Spring Flying Is ON

Spring flying started out with a bang with the Potato Hill XC League event in March.  Both days were on the light-lift side, yet we still had pilots in goal for the two fairly aggressive tasks.  The turnout was huge, which kept Jug working tirelessly to keep the organization work under control.  “Between collecting paperwork, distributing maps with turn points printed on them, getting rosters filled in, personal site intros for newbies, explaining waypoints and route entry, getting us the latest weather info, putting together the task committee, the tasks, the task board, running the briefings, getting the task called early enough for an appropriate launch window, and of course all the prep work before the weekend, dealing with all the downloads, the malfunctioning software, and loads of other jobs we probably won’t think of until we try to run one of these ourselves,”  says Eric Reed.


The Aspen 2 - photo by Klaus Schleuter

Tollhouse

The flying site at Tollhouse has been available for the last few years on a special event basis, working with landing-zone owner Paul Splan.  This year he invited us down for his birthday party.  The flying was good for a March day, and the road was worse than ever.  But there is something new afoot that could make Tollhouse flying more difficult in the future. 

It happens that the road to launch passes through privately owned land.  The owner of the land – who apparently had little interest in it – passed away in the last year or so, and the title passed to the new owner.  Sometime last year, a car owned by the landowner’s daughter was parked along the road for some weeks or months, during which the car was vandalized and burned.  The owner in turn placed a gate across the road. 

The placement of the gate means a very long walk to the launch, too long and steep for most of us.  Paul Splan has engaged the new owner in dialog, and has secured access for himself.  Paul prefers he be the only one in contact with the landowner.  I expect we will still be able to hold events at Tollhouse, but we will need to watch this closely.

Goat Mountain

Ben Rogers, a hang glider pilot who introduced a lot of us to the pleasures of Wild Ass and its Valley of Doom, has recently been talking up Goat Mountain, another site south of the Bay Area and within a couple hours’ drive.  One of Goat’s principle drawbacks in the past has been the road to launch, a serious 4WD with brush tight on either side.  Recently however the state has re-graded and improved the road, and Ben has been calling all pilots to join him in flying the site and measuring its potential.  I’ll get out there as soon as we have another good flying weekend day.

Kirkwood

Back in 2003, BAPA submitted a letter to the US Forest Service in support of a proposal by Kirkwood to offer paragliding at the ski resort.  Last week I received a letter from one of the consultants at the USFS working on the proposal.  He asked about other ski resorts with permits with the USFS and that also offer paragliding.  I knew of a few, but consulted other pilots on the internet.  I was surprised at how many there are:  below is the list I sent to the consultant.  Fortunately the consultant working on this proposal seemed positive and enthusiastic about it, so hopefully within a few years, it will be open for flying again. 
 

Another Local Blip service

Most of us know about Dr. Jack and his excellent soaring forecast website.  BAPA sponsors a blipspot (a single-coordinate weather forecast) centered on Mt Diablo, which many of us use for local forecasts.  Some, including myself, also look at the TIP forecast for Hollister.  However, a new page has popped up for local forecasting, see

http://www.freewebtown.com/byronrasp/

This site, maintained by Dmitry Chichkov, NCSA, Byron, CA, is a higher-resolution (though still not “high”) blipmap of the local bay area.  An example is below; for information on how to read blipmaps, please consult Dr. Jack’s website at http://www.drjack.info/

Bay Area Blipped!

The lovely spring season is upon us bringing green hillsides, wildflowers and instability.  Spring often provides some very good flying conditions but the weather can be fickle.  A hoped-for great
post-frontal day with cumulus clouds and cool temperatures with bright sunshine can easily turn into an overdeveloped cloudy day with rain or now showers in the mountains.  A forecast pleasant onshore flow may end up being overly brisk winds with a high gust factor.  But, on some days, it does all come together and that's what we are all out there para-waiting for in the Spring.

Upcoming BAPA events include the Elk Mountain Fly-in on April 20-22 where Penguin, Stan, Al, Gregg and friends will most likely create a huge bonfire after some good flying and enthusiastic wood-gathering.
On May 5-6, Gene Pfeiffer will organize the annual Anderson Flat fly-in at this lovely site close to Yosemite. There is some space at Gene's cabin nearby for pilots to stay.  May 12-13 is the NorCal XC League at
a site-to-be-determined.   On May 19-20, the annual BAPA Thermal Clinic at Potato Hill is full with a waiting list, as usual.  Tom Moock leads this useful clinic each year.  June 9-10, the XC League goes to Dunlap
and June 16-22 is the Rat Race at Woodrat Mountain in Oregon.  BAPA will organize a fly-in at Hat Creek on June 22-24.  The U.S. Nationals are in Lakeview, Oregon from June 23 - 29.  The Umpteenth Annual
Lakeview fly-in is from June 30 - July 4.

For additional information and contact information, please visit the
BAPA Event Calendar at www.sfbapa.org

Have a great Spring, everyone!

Arnel and Ann - photo by Andy Stocker

But with significant restrictions......

