Meeting Minutes 3/19/26

San Diego Hang Glider & Paragliding Association
Monthly Meeting Minutes

Date: March 19, 2026
Location: Little Black Glider Site
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

1. Call to Order

• The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Club President Steve Rohrbaugh.

2. Attendance

• Approximately 15 members were in attendance. Individual names were not recorded.
• A quorum was not established.

3. Site Updates

Palomar Flying Site:

• The Palomar flying site remains closed at this time.
• The Pala Roberts Ranch is asking for a very large policy that would be larger than any of the large ski resort requirements as a condition of further use. This would be difficult to secure and would be a very large cost burden. Pala was unwilling to negotiate to lower-limit requirements at this time. All Pala-owned and Reservation land should be considered closed to Launching or Landing activities at this time.
• We are looking at other options to reopen the Site using other launch Locations used in the past and LZ locations used in the past. However those will take further work to resecure and open use.
• The existing Lyall landing strip LZ is currently usable for operations; however, there is no available vehicle parking at the location.

Palomar Pala Roberts Ranch - Closed Area

Palomar Nate Harrison Grade Launch Options

• The Smiley launch is considered likely feasible; however, it takes a S-SW base wind primarily and is often in the typical West wind shadow in a rotor condition. Also a new landing zone (LZ) must be established to support safe and sustainable operations.
• The CNF launches (3 locations) on the spine between Smiley and the Pala Robert's Ranch Main launch look like the most promising new Main Launch location into prevailing winds.
• Based on member reconnaissance, the former “Piano LZ” is currently the most promising candidate for reuse as a new main landing area off of the Robert's ranch. However further research is required, including outreach and coordination with current property owners to assess feasibility and access permissions.
• Members are encouraged to continue scouting for alternative landing zones and potential launch sites, as substantial additional effort will be required to evaluate and develop viable long-term options.
• The desired to look for possible LZ purchase or lease options were discussed and would be money better spent then towards a very large reoccurring annual insurance premium.
• The Foundation for Free Flight might have possible grant availabilities to help with Site LZ acquisitions.​

4. Weather Stations

• We have repair parts in house for most of the stations.
• The El Cap Station has been rebuilt and installed thanks to the efforts of Jeff Brown and Nik Hawk.
• LB weather station has been rebuilt and Jeff has been trying to coordinate access to the towers through the Open Space Rangers. This has been taking several months due to access process and requirements. The Rangers and open space has been slow to respond to vehicle access requests. A few at the meeting offered to help Jeff with the installation by carrying up a ladder and equipment to make the replacement installation. This would alleviate the need to coordinate vehicle access
• Laguna: We have parts to build a replacement station for the one vandalized. However, we are a bit hesitant to reuse the existing SW station mast location due to it being vandalized two times before. We need to explore and think about alternative locations that would provide the type of data that we would be looking for to evaluate base winds vs thermal strength coming up the escarpment and if is blowing in or down (East or West) without being in a rotor condition.

5. New Business

Membership Application and Tracking System:

• A primary topic of discussion was the club’s membership application and tracking system.
• It was noted that several club members possess strong technical expertise in software and application development, presenting an opportunity to significantly improve the current system.
• The group discussed the potential to modernize and expand the system into a more robust and efficient platform.
• Further planning is required to define scope, resources, governance, and implementation structure.

Membership Chair Proposal:

• A proposal was discussed to create a dedicated “Membership Chair” position.
• This role would oversee membership administration and potentially coordinate any development or modernization of the membership system.

Annual Elections:

• A brief discussion was held regarding the need for formal annual elections for club leadership positions.
• It is our desire to bring in the next generation of club leadership and volunteer participation to start learning and picking up the torch to help keep the club and our San Diego flying sites viable for generations into the future. The club and our local flying community can be and will be what we make it into.
• It was agreed that a nomination period and election schedule should be established, with a deadline for nominations set prior to the end of next month.
• A formal election date will be determined following the close of nominations.

6. Safety Discussion

• Reminder was made that all potential sites should be reviewed and coordinated through the club prior to use.
• A brief mention was made of the upcoming safety meeting hosted by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, and members were encouraged to stay informed and participate as appropriate. For those that missed the Accident Review Committee - 2026 Spring Webinar with Chris Santacroce the recording is now up on the USHPA website for all USHPA members.​

• Springtime PSA:
  As we shift into spring flying conditions, it's time to reset our winter flying clocks for the appropriate times to fly for the season at all of our inland flying sites. (LB included).
  As the days lengthen, the times to fly will continue to shift with the length of the solar day, with appropriate times to fly anchored to 2-3 hrs from sunrise to sunset.

7. Open Forum

• No formal motions were recorded.
• USHPA Membership Insurance and Chapter model discussion: - The Model Leverages Chapter risk management developed to USHPA procedures for the benefit of all USHPA members at Sites the Chapter Members fly for recreational non-commercial purposes.
  • USHPA Member
  • Chapter
  • Landowners (if requested or required as a condition of use or a permit)
  • Commercial flight activities require separate commercial level coverage 
• General discussion occurred among members regarding site access and organizational development topics.

8. Action Items

1. Investigate feasibility of the Piano LZ, including ownership and access permissions – Assigned to: TBD
2. Open a conversation with the Foundation For Free Flight regarding possible grant availability to help with a potential Palomar site preservation LZ purchase.   
3. Conduct outreach to property owners regarding potential landing zones – Assigned to: TBD
4. Continue member-led scouting for alternative launch and landing sites – Assigned to: All members
5. Make initial contact with the The Foundation for Free Flight to start opening up conversations about possible grant availabilities for Site LZ acquisitions.
6. Develop proposal for membership system improvement and Membership Chair role definition – Assigned to: TBD
7. Establish nomination deadline and define annual election schedule – Assigned to: Board / Officers
8. Weather Station installation activities

9. Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
• Next meeting will be held at one of the brewery locations

Minutes submitted by:
John Bartholomew, Club Secretary