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Welcome
Sylmar is the world capital of hang gliding and pilots have been flying hang gliders in these mountains since 1969. The first U.S. National Hang Gliding Championships were held here in 1973.
The Flight Park is located just outside of Los Angeles and we enjoy around 300 days of flying a year. Please check out the rules and site information before flying here. The Sylmar Hang Gliding Association is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization. Dues and other payments can be sent via PayPal.
Pilots and non-pilots are welcome to enjoy our flight park year 'round! Fly high, fly far, fly safe!
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Gidget and Olive ready to go hang gliding!
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Sept. 24, 2022
The 2022 Santa Cruz Flats Race concluded on September 24, with five flying days out of seven. Jonny Durand was the winner, and Greg Kendall finished in 12th place.
Steve Clark is moving to Spokane WA.br>His ride shuttle service has been an enormous boon to club pilots and it won't be easy to fill his shoes. Thanks Steve for your work for this club over the last few years. We'll miss you as well as your service and we wish you all the best in your new home.
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 September 30, 2022 8:22am
Report of no flights on Thursday. TODAY......lower with more wind velocity. The inversion is weaker but the haze has that settled in look to it. The fog should be burning already. SE winds aloft between 10 and 12kts by 2pm. Looks like it will be tough to get to 4K. Max altitude of 3,800ft if it's soarable.
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Dahlsten Cup
After a very inauspicious morning the weather changed to a pretty nice afternoon, good flying and a fine event. Thanks to all who pitched in with setup, food and cleanup with special thanks to Jeff Chipman for again handling the scoring.
Results
Dahlsten Open Class
1st Jeff Chipman
2nd Ken Andrews
3rd Greg Jones
Sport Class
1st Sujata Sen
2nd Mike Ivey
3rd Dave VanNoppen
Air Hog
Chad Margolin, with special recognition for beating Jonathan Dietch. Twice. In one flight.
Spot Landing
1st Max Mansour (on his 1st Dahlsten Day)
2nd Greg Jones
3rd Jay Devorak
Note: The actual spot landing winner was Josh who sacrificed both his and his wife's ribs to do it. However, since it gets boring putting his or Andy's name here every year, they were deemed ineligible since they get way too much practice.
Cub Scout Movie Night
Given last weekend's uncooperative weather, the Cub Scouts postponed their movie night until Saturday, October 15. Please make the scouts and their parents welcome when they arrive near dusk, and consider staying around to support their movie and fundraising.
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Wire crews
One of the responsibilities of a pilot is to manage his (or her) wire crew. This includes giving clear instructions about what the pilot will ask for, and what the crew members are expected to do. The pilot must also be prepared, no matter what the wire crew actually does. Sometimes a crew member will fail to clear the wing completely, or give instructions rather than taking them, or conversely, save a pilot from his own mistakes.
It should also go without saying that we are grateful for our wire crews, and one should always be courteous and appreciative of these volunteers.
Preflight upgrades
Moving up to a new high-performance glider? It's time to upgrade the preflight as well!
Most of us develop our preflight routine based on a single-surface glider such as a Falcon. When moving up in performance, one may be adding a nose cone, or a VG string, or sprog zippers, or a "dingle-dangle" hang point. I think pilots are particularly likely to overlook those items in their preflights, because they weren't part of the initial routine that they learned.
Avoiding a mid-air collision
It takes two pilots to have a mid-air collision, and one alert pilot can virtually always avoid disaster even when the error primarily lies with the other.
We're taught to clear our turns. What if the other pilot doesn't? Keep an eye out for nearby gliders, and have an escape plan if they do something unexpected.
What if the other pilot enters your thermal improperly? He'll sidle in from the outside, so if you're watching to the outside of your turn as well as the inside, you can dive away.
How about that pilot directly above in the same thermal, who hangs out in your blind spot and fails to yield to your right of way? Often, the shadows on the ground will reveal the situation.
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