Reminder: All 2021 Annual (calendar year) memberships expired on Dec 31st. 
​
​For 2022 Site & Gate access: Join or Renew SDHGPA Membership if you have not already done so for the 2022 calendar year.

• Site Gate Codes are only provided to Annual Members after Membership Verification and may take several weeks to process. If you desire immediate site gate access, Please Fly with current local active Annual Member Pilots for site access and site briefings. ​Visiting pilots can only gain gate access with a Full Member guide present.
• Annual Members will receive a separate email after verification on how to access the Member Only section of the website and receive current gate codes. ​

A small turnout for a big discussion.  A "Learn & Fly" event was proposed, where the intent is to provide structure for the transfer of knowledge.  Scroll down for more.

PRE-MEETING
David Norgren: Is Elsinore good to fly at this time of year?
Steve talks about typical seasonal conditions there and how it’s not a great place to fly at this time of year and in Santa Ana Conditions. The Site typicaly starts to work well starting in May and on when the flats start getting into the 90s. Typicaly is best Spring & Fall.

Check the 2 Holfuy stations up there

Site updates
Bill Helliwell is working on Laguna permit updates
Special Event (not Special Use) permit.  Special Use gives us more ability to do maintenance to the site.  Laguna hasn’t had a full time staff member and it’s easier for them to have us fill out Event forms.

Still looking for meeting locations:  Any volunteers or venues?
A meeting room is fine, many restaurants/breweries have these for rent/free.
-Society Brewery in Kearny Mesa?
    -James A volunteers to check it out
    -third Thursday at 7:30 pm, 14-40 people show up
-community center in Scripps Ranch or Poway Community Center?

Weather Station Updates
-In Feb of next year, AT&T will drop 3G support
    -Holfuy has a new modem board, being tested in Phoenix AZ
    -a pilot (who?) in Bishop has set up LoRa weather stations, he may help guide us or help with programming
    -T-mobile might have a later sunset date in June
    -Anacapa anemometers?
    -Robb Milley has built an APRS solar powered weather station, volunteered to help.

Robb M, Nik H, and Jeff Brown volunteered to work together to find and implement a solution for this.

When do we want to have our first quarter Fly In & awards?
Proposed month of March, once local pilots have returned from their annual sojourn south to fly the fairer weather. 

Should this be a multi day event?  Proposals included a "week before" thermal clinic, followed by the event the following weekend.  

One issue brought up was that senior/junior pilots might not click, so having a rotating set of partners gives us all a chance to fly with more people and learn more.  Perhaps 4 events a year allow for us to do this?

Come on out and share the sky with the San Diego free flight crew.  Dinner & soft drinks will be provided by the club; Please bring a Fall Harvest worthy appetizer, side dish, salad, fruit, dessert, or drinks you'd like to share throughout the day (BYOB).

SDHGPA Membership is required to participate in the Fly-in Event and to Fly Palomar.
Please take care of Memberships and print parking passes BEFORE driving out if not current.

Check Current Membership Status here.

All memberships are available online, here.  Please make you're paid up and print out your Parking Pass before you arrive. Let's work together to keep these wonderful sites available to the free flight community!

Check back to this page for updates up to day of fly-in

​This will be a great event!!!

Rough Time Table:

• 12:00 - General Meeting Time & Set-up in LZ
• 1:00 - Drive to launch
• 1:30 - Site intros on Main Launch
• 1 - 5:30 - Launching 
• ​~4:30 BBQ Set-up & Start Cooking
• ~ 5pm - BBQ starts
  
• ​5:55 Sunset

Site: Palomar​
Where: Palomar Main LZ  
SDHGPA Palomar Main LZ - Roberts Ranch, 15482 CA-76, Pauma Valley, CA 92061  map

Please RSVP ​
​The Social Committee would like some help from some volunteers to help coordinate, set up, and break down.

RSVP Responses

SDHGPA Summer ​Fly-in Fiesta 2021
&
XC Awards Ceremony for 2018, 2019, & 2020:  

Aug 14th @ Palomar!

Come on out and share the sky with the San Diego free flight crew.  Dinner & soft drinks will be provided by the club; Please bring a Fiesta worthy appetizer, side dish, salad, fruit, dessert, or drinks you'd like to share throughout the day (BYOB).

SDHGPA Membership is required to participate in the Fly-in Event and to Fly Palomar.
Please take care of Memberships and print parking passes BEFORE driving out if not current.

Check Current Membership Status here.

All memberships are available online, here.  Please make you're paid up and print out your Parking Pass before you arrive. Let's work together to keep these wonderful sites available to the free flight community!

Check back to this page for updates up to day of fly-in

​This will be a great event!!!

