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Has anyone found any OTHER east launch "rag wing" sites around Granham, Cochise or Santa Cruz Counties ? I want to get back flying AZ sites, but since the monsoon flow will pickup soon, miller can't still be the only one to go to.

Any ideas about extreme southwest New Mexico flying ?

A few of us made a trip to Mt Graham and a pg flight was had off the east side way down near the base. It looks like there are a few possibilities. If you can bandito a launch near the top you can glide for 8000 feet to Safford. I forget the name of the range between the pinalenos and lemmon, but I thought I heard of some flying in that range. I'm sure pav has scoped it with the motor.

Daryl once took me to a SE facing peak just north of Benson. It was as serious 4wd road (I wouldn't make it) and then a short hike to top. Very beautiful with views of the Rincons directly west of launch. I didn't see advantage over Miller except different views and launch was more forgivving.

That's a great reason for a new place. The same old launches with the same views will burn you out after a while. It's really great down in southern az where you can find sites in the absolute middle of nowhere. Maybe it was you or Scott that told me about blackjack canyon near clifton. I checked it out with a buddy, but we were too late leaving phx the first day so we went up some dirt road north of the safford airport in the dark because the airport guy wasn't too keen about us camping in the parking lot. We woke up the next morning, unzipped our tents, and stared right at what turned out to be a great new site that we spent the day building a launch on. Pretty isolated, but a great 2w road to the top. Then we scoped blackjack the next day.....maybe I'll try on my arcus but not on the hang glider.

The site north of Benson that Daryl pioneered is called Wildhorse. It's a nice bowl that faces, methinks, SE to ENE. It would certainly benefit from Launch and LZ clearing, but is doable as is. P2 only in very mellow conditions. LZ has a lot of trees and obstructions.

Yeah, the 4WD road requires a real 4WD vehicle with good tires.


Directions to Wildhorse:
I-10 E to exit 304 (Ocotillo St., Benson)
Turn left (north) and go to stop sign (7 mi.)
Turn right (NNE) and go until you are approaching where big power lines cross and look for Simons Way (only red street sign on left side).
Turn left and follow the road/trail until you can't go any further (base of upper ridge with 4x4). Then it's about a 600 vertical hike up amongst the shin-daggers to various launchable points along the cirque shaped bowl, depending on wind direction.

I'm taking my PG with me to just north of St Johns in NE AZ. My land there has a ridge that works in a NW to W and it's easier to hike back up without all the aluminum. Don't know if I'll fly but I will find a launch and landing site this trip. It should be similar to flying Torrey with a top landing of 80 flat acres.

Jerry

If you have time to scope out flattop mt in eagar that would be a good report. It looks good but I've never gotten around to driving up. I would be interested if it was good for hg. On my way out of AZ in april, I drove the highway straight east out of springerville into new mexico. The landings all along this stretch are great and the sky looked awesome. Should be good for some xc if you could get off the ground up there.

As far as I could see it was strictly an east to southeast site. Yeah the LZ had some trees etc. but if you didn't 4wd to top then there was more landing below. I would fly it again.