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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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Chloe Burgis learning to fly, with Baby Lamb as copilot, 6/21/2020
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December, 2021
Election results are in, and SHGA board members for 2022 are:
• President: Greg Angsten
• Vice President: Marshall Robin
• Secretary: Larry Chamblee
• Treasurer: Rob Burgis
• Safety: Mike Ivy
• Activities: Steve Murillo
• Directors at Large: Dave Susko, Janyce Collins, Ken Andrews
The The latest magazine features our club, it's long history and present operations. Don't toss that magazine until you check it out.
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 January 25, 2022 9:28 am
Report of a nice flying day on Monday. Highest was 4,429ft. TODAY.....borderline. Kagel is right on the borderline. The blip shows down all day. The rasp and the Burbank TAF indicate otherwise. The rasp is showing launch level winds to pick up by 11am with SE on launch between 8 and 10kts at noon. By 1pm winds are still SE, 8 to 10kts but aloft (4,500ft) velocity increases 10 to 14kts. The direction looks SE but it's so close to the NE it's hard to say. By 2pm, the NE pushes out the SE and it's blowing down the rest of the afternoon. Max altitude if launchable 4,500ft.
Subscribe to expanded forecasts
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Barbeque Today 12/18/21
Come on out today, Saturday, 12/18. Wolf will be cooking up burgers!
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Wheels
There are lots of reasons not to fly with wheels. First, they cause drag. When flying in a competition against other pilots on equally fast gliders and of similar skill, then leave the wheels at home. Likewise, skip the Go-Pro camera, and make sure there aren't any wrinkles in your racing harness.
Wheels are also expensive; they cost as much as a downtube or two. For those who have never bent a downtube or scratched up a carbon fiber basetube, wheels are superfluous.
Wheels can also be problematic on a few launches; for example, they're discouraged at Yosemite. Then again, on rare occasion, one will observe a nearly-blown launch saved by wheels.
Aside from those special situations (competition flying, abject poverty, or Yosemite), consider flying with wheels. They really do reduce injuries, damage to gliders, and long-term cost.
Airspeed is What You Need
How much airspeed do you need for the roll control you want when flying close to fixed objects? How much do you need for the insulation against stalling that you want then?
Launching a glider is essentially a process of increasing airspeed. Consider that it's not a number of steps, or how fast, and read the Airspeed is What You Need post in the Safety Forum. Some conditions, some locations, need more.
Flying the Air or the Location?
When you're on approach to the Sylmar LZ, do you study the wind conditions? When you're circling in the staging area?
While you're on your downwind and base legs, are you adjusting your geometry to arrive at the entry point of your optimal final leg, flying your chosen speed?
It's natural for the human brain to organize around the visual information -- fly down that path, over to there, and then to there. However, we fly in the invisible medium that's in motion, and getting yourself to the top of the ideal final leg for the day requires an approach customized for the conditions you actually encounter.
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