Elsinore LZ Gone

frosty · Post by **frosty** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:13 am

The Elsinore LZ (The Oak Tree) is permanently closed. Cars parked there may be towed and a fence will be installed soon. The EHGA lost its lengthy legal battle with the current landowner and has been ordered to pay all of his court costs.

Susko · Post by **Susko** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:31 am

Sorry to hear we lost another one.

Is there an alternate LZ? I know there's one off of the main road below the E lauch but if memory serves, it's really tight. Unless they built houses on it, then it's extra special tight. It's been a while, is the beach by the lake landable and legal and within a glide for those of us that bomb out.

I'm asking because I'll be back in SoCal for a tour of the HG site in about a month.

jcflies · Post by **jcflies** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:39 am

What a blow for anyone who is not a hot-shot "I can land anywhere" type of pilot. People like Mitch can land on top, but for the rest of us, it's like a golden page in hang-gliding history has been torn from the book, maybe permanently. This sucks! There must be something we (all the HGAs) can do, banding together. Isn't there a pilot in our club affiliated with the news?
It's ironic to me that the city which touts itself as "the extreme sports capital of california" has nowhere to land a hang glider!

jcflies · Post by **jcflies** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:44 am

to answer your question, susko,
there ARE other places to land, but they are not L/Zs, so you can't have 8 people in a row landing there, you know? and most of the alternatives have one sort of challenge or another, or both... so, unless you are really competent, it's probably over...

jcflies · Post by **jcflies** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:23 am

I talked to Everyday Mike (who's true to his name even after the L/Z's closed) and Mitch. Mike knows lots of places a pg or highly skilled hg could land. (See Crestline's Forum on this subject.) There's always the huge field by the Ortega (sp?) Market, but it's a glide and what's the back-up for sinking out? Mitch will just land wherever--probably right back on launch.
They both stress that the real loss is in a place to hang out with other pilots after flying.

I hope the oak tree isn't going to be razed to make more tract houses...