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| Revised November 30, 2023 |
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Sylmar Hang Gliding Association Rules
Click here for the SHGA Rules Enforcement Policy.
| 1. |
Requirements - Pilots must be SHGA members possessing an Intermediate (H3 or P3) rating. Novice rated pilots may be sponsored to fly here with additional instruction outlined here. Visiting pilots may obtain a monthly membership for $10. |
| 2. |
Safety Equipment - All pilots must wear a helmet and emergency reserve parachute. |
| 3. |
Flight Rules - All flights must be in accordance with FAR Part 103, particularly the rules concerning hazardous operation (FAR 103.9), flying near other aircraft, vigilance and collision avoidance (FAR 103.13), visual contact with the ground (FAR 103.21) and proper clearance from clouds (FAR 103.23). |
| 4. |
Restricted Areas - Flying is PROHIBITED:
a. In Burbank Class C Airspace (south of Gavina Avenue, between 3,000 and 4,800 MSL),
b. In the Whiteman Airport Class D Airspace,
c. In the Heliport Corridor in May Canyon, except for a direct transit, without soaring,
d. Over the houses west of Pacoima wash, or within 200 feet horizontally of those houses, and
e. Over the baseball fields south of the LZ during games or gatherings of people.
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| 5. |
Helicopter Operations - Flying is prohibited within three miles of a helicopter rescue or aerial fire fighting operation. During a rescue or fire fighting operation within three miles of the Sylmar LZ (east to Little Tujunga Canyon Road and west to Wilson Canyon just short of West Towers) , no further launches are permitted, and all pilots must immediately clear the area in a way that minimizes conflict. Depending on the situation, pilots may choose to land immediately in the Sylmar LZ or in an alternate LZ, or leave the area with the expectation of landing elsewhere. |
| 6. |
Kagel Mountain Launch - (Saddle and Main Ramp) Intermediate or higher rating is required. There are specific requirements for visiting novice (H2 and P2) pilots. Please see section below. |
| 7. |
All Launch Sites Within 5 miles of Kagel Mountain - Advanced rating is required. Intermediate pilots may fly under the direct supervision of, or if signed off by an SHGA-designated instructor. Proof of sign-off must be carried by the pilot. Sign-off may be revoked at the discretion of the Association. |
| 8. |
SHGA Flight Park Landing Area - No part of any landing approach may cross the 200-foot buffer zone markers. |
| 9. |
Tandem Flights - Pilots and passengers must have the appropriate USHPA ratings. The pilot is responsible for ensuring that the passenger has signed the USHPA form Assumption of Risk and Liability Waiver. Prior to a recreational tandem flight, the pilot and passenger must sign SHGA's Non-Commercial Tandem or Instruction Acknowledgement in the LZ. |
| 10. |
Aerobatics - Aerobatics are spins and maneuvers that involve bank angles greater than 90 degrees from horizontal or pitch angles greater than 60 degrees. No aerobatics are permitted south of the Gavina Avenue bridge. All aerobatic maneuvers must be performed in clear airspace, at a safe distance from other aircraft, and must be completed no less than 750 feet above ground level. |
| 11. |
Powered Ultralights - No SHGA member may fly an ultralight with a motor onboard south of the ridgeline between the radio antennas at West Towers and the Little Tujunga Road, whether or not the motor is operating. Powered harnesses fall within the scope of this rule. An ultralight with neither a fuel tank nor a propeller is exempt from this rule. |
| 12. |
Dogs - Any dog on SHGA property must be under the direct supervision of its owner and under control. No dog may be left alone in the LZ unsupervised. No dog may be left to the supervision of anyone else. The owner must be present, or the dog must be placed in a secure, safe, enclosed space, such that they are not able to wander, cause accidental harm to persons, other animals, or damage to property. Any dog that creates an annoyance, in the judgement of the board, may be excluded from the property. |
Sylmar Hang Gliding Association Guidelines
| 1. |
Our LZ is in a residential area, so please consider our Club's image while you enjoy our flying site. |
| 2. |
The speed limit on residential streets is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. |
| 3. |
Park inside the flight park fence in designated parking areas. Keep entrance driveway and walkthrough clear at all times. |
| 4. |
No camping is allowed in the LZ or wash. |
| 5. |
Pick up all your litter in the LZ. Avoid yelling and loud music. |
| 6. |
Please be careful and courteous when driving to and from launch. Other groups use the road to launch for hiking, equestrian and other activities. |
| 7. |
Please smoke only in enclosed vehicles once inside the Forest Service gate. |
| 8. |
At launch, pick up your litter and bury your toilet paper. |
| 9. |
Make landing approaches along the east side of the wash, in a left-hand aircraft approach. Do not make final turns near houses. Clear the LZ as quickly as possible. |
| 10. |
There is an emergency landing zone at the base of the dam. A right-hand aircraft approach is suggested when landing there. |
| 11. |