Site: Palomar​
Where: Palomar Main LZ  
SDHGPA Palomar Main LZ - Roberts Ranch, 15482 CA-76, Pauma Valley, CA 92061  map

Post Flying Fiesta & Awards Ceremony:
By popular demand, we will be having a Taco Cart in the LZ.
​
Main Course (Taco Cart) will be provided by the club however it is also an potluck; so plan to bring a Fiesta worthy appetizer, side dish, salad, fruit, dessert, or drinks you'd like to share throughout the day and post flying (BYOB).

Also Bring out your favorite Yard Games! for post flying fun & socializing: bocce ball, corn hole, ladder toss . . .

Cost: 
SDHGPA Members: Free for SDHGPA Members (included as Membership benefit)
Non-flying guest: $10 BBQ/ donation for Taco Cart is appreciated.
​
SDHGPA Membership is required to participate in the Fly-in at Palomar and covers the taco cart as a membership benefit. (Full Annual Membership, or Visiting Pilot membership is valid for this event. For non flying guests, a $10/ person BBQ donation for taco cart is appreciated)

Note that all Cars must have a parking pass in the LZ & Launch (& no parking out on the road).
Please take care of Memberships and print parking passes before driving out if not current.
All memberships are online and easier with a strong connection. . . ​
​

Check Current Membership Status here.

The Rich Matros Memorial X-C Contest - a rich history of XC free flight in Southern California

​Please RSVP
​The Social Committee would like some help from some volunteers to help coordinate, set up, and break down.

Social committee would like some help from some volunteers to help coordinate food pickup, set up and break down. Also, if you have a Portable Table that you would be willing to bring, that would be great. Ideally, we can get these things coordinated by mid day on the Friday before the event so that everything runs as smooth as possible on Saturday. 

RSVP Responses

6-17-2021 update
​For Palomar Palomar Main LZ gate, we have been asked to return the gate to the state if was in when passing through for the next few months:

• If the Main LZ gate is Locked when you arrive or leave: open and lock the gate behind us as we pass through the gate like we do at Launch  .
  
• If the Main LZ gate is Open when you arrive or leave: leave the gate open.

Our SDHGPA Laguna WX Station is down and we are working on trying to diagnose the problems and bring it back on line as soon as possible.

In talking with Holfuy, it looks like there might have been been a water ingress that has shorted out the electronics or lightning strike near by?  The Station started to experience solar charging system started to have problems on March 26th and the system stopped transmitting packet data on April 11th.

Our Laguna Launch station has been recording some of the most extreme weather in San Diego and Sothern California as recently noted by NOAA reaching out to us asking about this station.

We will need to schedule a recon trip out to the station to retrieve the main unit to know what to fix or repair. Unfortunately, the Station may be down for several weeks due to logistics and depending on repairs needed.

​We will post updates as we know more.

https://holfuy.com/en/weather/580

Great News!  The Laguna Upper Launch in the Anza Borrego State Park is back open, with our Permit for launching and landing within the State Park being renewed for 2021!

The Laguna Site Guide and Permits pages have been updated with the latest protocols and Permit information. Please read through the complete site guide before heading out to Laguna, as things have changed in the past year. Also, be sure to print out the Permit and COVID-19 Safe Reopening Plan along with your Membership cards to have on hand for the rangers. 

What we know as of today/ the above post date. . .

All SD Sites are back OPEN but roads up Horse & Big Black may closed before & after storms this time of year.
​ 
Flying Site Status with all of the COVID-19 and Fire Closures. We will try to update this list as we receive updates, but no guarantees and always check the referencing links.
​
If you have or know of any updates, please let us know and we will update this list.

Sites that we know are Closed :​

• All open, but check road status and if the Site has restrictions.

Some Sites are listed as OPEN; However, the County stay-at-home and social distancing orders except for essential needs are still in effect. ​Also the status of these sites may change to to Fire Hazards. Keep an eye on Sky-vector for TFRs & the Cal Fire maps this time of year. Also, flying XC from many sites could put you over CNF closed access terrain.

​Sites we know are open (if following City & County mandates):

