Glider location near the beach?

[SF]

Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

[Bob Kuykendall]

On Jan 14, 10:26*am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Lake Tahoe has beaches. That lends itself to Truckee, Minden, and Air
Sailing.

Thanks, Bob K.

[Paul Remde]

Hi Bob,

Wouldn't it be too cold to hang out on the beach on Lake Tahoe? It is at
pretty high elevation. I've flown over it, but never been to the beach
there.

Paul Remde

"Bob Kuykendall" > wrote in message
...
On Jan 14, 10:26 am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Lake Tahoe has beaches. That lends itself to Truckee, Minden, and Air
Sailing.

Thanks, Bob K.

[[email protected]]

On Jan 14, 10:26*am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

How close to the beach? In southern Cal there are good beaches and
good cross country, but they are separated by at least 1.5 hours of
driving.

[Greg Arnold[_2_]]

The gliderport at Santa Ynez, California is less than ten miles from the
Pacific, and a half hour drive from the beach at Santa Barbara (75
degrees today).

Conditions at Santa Ynez usually are not good enough for XC, but most of
the year you can stay up. In 2008, there were twenty flights over
200km, eight over 300km, and two over 500km. Click here for OLC statistics:

http://tinyurl.com/6uummq

and change the year to 2008.



wrote:
> On Jan 14, 10:26 am, SF > wrote:
>> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
>> potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
>> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.
>
> How close to the beach? In southern Cal there are good beaches and
> good cross country, but they are separated by at least 1.5 hours of
> driving.

[Raphael Warshaw]

On Jan 14, 1:26*pm, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Santa Ynez might be near enough to Santa Barbara to work, especially
if you stay on the right side of town. Florida is another thought.

Ray Warshaw
1LK

[Darryl Ramm]

On Jan 14, 10:46*am, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
> Hi Bob,
>
> Wouldn't it be too cold to hang out on the beach on Lake Tahoe? *It is at
> pretty high elevation. *I've flown over it, but never been to the beach
> there.
>
> Paul Remde
>
> "Bob Kuykendall" > wrote in message
>
> ...
> On Jan 14, 10:26 am, SF > wrote:
>
> > Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> > potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> > meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.
>
> Lake Tahoe has beaches. That lends itself to Truckee, Minden, and Air
> Sailing.
>
> Thanks, Bob K.

In summer Tahoe is full of boating, waterskiing, canoeing, etc.
activities. Think Godfather Part II.

Some of the upscale hotels like the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village
have private beaches if you want to somewhere fancy (and it's a short
drive to Truckee Airport). "Hey honey I picked this hotel for it's
beach since I knew that is what you wanted. Ah so I'll see you later.
And remember where the trailer is parked if I need you to come get me,
and and I'll see you around 7pm..."


Darryl

[[email protected]]

One could always suggest that your significant other learn to soar.

Then again, the beach is probably cheaper :) My wife is considering
learning to fly... I thinks she's jealous of my relationship with my
"mistress".

[SF]

On Jan 14, 2:33*pm, wrote:
> One could always suggest that your significant other learn to soar.
>
> Then again, the beach is probably cheaper :) *My wife is considering
> learning to fly... I thinks she's jealous of my relationship with my
> "mistress".

Wife allready considers flying "the other woman" wants nothing to do
with it, dang it.

[sisu1a]

> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Absolutely! And your timing would be perfect if you wanted to go soon
(before it gets hot there...) Dillingham Airfield, North Shore of
Ohahu, Hawaii. You didn't specify mainland, and I believe that's the
best beach soaring in USA. Talk to Steve Lowrey at Acroflight
International: http://www.acroflightinternational.com/ It's a
fantastic place to fly, and an easy sell to the Mrs(?) if you can
afford it. (note-nice $5/night campgound right across the street from
Dillingham in addition to standard options...) Worth consideration;
when I flew there I never needed more than 1000' (actually 800' but
they have a 1000' min charge...) since the Tradewinds are almost
always blowing at 10-15kts steady, perpendicular to a steep 1000' high
ridge that runs the length of Mokolia Point, about 3/4 mile south of
the (9000'!) runway that runs parallel to it. A few laps on the ridge
and you are high enough to thermal hunt in the pineapple fields and go
explore. People do fly X/C there despite the limited real estate,
although lazily drifting around in the convergence slightly off-shore
while watching pods of whales/dolphins with some acro sprinkled in has
it's own appeals too should you stay tethered.

