Nephi, UT just got a tow plane from April - Aug!

[[email protected]]

Nephi is one of the hottest soaring destinations in the west (and for good reason), but up until now, we have only had tow options during organized events. We have finally been able to secure a strong 182 to tow up gliders from mid-April into August if we can just get enough glider pilots to come out and use it. What a great problem to have. You are all invited! :)

We have a dedicated tow pilot/cfi-g able to be at Nephi at least Fri-Sun every week during these months. If demand is strong enough, or if you make arrangements with him, he might be able to come other days as well. It gets better (yes Herb, I am marketing here), the Utah Soaring Association's newly rebuilt winch (440hp, 8000'+ rope!) is at Nephi and pilots are welcome to schedule their winch endorsement / winch currency training with us in one of our club's Twin Astirs. Come to Nephi in 2016, fly the winch, get tows, have a blast.

The Utah Soaring Association is hosting the 15m, Standard, and Open Nationals at Nephi on June 19-30 this year so we will not have another OLC/XC Camp until 2017. Why not get your club or a few friends together and come out to Nephi for 3-4 days with your ships and create your own safari/OLC time at Nephi? We are more than excited to help you make it happen and hopefully fly together with you.

https://sites.google.com/site/nephisoaring/

Contact Bruno Vassel (B4) at 801-652-6631 or email brunovassel at gmail dot com for further information on either tows or winch launching at Nephi.

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 8:07:11 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> Nephi is one of the hottest soaring destinations in the west (and for good reason), but up until now, we have only had tow options during organized events. We have finally been able to secure a strong 182 to tow up gliders from mid-April into August if we can just get enough glider pilots to come out and use it. What a great problem to have. You are all invited! :)
>
> We have a dedicated tow pilot/cfi-g able to be at Nephi at least Fri-Sun every week during these months. If demand is strong enough, or if you make arrangements with him, he might be able to come other days as well. It gets better (yes Herb, I am marketing here), the Utah Soaring Association's newly rebuilt winch (440hp, 8000'+ rope!) is at Nephi and pilots are welcome to schedule their winch endorsement / winch currency training with us in one of our club's Twin Astirs. Come to Nephi in 2016, fly the winch, get tows, have a blast.
>
> The Utah Soaring Association is hosting the 15m, Standard, and Open Nationals at Nephi on June 19-30 this year so we will not have another OLC/XC Camp until 2017. Why not get your club or a few friends together and come out to Nephi for 3-4 days with your ships and create your own safari/OLC time at Nephi? We are more than excited to help you make it happen and hopefully fly together with you.
>
> https://sites.google.com/site/nephisoaring/
>
> Contact Bruno Vassel (B4) at 801-652-6631 or email brunovassel at gmail dot com for further information on either tows or winch launching at Nephi.

I'm enjoying your marketing talents, Bruno, I really do. You finally pulled even with Parowan - no - wait a minute, you are ahead of them with your nice winch. I had many visits to Nephi as a turnpoint (seems to be a bit of a sinkhole but nevermind) so now I have a reason to visit on the ground and take some tows!
Herb

[John Cochrane[_3_]]

Herb: Nephi is no sinkhole! Well, it's in a valley, but the hills on both sides have lots of lift, and there is typically a convergence line west of the airport. It has a long flat runway with good options at both ends -- no downwind or uphill over no man's land takeoffs. Little hills to the west get you going early without fearful scratching. We had a great time at Bruno's camp last summer. I hope to see you there this year!

John Cochrane

[[email protected]]

> You finally pulled even with Parowan - no - wait a minute, you are ahead of them with your nice winch...so now I have a reason to visit on the ground and take some tows!
> Herb

Well Herb, I guess we are going to have to take down the sign entering town: http://screencast.com/t/YTe9mW43g I was able to get it approved with the city council by telling them it was an anti-drug campaign. ;)

Bruno - B4

[K m]

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 7:07:11 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> Nephi is one of the hottest soaring destinations in the west (and for good reason), but up until now, we have only had tow options during organized events. We have finally been able to secure a strong 182 to tow up gliders from mid-April into August if we can just get enough glider pilots to come out and use it. What a great problem to have. You are all invited! :)
>
> We have a dedicated tow pilot/cfi-g able to be at Nephi at least Fri-Sun every week during these months. If demand is strong enough, or if you make arrangements with him, he might be able to come other days as well. It gets better (yes Herb, I am marketing here), the Utah Soaring Association's newly rebuilt winch (440hp, 8000'+ rope!) is at Nephi and pilots are welcome to schedule their winch endorsement / winch currency training with us in one of our club's Twin Astirs. Come to Nephi in 2016, fly the winch, get tows, have a blast.
>
> The Utah Soaring Association is hosting the 15m, Standard, and Open Nationals at Nephi on June 19-30 this year so we will not have another OLC/XC Camp until 2017. Why not get your club or a few friends together and come out to Nephi for 3-4 days with your ships and create your own safari/OLC time at Nephi? We are more than excited to help you make it happen and hopefully fly together with you.
>
> https://sites.google.com/site/nephisoaring/
>
> Contact Bruno Vassel (B4) at 801-652-6631 or email brunovassel at gmail dot com for further information on either tows or winch launching at Nephi.