• Palomar -OPEN watch out for new well pipe in near the road in the LZ & other Hazards, look for new parking lot area, walk Palomar before you fly the site.: via Bill H: well pipe, about a 1’ in diameter and 4’ high in / near original Approach path. The Ranch is requesting that we land to the NW side of the building where HG typically land. 
• Horse: OPEN again after Fire hazard closure for drive up and hike in uses. Check for Road closure status: : Sheephead Mountain Road (15S18) , see the SDHGPA CNF Road Closure article and check the CNF Road closure page. 
• Laguna: Upper Launch & Earthquake Valley LZ: OPEN (The SDHGPA ABSP permit has been renewed for 2021 but has restrictions due to COVID-19 Safe reopening.) There is a Limit to gatherings of 10 on launch. We also need to let Bill H know ahead of time that we will be flying the Site so that he can text the rangers. See the Laguna Site Guide, Permit, and Safe Reopening plan for details.
• Laguna (Lower Cliff Launch): Open (only if flying the HG Cliff Launch and Kwaaymii Point road is open to traffic. ) (Kwaaymii Point road is BLM, but may be gated or restricted by S1 access thorough CNF & ABSP)
• Big Black: OPEN again after Fire hazard closure for drive up and hike in uses. Check for Road closure status: Black Mountain Road (11S04), see the SDHGPA CNF Road Closure article and check the CNF Road closure page. 
• Little Black - Black Mountain Open Space  : OPEN
• Blossom - keep it Chill & Keep an eye on Fire TFR and other possible fire related air support ops pulling water out of the local reservoirs. If the water drop spotters see HG, PG, RCs, or drones in the air, they will flag off air drop water support aircraft operations and may impact fire fighting efforts. 
• Otay is probably open weekends. Closed mid week due to construction activity on road.
• Elsinore: OPEN again after Fire Hazard closure: Technically both launches are in the CNF. South Main Divide (6S07) check the CNF Road closure page.  Open to local residence only? Parking along or off the road for recreational use may lead to vehicles being ticketed.
• Torrey Pines Glider Port: OPEN - Check in with the TPGP office for TPGP status updates.

Status of SD City Parks/ Flying & Kitting Locations: as of 4-20-2020
Be sure to check the PDF List at the Above link as some of this may change. Note that larger/ higher use areas and trails remain closed. The following areas are open or closed for Passive Use only (walking, jogging, or hiking​). We have no formal interpretation if this included passive Free Flight)

• Black Mountain Open Space (Little Black) : OPEN
• Torrey Pines City Park, Shoreline Parks (also known as Glider Port): as a Park is OPEN, including pilots
• Black Mountain Ranch Community Park (Ball Fields / Kitting Location): OPEN
• Hilltop Community Park (Kitting Location): OPEN
• Hilltop Recreation Center: CLOSED
• Kate O. Sessions Neighborhood Park (Kitting Location if south): OPEN
• Mission Bay Park (Kitting Locations):  Tecolote Shores and Most locations:  OPEN

​Rene Falquier 

Site: Sage Hill
​1-18-2021

Sage Hill is a non-maintained flying site in the Santa Ynes Valley, north of Santa Barbara. The takeoff sits on a spine that protrudes perpendicularly from the north side of the east-to-west running valley. The launch is therefore west facing into the westward valley wind. Local conditions were very protected from the influence of the prevalent Santa Anas that were battering SoCal at the time, and this was a primary factor in site choice. Conditions were considered typical, if a little on the strong side, per local guidance.

Like many incidents, mine followed a chain of flawed decisions/mistakes before the "primary one". I am embarrassed to admit that some of these were very rookie mistakes. There is an undeniable element of complacency and intermediate syndrome in this incident. 

Dan Zaslavasky and Razi Alon witnessed the incident and were crucial contributors to a thorough and honest debrief. Their inputs and insights were indispensable in the writing of this report. 

Going into the day, I was tired from the day before, somewhat dehydrated, and held a sense of skepticism about the site I had chosen to fly but committed to taking a look with no qualms about hiking back down. After assessment of conditions on launch (~30 minutes spent on launch before making a decision/unpacking), it seemed within the limits of my skill and relative comfort while recognizing an above-average risk factor and a lower risk-reward factor than I usually take. In retrospect, I also recognize a more distracted mental state than my baseline due to high stress in my non-paragliding life.

​I set up on the slope of the spine, rather than the top of it. This made sense to me at the time because I wanted to avoid being in the compression on the top of the spine due to the strong conditions. I forgot to consider that on the slope, you can get plucked rather than dragged. On some launches, a gust can mean getting inadvertently plucked. On others, a gust can mean a dragging - on all launches, it is better to avoid both while considering the respective probability and consequence of each. In retrospect, this particular launch had a large grassy slope with a gentle gradient behind launch and presented low impact in case of being dragged. My decision to launch on the slope was therefore suboptimal from this standpoint. There is also less debris up top than on the slope.

Another mistake was to try and hook up and clear my lines in the takeoff area as opposed to doing this in a more sheltered place, which there was. I should not have been on takeoff unless I was one hundred percent ready to go. Being on launch, regardless of the type of launch, means EVERYTHING has to be ready to go. ​

I had originally set up for a cobra launch and asked fellow pilot Dan Zaslavasky to help me with getting the wingtip into the airstream it was later determined that I had not made it sufficiently clear what I wanted Dan to help with at this point. The cobra was not working for me, so I chose a traditional reverse launch instead and had a nice wall built up but saw a stick in my lines, which Dan helped me clear. There was a lot of potential for more debris to be captured upon inflation in the particular space I was occupying.