To improve glider visibility in the air, it is strongly recommended that all gliders should be modified to carry brightly visible stripes or other design that shall contrast with the glider's sail and be visible from above, below, and especially ahead. This is particularly important for gliders with non-white tops and/or leading edges. Emergency orange gaffers tape is available for this purpose, free from the club. Also, most manufacturers are now making contrasting colored nosecones. |
| 12. |
There are numerous high-voltage power lines crossing the wash. They are elevated above the ground and are very difficult to see as there are no support towers in the wash to indicate their locations. If you find yourself making a low straight-in approach, do not continue to the landing area. Turn around and land in the wash near the base of the dam. |
| 13. |
Pilots must be aware of the heavy commercial and private air traffic in the area. Federal Regulations and common sense dictate that we be alert to air traffic and vigilant to avoid collision or "near miss." All airplanes and helicopters have the right of way over hang gliders and paragliders. |
| 14. |
Pilots are encouraged to monitor and use the club radio frequency to announce the presence of powered aircraft, and to announce when they cross the Gavina Street bridge on approach to the LZ. |
| 15. |
Stay away from the clouds. Flying in or near clouds is unsafe because it obscures visibility of other aircraft and creates the hazard of collision in violation of FAR 103.23. Flying in clouds obscures the pilot's view of the ground and causes complete disorientation. |
| 16. |
Aerobatics are spins and maneuvers that involve bank angles greater than 90 degrees from horizontal or pitch angles greater than 60 degrees. Clear your airspace before starting aerobatic maneuvers. Buzzing launch is discouraged. |
| 17. |
The houses east of the wash are elevated. Please exercise proper caution when approaching the LZ. |
| 18. |
People and/or animals are often in the wash at the time of a landing approach and must be granted their right-of-way. |
| 19. |
There is a locked gate across the Forest Service road to Kagel launch. Visiting pilots must be escorted through the gate by an SHGA member. |
| 20. |
If the airspace must be cleared, such as for a helicopter rescue, pilots are encouraged to communicate this to each other by ham radio and/or visual signals. One common way to visually signal the need for an immediate landing is to remove one's legs from the harness and pretend to pedal a bicycle. |
| 21. |
If emergency vehicles are called to the LZ, someone should meet them at the gate with instructions. They may be directed into the wash either via the far corner of the parking lot or via the runway, but then the runway should be cleared if possible so that others may land safely. |
Right of Way Rules
| 1. |
Hang gliders and paragliders (unpowered ultralight vehicles) must yield right of way to all other aircraft except powered ultralights. This is the law (FAA Federal Aviation Regulations Part 103). |
| 2. |
As you approach another aircraft head on, you should steer to your right of the approaching aircraft. (Like a car on the road.) |
| 3. |
When thermalling, the first pilot to enter a thermal establishes the required turning direction in that thermal. |
| 4. |
When ridge soaring, the glider closest to the ridge has right of way. |
| 5. |
The lower aircraft has the right of way. |
| 6. |
When ridge soaring, a glider overtaking another glider that is flying in the same direction should pass between the ridge and the glider being overtaken. |
R/C Guidelines
| 1. |
The operator must be an SHGA member in good standing. |
| 2. |
R/C flying shall only be permitted from 9 AM to sunset. |
| 3. |
The operation of R/C aircraft shall not be conducted if any hang glider or paraglider is within a one-quarter mile radius of the landing zone and less than 500 feet AGL. |
| 4. |
R/C Pilots shall monitor noise levels of their motors so as not to disturb the neighbors. |
| 5. |
All R/C flights should be south of the "Overshoot" Ramp. |
| 6. |
Launching and landing should be done as far south and east in the LZ as is possible, consistent with safety. |
| 7. |
Under no circumstances, should you fly any R/C near the houses on the West side of the LZ. |
| 8. |
No internal combustion engines on R/Cs at all. |
| 9. |
If your fellow R/C pilots are flying outside of these guidelines, please remind them that you really don't want new rules, or an R/C ban, and you would appreciate it if they followed the guidelines. |
| 10. |
No R/C operations during an active TFR. |
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First Flights At the Sylmar Flight Park
| The Sylmar Flight Park. |
The Sylmar Flight Park is a private flying facility, owned and operated by the non-profit Sylmar Hang Gliding Association for the benefit of member pilots and their families. The park is world famous for its year round flying weather and consistent thermal, soaring conditions. The club boasts more than 300 flyable days per year and average flights of more than 90 minutes duration. Site records include flights of more than 8 hours duration, flights to over 16,000 ft., and flights ending as far away as Palm Springs (120 miles). The park has a 4 acre main area that includes a manicured lawn and landing strip, paved parking, picnic tables, landscaping, barbecue, and telephone. Residential development and electrical utilities border the site on 3 sides.
