Southern Arizona Hang Glider Association
Robin Hastings of the Rio Grande Soaring Association asked me to let SAHGA members know that the RGSA will be hosting a Dry Canyon Memorial Day Fly-in again this year in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The dates are May 29th - 31st, with warmup flying available earlier in the week if there is interest.
Unlike some previous years, te Lincoln National Forest where Dry Canyon sits has had plenty of rain this year so there's no danger of a fire-danger closing.
If you haven't flown Dry Canyon before you're in for a treat. It's roughly the equivalent of a Miller Canyon, but faces the prevailing afternoon winds (overlooking the White Sands National Monument in the distance) and is an excellent cross-country site. It's suitable for both paragliding and hang gliding.
There is a huge, grassy LZ in the Alamogordo's Hobby Park, and there is camping there. There are also inexpensive motels nearby for those who prefer to sleep indoors.
I heard from AZHPA's Allen Housel that several of the Phoenix pilots are planning to attend.
If you'd like more information, contact Robin Hastings at five-seven-five, five-four-one-five-seven-four-four (h) or five-seven-five, six-four-six-nine-three-six-seven (w). Or, you can post at the RGSA message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RGSA/
RGSA Dry Canyon Memorial Day Fly-in
Moderators:ioan, John Wolfe, aaroncromer, jlowery
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chicken hawk
- Posts:134
- Joined:Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:38 pm
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MikeB
Re: H2 at Dry Canyon
Hi, Mike
I've been there several times, once as an H2 years ago. You'd need to arrange for a sponsor to fly there. You might give Robin Hastings a call (number in the original post) and see what the current policy is, and to see if you could find a local sponsor. You could also introduce yourself on their message board and ask about it there. If a local H4 is going that might work out, too.
The site is just east of Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the LZ is at Hobby Park inside the city limits. Access to launch requires a 4WD vehicle. It's about a 5 hour drive from Tucson. It's a terrific place to fly - nice site, great LZ, and really friendly people.
Good luck,
John
I've been there several times, once as an H2 years ago. You'd need to arrange for a sponsor to fly there. You might give Robin Hastings a call (number in the original post) and see what the current policy is, and to see if you could find a local sponsor. You could also introduce yourself on their message board and ask about it there. If a local H4 is going that might work out, too.
The site is just east of Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the LZ is at Hobby Park inside the city limits. Access to launch requires a 4WD vehicle. It's about a 5 hour drive from Tucson. It's a terrific place to fly - nice site, great LZ, and really friendly people.
Good luck,
John
Mike- Dry Canyon is a terrific site. Like Miller, it's flyable by a H2 in some conditions, not in others. Typical mid-day conditions this time of year in Alamogordo are often very strong, but morning can be OK and the site has some wonderful late afternoon glass-offs (unlike Miller).
The downside to Dry Canyon is that the main LZ is kinda' far away and an 8:1 glide. So, it takes some smarts to make it there on some days. There is a 'bail-out' LZ (NW corner of Scenic Dr. and Indian Wells), which is big enough, although perhaps a bit bushy (this was a few years ago, I don't know of their state right now). There are also some 'do not land here' zones.
With a good site briefing, a tour of the LZs and a local sponsor, I think you'll do fine. The Alamogordo boys are always friendly and welcoming, and I expect will be happy to guide you, since it's their big annual fly-in.
My recommendation: GO. You'll get in some great airtime, bag a new site, meet new pilots and have a heck of a lot of fun. You can camp in the LZ or get a hotel in town. Your choice.
info: http://rgsa.info/
The downside to Dry Canyon is that the main LZ is kinda' far away and an 8:1 glide. So, it takes some smarts to make it there on some days. There is a 'bail-out' LZ (NW corner of Scenic Dr. and Indian Wells), which is big enough, although perhaps a bit bushy (this was a few years ago, I don't know of their state right now). There are also some 'do not land here' zones.
With a good site briefing, a tour of the LZs and a local sponsor, I think you'll do fine. The Alamogordo boys are always friendly and welcoming, and I expect will be happy to guide you, since it's their big annual fly-in.
My recommendation: GO. You'll get in some great airtime, bag a new site, meet new pilots and have a heck of a lot of fun. You can camp in the LZ or get a hotel in town. Your choice.
info: http://rgsa.info/
The wife and I are thinking about going to Alamogordo for the long weekend, having been interested in seeing that area for a while. Any one have any good PG info/suggestions regarding Dry Canyon? I have looked at the Rio Grande Soaring Assoc Dry Canyon Site info, which indicates PG do-able before 10AM and after 4PM generally during summer time.
Terry Kowing
tlkowing@yahoo.com
408-310-2672
Terry Kowing
tlkowing@yahoo.com
408-310-2672
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Eric Tucker
fly in
Me and Raquel arrived in Alamogordo Friday afternoon for the fly in.
I had a good flight on Saturday for a little over an hour. Sunday was a very different story however. I launched around 1pm and didn't get the thermals I had gotten the day before and mostly sank and sank and sank and never quite made the LZ and landed downwind in the mesquite. The wind had apparently turned east for a while which explains much of the sink. Broke both down tubes, vario, vg string, and bent one wheel bracket.....geeezzz. I was practically unscathed...except for of course my pride.
Another hg pilot flying a falcon had the same fate during that time except his flight was even shorter than mine but had no damage to him or his glider. A third hg had the same problem I had except he barely managed to make it to the LZ and won an award for his efforts on that one. I wasn't informed about any bailout. I didn't realize how bad that mesquite is to land in.