Hurray, Mori Point is open again!!  Mori Point is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and is a protected wildlife space.  Although it’s not the greatest PG site around, I have very fond memories of what used to be the “training hill” where I originally learned to fly (in 1996) under the skillful guidance of Hansa Rejmanek, the then-fledgling instructor with Airtime of San Francisco. 

The site has been closed for a long time due to environmental concerns but, thanks to the efforts of a few determined pilots (principally David Sondergeld), Mori Point is open again, albeit with substantial restrictions compared with the site we remember.  The purpose of this article is 1) to introduce the site to those who are new to flying since it closed, 2) to provide a preliminary site description, including the new restrictions, and 3) to describe the new procedures required of pilots who want to fly there.  

Basic Site Facts

Location- Mori Point, Pacifica

MSL- 320’ Launch/LZ (hill top).

150’ Primary LZ (plateau).

10’ Secondary LZ (beach).

Type- Coastal hill and ridge

Good Wind- WSW – NNW (soarable mostly in the winter)

Minimum Rating- P2 (Site Intro Required). Good landing skills in restricted space is highly recommended.

Sticker- Required (currently in preparation – available from the Site Administrator in the near future. 

Restrictions

BAPA has obtained a Special Use Permit from the National Park Service for the activity of Paragliding at this site. The GGNRA established rules and boundaries for paragliding activities at Mori Point. The permit does not include hang gliding, motorized power, or commercial activities and tandem flying is not permitted. Launching and landing within the GGNRA space is permitted only at designated areas. Hiking is permitted only on designated trails. Dogs must be on a leash.  

Mori Point Site Checklist

All pilots must be current members of USHPA or have proof of insurance comparable to USHPA’s coverage. A site introduction is required before you fly. A BAPA site sticker will be issued at the introduction. Contact a BAPA Site Administrator - Dan Byrne  (650) 359-9001 (www.sfbapa.org).  

Special Conditions to be aware of

Wind speed and direction can change in a short period of time. Look for white caps on the ocean. This is a good indicator that the wind is too strong to fly. Check the wind direction as you fly and before you land. Do not land downwind.

Rotors are the severe turbulence found on the lee side of a ridge, spine, trees, or other formation. Rotors change location according to the wind direction.

Shear turbulence is created when two air masses moving in different directions meet. Do not fly in strong shears.

Fog can develop quickly creating poor visibility.  

Site boundaries

Do not fly low over the houses. Landing is permitted only atop the Mori Pt. plateau directly below launch; top landing back at launch; or at the beach north of Mori Point. Do not hike or land in designated protected wildlife areas. 

Other hazards to be aware of

• There is very little beach below much of the cliff around the perimeter of the primary landing zone.

• The ocean is extremely cold and often has large waves. Landing in the water can be fatal.
• There are concrete foundation walls next to the primary landing zone.
• During the winter and spring months there are often large puddles next to the primary landing zone.
• There are power lines that run along the north side of Old County Rd. (dirt road).
• There are remnants of an old storm drain pipe on the beach north of Mori Point (secondary landing zone).
• The airspace is limited and only two gliders are permitted to fly at the same time.
• There is no way out of the beach cove to the south of the primary LZ so landing on the beach (if there is one) in that cove is not an option. 

Equipment all pilots should have

• Certified glider in good condition.
• Harness with quick release buckles.
• Helmet, boots, and gloves.
• Hook knife.

In an emergency:

Pacifica Fire & Police- 911 or (650) 738-7314

National Parks dispatch- (415) 561-5505 

A special thanks goes to David Sondergeld who has worked hard to secure this permit to reopen flying at this site. 

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

415-602-7847 cell

650-756-4530 home 

Here is a picture of the site that was used in Dave's proposal when we applied for a permit to use the site for Paragliding. As with any site MAKE SURE you are given a proper site intro and be respectful of all neighborhoods ajoining the site, the flora and fauna living there and  completley observe the site regulations.

Map of the Mori Point site used during the proposal stage.

It’s been quite a while since the last report. My apologies for being lax and not getting them out on a timely basis. One problem is that I’m not receiving first hand information in most cases. 

I’d like to encourage everyone to fill out accident & incident reports. This is very easy to do & you don’t have to be the pilot involved, just a witness to the event. Your perspective as a witness is often better than that of the pilot involved. It’s very easy to file reports. Just go to the club web site, http://www.sfbapa.org/, click on accident reports & fill in the blanks. This will also automatically forward a copy to USHPA as well. As always all names are kept strictly confidential by both  BAPA & USHGA.

Dissemination of the information gleaned from accidents & incidents is of immense value in improving pilot safety. As the old aviation adage goes, “Try to learn from the mistakes of others, you won’t live long enough to make them all yourself!” 

Below is a synopsis of the recent occurrences that I’m aware of. 