Bruno,
I can appreciate the enthusiasm with the tow plane and pilot but where do you come off advertising winch endorsements and access to club equipment? None of this has cleared the BOD of the club and right now it looks like most of this wont make it into the bylaws. It definitely would be prudent to discuss this with the club first.

[[email protected]]

So after Bruno gets his tongue lashing, :) I was wondering how one would know if there would be a tow plane available on a Sat or Sunday. If one (me) were to fly in on a Fri or Sat in his Ventus to get a tow and fly back home the next day. Have done that at Parowan when full time tows were there :) Who would be the contact number?

[Loye Hilton[_2_]]

At 20:01 11 February 2016, wrote:
>> You finally pulled even with Parowan - no - wait a minute, you are
ahead
>of them with your nice winch...so now I have a reason to visit on the
>ground and take some tows!
>> Herb
>
>Well Herb, I guess we are going to have to take down the sign entering
>town: http://screencast.com/t/YTe9mW43g I was able to get it approved
with
>the city council by telling them it was an anti-drug campaign. ;)
>
>Bruno - B4
>awesome, the old Durango soaring gang will be there as soon as we all get
together and set a date. Will be in contact. We also have a plane in Aztec,
N.M. now. Soooo kooool.

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 2:01:07 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > You finally pulled even with Parowan - no - wait a minute, you are ahead of them with your nice winch...so now I have a reason to visit on the ground and take some tows!
> > Herb
>
> Well Herb, I guess we are going to have to take down the sign entering town: http://screencast.com/t/YTe9mW43g I was able to get it approved with the city council by telling them it was an anti-drug campaign. ;)
>
> Bruno - B4

Love it Bruno!!! What a sign of honor. A marketing genius AND a sense of humor!
Herb, J7

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 3:33:15 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> So after Bruno gets his tongue lashing, :) I was wondering how one would know if there would be a tow plane available on a Sat or Sunday. If one (me) were to fly in on a Fri or Sat in his Ventus to get a tow and fly back home the next day. Have done that at Parowan when full time tows were there :) Who would be the contact number?

Hey Cliff,
We are still working out the logistics so that it is clear and easy for everyone. For now, our pilot is planning every Fri-Sun during the weekends of the season so that will not be a problem. We will post more info as we work out the best way to both book and verify tow availability.

Bruno - B4

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 4:24:11 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 2:01:07 PM UTC-6, wrote:
> > > You finally pulled even with Parowan - no - wait a minute, you are ahead of them with your nice winch...so now I have a reason to visit on the ground and take some tows!
> > > Herb
> >
> > Well Herb, I guess we are going to have to take down the sign entering town: http://screencast.com/t/YTe9mW43g I was able to get it approved with the city council by telling them it was an anti-drug campaign. ;)
> >
> > Bruno - B4
>
> Love it Bruno!!! What a sign of honor. A marketing genius AND a sense of humor!
> Herb, J7

:) All in good fun Herb.
Bruno - B4

[[email protected]]

> >awesome, the old Durango soaring gang will be there as soon as we all get
> together and set a date. Will be in contact. We also have a plane in Aztec,
> N.M. now. Soooo kooool.

Loye - Excited to have you all come back and fly with us!!! I sure hope to join you.

Bruno - B4

[Mike the Strike]

That's great news about the tow plane and the winch is a real bonus.

For those who don't know, the Great Basin from June to September has some of the best soaring conditions in the USA - the closest we get to Namibia. When the monsoon moisture sets in, you can have cloud streets to die for. Southern sites (like Parowan) can get zapped by storms at the height of the season, while things are usually better to the north.

I lived in Utah and flew from Cedar Valley, just north of Nephi for several years. The Great Salt Lake can have a negative influence on soaring conditions at surprising distances south, but Nephi is sufficiently far away to rarely suffer and may be the optimum location for mid-monsoon soaring.

The only issue that may need addressing at Nephi is the number of pilots (like me) who like to bring an RV or camper and stay near the field. Nephi Airport is a secure facility and not really a suitable camping location. The available RV parks in town are small, expensive and not that great. The laundromat in town needs a couple of sticks of dynamite! Bruno - any plans to address these?

Oh yes, and bring your own beer. This is still Utah!