Due to the predictably strong conditions, limited landing space and close proximity to public utilities, residential development, and multiple FAA airspace restrictions, this soaring site is available to members with USHPA Intermediate ratings and above. Visiting USHPA Intermediate rated pilots are encouraged (but not required) to enroll in a site orientation lesson with a club authorized flight instructor. This lesson would include a tour of the launch and landing facilities, flight planning tips, sources of lift, sink and turbulence, appropriate approach techniques, familiarization with club rules, and assistance with club membership enrollment. Due to the complex nature of the landing strip, visiting intermediate and advanced pilots are requested to make their initial flights on equipment they are very familiar with.
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Visiting Novice (H2 and P2) Pilots. |
Occasionally visiting Novice pilots from other areas desire to fly at this site prior to earning the USHPA Intermediate rating. Since this park can be flown very inexpensively by Intermediate Rated pilots, it may make sense for pilots to wait until they acquire their Intermediate rating before they come to fly here. Some novice pilots believe that they can be evaluated and sponsored to fly this site with only 1 flight orientation lesson. Although this is possible, it is rarely the case. Due to the more complex nature of the site and the landing area, visiting Novice pilots wishing to fly this site will
usually require several flight lessons (solo and/or dual), concentrating on modern Intermediate Level flight and approach skills, and specific site dangers. Each of these flight
lessons require a fee paid to the flight school or instructor. With
consistent well performed landing approaches into the landing strip, and the demonstration of some pertinent hang 3 skills, the Novice pilot can be sponsored to fly here without instruction. As a guide, it is common for Novice pilots in the Windsports training program to demonstrate the required skills in 6-8 mountain flight lessons. This allows them to graduate into the limited supervised program. It can be expected that visiting novice pilots with mountain training experience, cross wind launches and landings, and aircraft landing pattern skills can earn their sponsorship privileges in significantly fewer lessons. The following is a list of the pre-requisites and skills that need to be witnessed by the instructor during flight training before an instructor sponsorship can occur:
USHPA Novice Rating
Evaluation of launch and landing techniques at Dockweiler Beach (at the option of the instructor)
Sylmar HGA membership
Site orientation
Demonstrated Launches with fully upright body, hands low on downtubes, consistent safe airspeed and holding a precise heading of +- 3 degrees. Prone to upright body and hand transfers while maintaining a heading +- 3 degrees
Dives in the upright landing configuration (to 35 mph airspeed)
Parachute deployment procedures (static simulated demonstration)
Turning flight at Minimum Controllable Airspeed (mushing flight)
Stall development in level flight
Linked S - Turns to precise headings at 25 mph and 30 mph
Efficient Minimum Sink Coordinated 360’s at 20, 30, 45 degrees bank angles
Effective Aircraft Approaches in lift, sink, and light turbulence (These are to be performed fully upright with hands low on the downtubes and at approach speeds dictated by flight conditions)
Performance airspeeds (speed to fly demonstrations in lift, sink, headwinds, tailwinds)
Surface wind evaluation from in-flight observations without using windsocks or streamers
Flight in light to moderate turbulence
Orientation to flight park dangers
FAA FAR 103 and Sectional Chart Exam
Windsports Intermediate Written Exam
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