There was a beach landing involving the glider getting at least partially in the surf. As I understand it the pilot was OK & did manage to retrieve his glider. This is an old story that keeps recurring & is easily preventable. In soaring/gliding flight one should always have at least one LZ within easy reach at any given time & plan one’s flight so as to have time to set up a proper approach to any given bail out area. When the tide is in & there’s not much beach and/or the wind is light & one flies north it’s very tempting to keep going in the hope of getting up & not leave enough time to execute a safe landing. Often this occurs when the wind is northerly & one has to turn downwind to set up a landing necessitating a low level 180 degree turn over the water in order to get back into the wind. Please remember that, unless you are 100% sure that you have enough altitiude to execute the turn and get back over the beach you are better off landing downwind & running it out. This is not as hard as some people think and even if you can’t quite pull it off the sand is quite soft so injury is pretty unlikely. This option is infinitely better than risking landing in the surf or even getting part of you glider in the surf, both of which are extremely dangerous & life threatening. 

There were two incidents of pilots unsuccessfully attempting 360 degree turns near terrain, one by an experienced pilot at the Dump & one by a student at Ed Levin. ‘Inside’ turns are historically a major cause of injuries with both hang glider & paraglider pilots. You think we would have learned over the years, but obviously not. There are numerous variables that can easily fool pilots attempting these, including wind drift, lift & sink, turbulence from rotors & on the edge of a termal, slope of the hill/ridge etc. Sailplane (real glider) pilots never ever do this & always make 180 degree reversing turns away from the terrain anytime they are anywhere near it. We should probably take a clue from them & follow their example. 

There was an experienced pilot attempting a windy launch on Tomcat who got snatched upon inflating his wing & was lofted backwards. Because of he strong winds he had opted to lay the wing out on the edge of the launch area. The wind had inflated one side of the wing w/the opposite side still somewhat bunched up. The pilot attempted a ‘Cobra’ type inflation figuring there would be less force in the high wind conditions whereupon the wing suddenly lifted up off the ground a couple of feet & launched the pilot horizontally whereupon he impacted butt first into the berm at the edge of the launch area sustaining a broken tail bone & a minor compression fracture of a thorasic vertebrae. This is a complex set of circumstances & I will let everyone draw their own conclusions. Suffice it to say we should be extremely careful when launching in strong winds as minor things that wouldn’t matter in lighter conditions become much more critical. 

Finally, there was a pilot reportedly doing ‘wing overs’ in the ‘Death Bowl’ between Cheetah & Tomcat whereupon he experienced a collapsed. He managed to recover but ended up down on the islolated beach below with his wing draped over the rocks at the end of the beach. He was OK at this point but when he was attempting to extricate him glider from the rocks he slipped on the wet rocks wedging his leg in between two of them. Unfortunately he had lost his balance & fractured his leg when he fell over. Extraction from this area is extremely difficult & took quite some time. I don’t have enough information to offer an opinion as to what caused the start of this series of events.

This area, however is very steep & jagged & produces some nasty rotors. Often a subtle change of direction of the wind can make a major difference. If one crosses this area in either direction one should be aware of the wind direction & velocity be thinking where the rotors might be. It’s obviously best to have lots of altitude as well when transitioning the area.  

Fly safely! 

Wally Anderson

BAPA Safety Director

May 5 – 6th weekend. 

This year’s Fly-in will be held on May 5 – 6th weekend.  This is the prime time for Anderson Flat flying.  The mountains and meadow are green and the thermal are working.  If you are a P2, you should have some mountain thermal experience.  For information about flying at Anderson Flat, see Kim and Mike’s excellent web site for Anderson Flat at:

Again our cabin will be open to you.  Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for directions to the cabin and to save a bed. Bring your own sheets or sleeping bag. We now have a cleaning person to clean up after we leave.  Please donate $10.00 per person for the cleaning costs. Saturday night will be pot luck, so bring your favorite dish.  Some pilot’s may camp in the campground LZ, but the launch is only 25 minutes from the cabin.  Bring your fishing pole, mountain bike, kayak, or hiking boots for alternate activities if the flying is questionable.  I hope you can make it for a fun weekend.  The picture is of one of last year’s pilots landing at the LZ in Anderson Flat. 

Gene Pfeiffer

Anderson Flat LZ

Meeting called to order at 7:05.

New members/Notable Guests

• Paul Gazis, USHGA Regional Director.  Began Paragliding in August, 2006.
• Jason, a P2.  Student of Cloud 9 at Point of the Mountain, UT.
• Frank, P2 from Georgia, Learned from Dixon in 1999.  Not flying much until recently.

Officer Reports

Tom M - President.   No report.

Rolf B - Vice President.  No report.

Chip S - Site Director

Thanks to those who have renewed membership for 2007.  Those who have not yet done so, please do.  2007 stickers to be passed out after the meeting to those who need them.  The premiums for the site insurance through USHPA has been paid.   The bank balance is $5302. 

Ann S + Brent E - Activities CoChairs.

Planning events at Elk in April and Potato in May.  Planned clinics are a PLF clinic at the end of March, and Thermal and XC at at time to be determined.  Also possible are First Aid and Reserve clinics. Look to the web site for details as they become available.

Tim S - Secretary.  No report.    

Old Business

• No action to report on the potential site openings mentioned last meeting.

New Business

• Wayne offered to do the club calendar again this year, will arrange for photos to be solicited on web site.
• Motion was made, seconded and passed with one objection, to award $40 to the PLF clinic instructor.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 

Entertainment was Jug's presentation about the 2007 XC League.