I inflated my wing from a reverse launch position during a relative lull in the base wind, and as far as my memory serves me, the wing came up completely clean: free of debris and with no cravats/line overs. The cycle felt weird, and I insisted on kiting my wing as I did not want to set it down and risk picking up debris again. In retrospect, I should have just put the wing down, and I think this was the key mistake. As I was turning, I took a sizeable deflation on the left side, which caused some adverse yaw/roll towards the left side of the wing. This was followed by a smaller deflation on the right, which popped right back open.

A gust came through right after this moment and picked me up as Dan was yelling that I had a cravat on my left side wingtip, likely from the aforementioned large deflation on the ground. I completely failed to identify it between the moment the deflation occurred and getting picked up by the gust. My flight was thus initiated with the cravat engaged on my left-side wingtip. ​

​I immediately focused on steering my glider and keeping it open/flying. I had an acceptable glide to the main LZ (which was large, grassy, and open) but with compromised penetration into the wind and an increased sink rate. There were some power lines I would need to cross just before the LZ. I committed to trying the main LZ while keeping an eye on the power lines knowing I could effectively steer into the wind (i.e. towards my right) with the open right-hand side and therefore abort the crossing over the power lines if needed. Aborting would have meant a tree landing, but this seemed acceptable relative to my options.  

I considered other options on my glide. There was a large field behind me, but it was in the lee of the takeoff spine, and setting up would have required a downwind turn toward the cravat side and then counter steering back into the wind with the open side or some other combination of inputs that could have caused a stall, a spin, or an auto-rotation. I could have also aimed for the narrow, winding, mostly dry riverbed below, but this would have also led to a likely tree landing. Trying the main LZ while being mindful of the power lines seemed like a better option. I generally avoided steering in the direction of the cravat because I wasn't convinced I could counter-steer using the open side without stalling/spinning the wing. 

​In-flight, my priority was to maintain my heading, but I did attempt to clear the cravat with my stabilo line, and the left side A's / B's. The cravat did not budge, and I decided against more aggressive inputs (like big break pumps, spin-touch, or tail slide) due to my low terrain clearance. At one point, I tried a big ear on the open side to balance the cravat, but this was a mistake. It highly increased my sink rate, killed my glide, and made my glider feel less stable. I had to lightly pump out the big ear wingtip on my right side, and soon after it opened, I took a small deflation on that same side. The wing reopened with a slight dive before I could reach for my reserve. I still had terrain clearance but considered throwing my reserve anyway as I felt that if I took another deflation, it might result in a ground impact. The wing felt stable over my head, and I still had a good heading as well as an acceptable glide to the LZ, so I pressed on but recognized that there was a huge element of luck at play. I could not afford any further flawed inputs. 

I kept a close eye on the power lines. I had acceptable clearance, so I committed to crossing over them. It was not by a hair but still closer than ideal. Once over the main LZ all it took was a slight adjustment into the wind for my final, and I came down lightly and on my feet. Upon depowering the wing, the cravat came out. 

Fellow pilot Razi Alon suggested two alternative possibilities for the cravat:

• The first possibility he suggested was that Dan might have inadvertently caused a line over when he was helping me with my cobra mess.
• The second possibility he suggested was that setting up on the steep section of the hill and building a wall there could have caused the front lines to be taught during pre-launch wall but not the back lines – and that these could have created the cravat once they tightened up during inflation.

​While these hypotheses are very much worth considering in the given context, I distinctly remember a clean wall and the whole wing being open and free of line-overs or cravats when I brought it up. Furthermore, I suspect a line over would have taken more effort to clear than just depowering the wing upon landing. As such, I do not suspect that this is what happened in this particular case, but it doesn't change that it very well could have happened that way in a similar situation. Regardless, these hypotheses add weight to the reminder that I am responsible for clearing my lines and that extra diligence is required in unmaintained launches with lots of debris. 

This was all a considerable mistake that should not have happened, and there was a lot of luck in making it back on the ground safely. My skills only kept me barely outside the margin of a bad accident. This is not an acceptable margin. There is an ego component, a complacency component, a headspace component, a bad practice component, and a skills component in this story. It will be wise for me to pay heed to the lessons learned.

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:

• Santa Ana winds (wikipedia)
• ​​What makes the Santa Ana winds blow through Southern California? (LA Times)
• Santa Ana Wind Event Over California (NASA)
• The Santa Ana Winds (UCLA)
• The Santa Ana Winds FAQ (UCLA)
• Why do Santa Anas form and what makes them dangerous? (10 News SD)
• Santa Ana winds explained (CNN video)

​