It's a great place to fly except they really do need a good bail out for hang gliders. They had some good parties after wards with a lot of good food and karaoke which I participated in....people liked my Bob Dylan impression. I didn't win any awards (no surprise there), not even for the worst landing which I would have easily won if there would have been one.
We'll be going back there again I'm sure.
Eric
I had a good flight on Saturday for a little over an hour. Sunday was a very different story however. I launched around 1pm and didn't get the thermals I had gotten the day before and mostly sank and sank and sank and never quite made the LZ and landed downwind in the mesquite. The wind had apparently turned east for a while which explains much of the sink. Broke both down tubes, vario, vg string, and bent one wheel bracket.....geeezzz. I was practically unscathed...except for of course my pride.
Another hg pilot flying a falcon had the same fate during that time except his flight was even shorter than mine but had no damage to him or his glider. A third hg had the same problem I had except he barely managed to make it to the LZ and won an award for his efforts on that one. I wasn't informed about any bailout. I didn't realize how bad that mesquite is to land in.
It's a great place to fly except they really do need a good bail out for hang gliders. They had some good parties after wards with a lot of good food and karaoke which I participated in....people liked my Bob Dylan impression. I didn't win any awards (no surprise there), not even for the worst landing which I would have easily won if there would have been one.
We'll be going back there again I'm sure.
Eric
Eric.
Sorry you had to learn the hard way.
Look up 7 posts. I noted the location of the Bailout LZ.
Granted- it's been 5 years since I've been to Alamo. Is it still there?
Glad you walked away physically unscathed.
The safety lesson I see here isn't one of insufficient skill,
but the one that regularly nabs me... "Complacency".
When we were H2's, we would never fly a new site without a full tour and site briefing. Complacency.
Sorry you had to learn the hard way.
Look up 7 posts. I noted the location of the Bailout LZ.
Granted- it's been 5 years since I've been to Alamo. Is it still there?
Glad you walked away physically unscathed.
The safety lesson I see here isn't one of insufficient skill,
but the one that regularly nabs me... "Complacency".
When we were H2's, we would never fly a new site without a full tour and site briefing. Complacency.
Sherry and I had a pretty good time:
We got there Friday afternoon and I caught a ride up to the La Luz launch, but it started blowing over the back and it was 0 for 1.
Saturday AM it was up to the Dry Canyon launch and we all got pretty good flights. Mine was ~ 50 minutes with a lot of boating up over the top (some high) in the company of a dozen other PG and several HG, and I made it back to the LZ (some did not). Then later PM we drove back up to Dry Canyon, but again it started blowing over the back, and it was 1 for 3 for the two days. The Saturday night party was very nice.
Sunday AM it was up to Dry Canyon again with some mixed results. It turned out difficult to to penetrate west towards the LZ, and quite a few of us ended up on dirt/gravel roads (me) and some others in the brush up by the Space Museum. But still a good flight for most, including me.
Sunday PM was again back up to Dry Canyon with some mixed results. Again hard to penetrate west with some landing short near the Space Museum or near Scenic Drive, but with some luck I caught a little lift over the west ridge and made it back to the LZ. That made it 3 pretty good flights for me for the 5 bone jarring trips up the long rocky road, about parr for the course. The Sunday night party was great, with good food & drink, good company, and lots of hansom trophies for flights extraordinaire (I was thaaat close, but not quite).
Anyway, even with all the driving, a pretty good time for us, and we look forward to doing it again.
Sherry and I also took time during midday breaks, and on the way home to see some nice sights: the White Sands, the Space Museum, the mountain high village of Cloudcroft, and observatories at Sunspot, the 20,000? petroglyphs at Three Rivers, the amazing lava flows at Valley of Fires (Carrizozo), and The Very Large Array radio telescopes west of Socorro, etc.
May the adventure continue.
Terry
We got there Friday afternoon and I caught a ride up to the La Luz launch, but it started blowing over the back and it was 0 for 1.
Saturday AM it was up to the Dry Canyon launch and we all got pretty good flights. Mine was ~ 50 minutes with a lot of boating up over the top (some high) in the company of a dozen other PG and several HG, and I made it back to the LZ (some did not). Then later PM we drove back up to Dry Canyon, but again it started blowing over the back, and it was 1 for 3 for the two days. The Saturday night party was very nice.
Sunday AM it was up to Dry Canyon again with some mixed results. It turned out difficult to to penetrate west towards the LZ, and quite a few of us ended up on dirt/gravel roads (me) and some others in the brush up by the Space Museum. But still a good flight for most, including me.
Sunday PM was again back up to Dry Canyon with some mixed results. Again hard to penetrate west with some landing short near the Space Museum or near Scenic Drive, but with some luck I caught a little lift over the west ridge and made it back to the LZ. That made it 3 pretty good flights for me for the 5 bone jarring trips up the long rocky road, about parr for the course. The Sunday night party was great, with good food & drink, good company, and lots of hansom trophies for flights extraordinaire (I was thaaat close, but not quite).
Anyway, even with all the driving, a pretty good time for us, and we look forward to doing it again.
Sherry and I also took time during midday breaks, and on the way home to see some nice sights: the White Sands, the Space Museum, the mountain high village of Cloudcroft, and observatories at Sunspot, the 20,000? petroglyphs at Three Rivers, the amazing lava flows at Valley of Fires (Carrizozo), and The Very Large Array radio telescopes west of Socorro, etc.
May the adventure continue.
Terry