Mike

[Craig Reinholt]

> Oh yes, and bring your own beer. This is still Utah!
>
> Mike

A few of us from the Pacific NW were thinking of bringing a couple kegs of proper beer (from Portland and Seattle) to the Nationals for you "heathens" that only drink swill, but sadly, Utah state law prohibits the import of beer.
< The main idea, of course, was for everyone (but us) to have a hangover the next day so we could waltz to the top of the leader board ;-) >

[K m]

On Friday, February 12, 2016 at 8:06:26 AM UTC-7, Mike the Strike wrote:
> That's great news about the tow plane and the winch is a real bonus.
>
> For those who don't know, the Great Basin from June to September has some of the best soaring conditions in the USA - the closest we get to Namibia. When the monsoon moisture sets in, you can have cloud streets to die for. Southern sites (like Parowan) can get zapped by storms at the height of the season, while things are usually better to the north.
>
> I lived in Utah and flew from Cedar Valley, just north of Nephi for several years. The Great Salt Lake can have a negative influence on soaring conditions at surprising distances south, but Nephi is sufficiently far away to rarely suffer and may be the optimum location for mid-monsoon soaring.
>
> The only issue that may need addressing at Nephi is the number of pilots (like me) who like to bring an RV or camper and stay near the field. Nephi Airport is a secure facility and not really a suitable camping location. The available RV parks in town are small, expensive and not that great. The laundromat in town needs a couple of sticks of dynamite! Bruno - any plans to address these?
>
> Oh yes, and bring your own beer. This is still Utah!
>
> Mike

Mike,
You probably don't remember me but we parked our ships next to each other at a contest years ago. I have flown at CV for over a decade and I was wondering what time frame you were there. I need to take issue with the Booze situation. Sure, the State store in Nephi blows but Utah does have 3 good Micro breweries, An excellent Whiskey distillery, and several good wineries. Best to stock up at a State store other than Nephi.
As for the winch, I think I see what is happening (Finally). Apparently the winch was purchased with the intent of using it as a commercial venture. The club structure and bylaws does not support this and there may have been an assumption that we could make substantial changes later. Obviously, we should have made changes to the Corporate structure of the club FIRST, and then pursued a winch.
As for the winch itself, we have not had alot of days between failures, and right now the winch is a pile of parts in a members shop awaiting upgrades.. Stay tuned for further updates.
I felt that advertising to open the club as a commercial venture was premature, especially when the club has no infrastructure to support it. Nonetheless, Bruno ask me to remove my earlier port and out of respect it is gone.
Kirk U.
USA Secretary/Safety Officer

[[email protected]]

On Friday, February 12, 2016 at 8:06:26 AM UTC-7, Mike the Strike wrote:
> That's great news about the tow plane and the winch is a real bonus.
>
> For those who don't know, the Great Basin from June to September has some of the best soaring conditions in the USA - the closest we get to Namibia. When the monsoon moisture sets in, you can have cloud streets to die for. Southern sites (like Parowan) can get zapped by storms at the height of the season, while things are usually better to the north.
>
> I lived in Utah and flew from Cedar Valley, just north of Nephi for several years. The Great Salt Lake can have a negative influence on soaring conditions at surprising distances south, but Nephi is sufficiently far away to rarely suffer and may be the optimum location for mid-monsoon soaring.
>
> The only issue that may need addressing at Nephi is the number of pilots (like me) who like to bring an RV or camper and stay near the field. Nephi Airport is a secure facility and not really a suitable camping location. The available RV parks in town are small, expensive and not that great. The laundromat in town needs a couple of sticks of dynamite! Bruno - any plans to address these?
>
> Oh yes, and bring your own beer. This is still Utah!
>
> Mike

Hey Mike - We are excited with all the progress being made at Nephi. You are correct, Nephi has a fence around it and is not set up to accommodate RV's like Ely...yet. We are really just getting ongoing operations up and running so we don't have everything in place like camp spots, RV hook up, etc.. Those will come in future years. That said, just outside the gate is a big parking lot and grass area for the RV/camping overnight.

As for beer? Sorry I can't help. Been here in Utah too long. I have heard that we are now starting to allow dancing though! ;)
Bruno - B4

[3j]

At 16:20 12 February 2016, Craig Reinholt wrote:
>> Oh yes, and bring your own beer. This is still Utah!
>>
>> Mike
>
>A few of us from the Pacific NW were thinking of bringing a couple
kegs of
>proper beer (from Portland and Seattle) to the Nationals for you
"heathens"
>that only drink swill, but sadly, Utah state law prohibits the import
of
>beer.
>
>
Just bring it to EPH.

LS4a

[Tony[_5_]]

Dancing??? Now I'm really regretting making it to Nephi this year!