Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

edited 6.20.2018

edited 6.20.2018edited 6.20.2018

This site
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/So ... Earth.html
contains kmz files showing path and time info.

This is right up Hungary Joe's alley. ROAD TRIP!
I'll be heading up the 15 a week or so before to hit sites along the way.

This has been on my mind for some time, and I am planning on going regardless. If we can get a group together, that would be great.

I've done a few queries lately trying for hotels and campsites in the path of the eclipse thinking I could fly to a local airport and stay at a local hotel. As of today, every hotel I've checked is sold out on the days of the eclipse so it's pretty much "phone a friend" time. As an example, I thought that around Bend OR might be a good place somewhat out of the way ..... nope not a room available anywhere within driving distance of the eclipse path.

Mike is right. Better plan on camping out. I advise planning to be east of the cloudy weather zone.

Tokiko and I are going to be in Boise for the event. The day after the eclipse, I plan to visit King Mt. It is a great flying site with powerful thermals to great height. Y'know, over 1000FPM the vario gives up on beeping and just screeches
Bring oxygen and warm clothes. There are lots of places to land if you go CC.
I'd be happy to drive for SHGA pilots. Hope to find you there.

Camping sounds fine to me! Malury, let's go flying! Boomers sound good to me!

I just got off the phone with John Kangas, the head honcho at King Mountain. He's all for a gaggle of Sylmartians coming out for the days leading up to the Solar Eclipse, which occurs on Monday, the 21st of August at around 10:45 AM local.

Here's the gist of our conversation:

1. He's happy to hear we are coming up, and the more the merrier. He plans to rent out some port-o-potties to accommodate, so we'll be needing to take up a collection to help out with this. We can camp at the airport, or wherever we like. There may be a hangar built by then. We'll see.

2. Some of the best flying happens in August, so be ready!

3. He recommends that each pilot bring an O2 system and a SPOT locator. He recommends the Mountain High On-Demand system. The airport is at 5,500, lower launch is at 7,500 and upper launch is 8,000. Density altitude takes those altitudes higher. Effective launch he estimates at around 10K.

Madras Airport in Oregon is opening up for airplane pilots to camp as well as RV's. Madras is located just north of Bend.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/madras-airport ... /465322244

$125 per night or $300 for the weekend.

Hey Steve, when you found John Kangas, you found the right guy. He flies to work as a commercial pilot, flies to somewhere and back, then he flies home where he spends his free time flying gliders. He can help you find camping and I think you can camp on launch. It's BLM land, no facilities. It's gonna be HOT.

I am hereby committed. Just bought Nurit a plane ticket to Boise on Sunday, Aug. 20. I plan to drive up the week before and do some flying there and maybe on the way up. Let's make a plan.

Malury, thanks for your the helpful advice. It will be super hot. John is attempting to have a hangar completed by then, but he sounded 50/50 on it and made no guarantees. Pilots are advised to bring their own versions of shelter from the sun.

He has offered the area surrounding the glider port to camping pilots. I imagine this is where he plans to stage port-o-potties, O2 and other conveniences. My plan to either bring an RV, or a large tent and a pop-up shade to cover that.

I hope you can make it, Malury. It would be great to see you and Tokiko again.

I have created a Facebook page for the event, with permission from John. Its purpose is to give basic info and to see if we can get a head count, not just from our pilots, but from other clubs. It would not do for John to rent 2 porto-potties and have 100 pilots show up.

Take a look at the Facebook page here...[/https://www.facebook.com/groups/7193163 ... 4816387428]

I've created a Facebook page for general communication ahead of the event. Please join if you have not already done so. Malury has posted some good pics there as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/719316398240666/

Not accessible to the Facebook Resistance.

Let's keep this thread updated with news and plans also. I'm wondering which people if any are interested in joining in for a week of flying on the way up as well as at King. A July 4th weekend at Hurricane is another idea if nobody is into hitting the site on the way to Idaho.

Hurricane should definitely be on the menu.

I thought I would pass on an idea.

Arthur and I were talking yesterday about heading out the weekend before the eclipse and going to Hurricane. I thought that since some people had expressed interest in flying there, they could come out for that weekend, stretch it into 3 days and fly there Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 12-13. People heading on to SLC and then Idaho would go their way afterwards and people coming out for Hurricane only could head back to LA.

In the past, I've left town on Friday night, spent the night at a cheap casino hotel at the state line, and gotten to Hurricane in time to fly that day. As I recall, Hurricane is about 140 miles past Vegas, a little short of Zion NP.

For those who are going to go see the eclipse, SmarterEveryDay on YouTube has a video that might be helpful to plan your observations.


https://youtu.be/qc7MfcKF1-s

Here is a link to the app they discuss. The app costs $2. It uses you GPS location to compute the main contact times for the eclipse at your location. It gives verbal cues at the timer counts down, so you can keep staring at the sun.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... lipsetimer

The hurricane plan looks good but I'm going to be on another trip the weekend before, returning Monday the 14th. Currently my thought was to leave on the 17th and return to LA on the 23rd, figuring out the details dependent on who is riding with me and what Greg, Steve, &co were doing.

Are you guys committed to going the weekend before or can you shift forward some?

I’m still wrestling with alternatives. Basically, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s about 2000 miles, round trip, from Sylmar to King Mountain and back. That’s four days on the road, or a $1000 airplane flight with the associated logistical challenges of rental cars and glider transport. Greg Angsten, Steve Murillo, and Will Ramsey are all thinking along the lines of two-week trips, and I don’t currently see that in my schedule. While I’m not yet saying that I’ll do this, here’s a six-day possibility for discussion.

On Friday, August 18, depart early from Sylmar, drive to Hurricane (419 miles), and hope for an evening glass-off flight on the Hurricane ridge. Drive to Kanarraville late that evening, and camp for the night. On Saturday, drive to Salt Lake City (291 miles), and hope for a flight at the Point of the Mountain, though I’m told it’s likely a sledder or thick with paragliders or both, or possibly fly at Inspiration Point near Provo. Camp somewhere. Drive to King Mountain, Idaho, on Sunday (255 miles), find the rest of the Sylmar crowd, and do whatever they’re doing. See the eclipse at 11:32 AM Mountain Time on Monday, and perhaps fly that afternoon. Drive back to Sylmar on Tuesday and Wednesday, and be back at work on Thursday, August 24, rested and revitalized after the vacation.

Both Hurricane and the Point have LZs within walking distance of the launches, at least if one doesn't make a mistake and sink out, so in principle this could be done without a driver. Are there any other working stiffs with weekday jobs that would be interested in such a crazy schedule?

Ken (and others?),
What about a 1 way ticket to Boise on Sunday 8-20. I'll be there to pick up Nurit and head back to King. You could then hook up with someone for the ride back to LA. One way to Boise on 8-20: $179 today.