More locally, if you can time it right, good ole' Torry Pines could
possibly fit the bill too. http://flytorrey.com/cms/

I can't speak for the X/C potentials of the FL sites, but Seminole is
not too far from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans (but not a 'beach'
site) and being right next to Orlando can make the sell easier than
some other sites.
http://www.soarfl.com/main.htm and of course in Fl you also have
Miami Gliders: http://unusualattitudes.biz/ , not on the beach either
but closer to the water.

I vote for Hawaii!

-Paul

[Bruce Hoult]

On Jan 15, 7:26*am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Forget the USA, come to New Zealand ;-)

http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%20the%20North. JPG
http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%20the%20east.J PG
http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Turning%20over%20the%20coast.JPG
http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/On%20Tow2.JPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtvLme0PJYg

People do 300+ km cross countries from Paraparaumu almost every
weekend, and 750 is not unknown.

[Michael Ash]

sisu1a > wrote:
> I can't speak for the X/C potentials of the FL sites, but Seminole is
> not too far from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans (but not a 'beach'
> site) and being right next to Orlando can make the sell easier than
> some other sites.
> http://www.soarfl.com/main.htm and of course in Fl you also have
> Miami Gliders: http://unusualattitudes.biz/ , not on the beach either
> but closer to the water.

When I flew with Unusual Attitudes, the prospects for XC flights sounded
grim. Everything in the area is either city or swamp, and the natives used
to make arrowheads out of the stones underlying the swamp, so not a
friendly place to land out. Airport hopping is made very tough by the fact
that cloudbases are typically 3000ft (albeit with ground level right at
0). The flying seemed good from a stay-aloft point of view, and the
operation was really friendly (although quite small) but XC flying from
there appears to be a non-starter.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

[Mike Schumann]

Check out the Everglades Soaring Club in Immokalee FL. 20 miles east of
Naples and Ft. Myers. This is the 1st week we haven't been in the 80s all
winter (it's going to be in the low 70s for the next week or so).

Mike Schumann

"sisu1a" > wrote in message
...
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Absolutely! And your timing would be perfect if you wanted to go soon
(before it gets hot there...) Dillingham Airfield, North Shore of
Ohahu, Hawaii. You didn't specify mainland, and I believe that's the
best beach soaring in USA. Talk to Steve Lowrey at Acroflight
International: http://www.acroflightinternational.com/ It's a
fantastic place to fly, and an easy sell to the Mrs(?) if you can
afford it. (note-nice $5/night campgound right across the street from
Dillingham in addition to standard options...) Worth consideration;
when I flew there I never needed more than 1000' (actually 800' but
they have a 1000' min charge...) since the Tradewinds are almost
always blowing at 10-15kts steady, perpendicular to a steep 1000' high
ridge that runs the length of Mokolia Point, about 3/4 mile south of
the (9000'!) runway that runs parallel to it. A few laps on the ridge
and you are high enough to thermal hunt in the pineapple fields and go
explore. People do fly X/C there despite the limited real estate,
although lazily drifting around in the convergence slightly off-shore
while watching pods of whales/dolphins with some acro sprinkled in has
it's own appeals too should you stay tethered.

More locally, if you can time it right, good ole' Torry Pines could
possibly fit the bill too. http://flytorrey.com/cms/

I can't speak for the X/C potentials of the FL sites, but Seminole is
not too far from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans (but not a 'beach'
site) and being right next to Orlando can make the sell easier than
some other sites.
http://www.soarfl.com/main.htm and of course in Fl you also have
Miami Gliders: http://unusualattitudes.biz/ , not on the beach either
but closer to the water.

I vote for Hawaii!

-Paul

[[email protected]]

On Jan 14, 4:48*pm, Bruce Hoult > wrote:
> On Jan 15, 7:26*am, SF > wrote:
>
> > Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> > potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> > meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.
>
> Forget the USA, come to New Zealand ;-)
>
> http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%...http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%...http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Turning%20over%20the%20coast.JPGhttp://soar.co..nz/Gallery/images/On%20Tow2.JPG
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtvLme0PJYg
>
> People do 300+ km cross countries from Paraparaumu almost every
> weekend, and 750 is not unknown.

