get the wing up, keep it stable overhead.

Depending on conditions, that can be as easy as using just the hips to pull up the wing, or as difficult as using all 9 control inputs you have when kiting. More on those 9 inputs in a bit.

Article by Nik Hawks

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what I learned in 2018

1/4/2019

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An Intermediate Pilot's Journey

What can you learn from a year of flying?

My intent this year was to focus on the fundamentals of paragliding: Launches, landings, and basic wing management in the sky. Here's how that worked out:

Article by Nik Hawks

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The helmet question

12/29/2018

22 Comments

There’s nothing like being in the market for a helmet to have everyone you meet mention, “Well, when you buy one, let me know what you got.”

I got into the market after slamming into a mountain and cracking my helmet in the crash. Cracking a modern helmet is not easy, and it made picking out my second helmet a far more serious affair than when I bought my first.

Article by Nik Hawks

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October Update & 2018 in review

10/20/2018

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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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Meeting Minutes, News, & Articles

Radio Etiquette

Santa Ana Winds and Flight

Weather station on Little Black

What's on your deck?

What's your weather flow?

SDHGPA XC contest 2019

The 9 Points of control: groundhandling

what I learned in 2018

The helmet question

October Update & 2018 in review

SDHGPA

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