Wow Bruce, those photos sure brought back some memories. That IS a
great site. Greatings to all my OLD friends at WGC. Matt Michael

[ucsdcpc]

>http://unusualattitudes.biz/

I paid then a visit last Feb. and had a hour beetling around. Landout
possibilities seemed limited unless you wanted a close acquaintance with a
'gator or two.

As you say very friendly people and close to the Keys

http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisgsapphire/GlidingInTheUS#5165476191498657410

pictures 10 -14

pictures 29 - 31 are at Dillingham, HI to reference a previous comment.

Chris


Michael Ash wrote:
> sisu1a > wrote:
>> I can't speak for the X/C potentials of the FL sites, but Seminole is
>> not too far from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans (but not a 'beach'
>> site) and being right next to Orlando can make the sell easier than
>> some other sites.
>> http://www.soarfl.com/main.htm and of course in Fl you also have
>> Miami Gliders: http://unusualattitudes.biz/ , not on the beach either
>> but closer to the water.
>
> When I flew with Unusual Attitudes, the prospects for XC flights sounded
> grim. Everything in the area is either city or swamp, and the natives used
> to make arrowheads out of the stones underlying the swamp, so not a
> friendly place to land out. Airport hopping is made very tough by the fact
> that cloudbases are typically 3000ft (albeit with ground level right at
> 0). The flying seemed good from a stay-aloft point of view, and the
> operation was really friendly (although quite small) but XC flying from
> there appears to be a non-starter.
>

[[email protected]]

On Jan 14, 12:26*pm, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

Hawaii

[vontresc]

On Jan 15, 9:50*am, wrote:
> On Jan 14, 12:26*pm, SF > wrote:
>
> > Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> > potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> > meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.
>
> Hawaii

And here I thought you were gonna recommend our club in Hartford, WI.
We have beaches on Lake Mi, or for that matter on Pike Lake :-)

http://tinyurl.com/9knaoz

Pete

[[email protected]]

On Jan 14, 10:26�am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? �Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

San Diego. Some of the best X/C and some of the best ocean beaches in
the U.S.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mzsoar/GreatWarnerDay800Km?authkey=JGUZgBUhE2M#

Mike

[Tom Gardner]

On Jan 14, 6:26*pm, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.

If you would be prepared to consider "offshore US" on the
"unsinkable aircraft carrier", we have ~90 clubs all <70 miles
from the sea :) And if the beach becomes boring, there are
many other more interesting things to do nearby.

With the pound sinking like a stone, it would probably seem
quite cheap to you (typically $8/launch or $25-35 for an aerotow)

http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm

[Bruce]

Bruce Hoult wrote:
> On Jan 15, 7:26 am, SF > wrote:
>> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
>> potential near a beach? Trying to come up with a vacation spot that
>> meets the criteria of both of the people on the vacation.
>
> Forget the USA, come to New Zealand ;-)
>
> http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%20the%20North. JPG
> http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Returning%20to%20Paraparaumu%20from%20the%20east.J PG
> http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/Turning%20over%20the%20coast.JPG
> http://soar.co.nz/Gallery/images/On%20Tow2.JPG
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtvLme0PJYg
>
> People do 300+ km cross countries from Paraparaumu almost every
> weekend, and 750 is not unknown.
>
Well - yes Bruce

Paraparaumu is very close to the beach.
There are many pleasant apartments available.
One local museum in case it rains, but there are lots of other things to
do locally.
The world famous Kapiti island is just offshore for a little bird
watching and unspoiled nature. Etc.
There are expansive beaches available.

Only negative is - to paraphrase my 10 year old. "Where are the waves?"
and "Why is the water so cold in December?".

Maybe not everyone's idea of the beach.

[Bob Kuykendall]

On Jan 14, 10:26*am, SF > wrote:
> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
> potential near a beach? *

There must be some sandy spots along the Hudson...

[John Smith]

Bob Kuykendall wrote:

>> Is there any place in the US where there is good glider cross country
>> potential near a beach?

> There must be some sandy spots along the Hudson...

But the rumour goes that the thermals are difficult to center there.