Slope Areas in Vancouver B.C.???

[tyrolean_marcus]

Hello All,

I've posted this type of questions on a couple of the American forums, and occasionally I'll get a response. However, it seems that there are no slope sites in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver B.C.) area, this side of the US border.

I have heard of a couple of fellows trying to slope near Whiterock B.C. I took a drive out there a couple of weeks ago, and the location that was described is pretty much not suitable. Lots of Lamp standards, cars, people, traintracks. Way to many obstacles, the risks are too high.

Has anybody tried slope soaring on Grouse Mountain, or for that matter Cypress, or Seymore mountains?

Cheers,

Marcus.
Slope Junkie

These Pictures were take at Kiona Bute, near Richland Washington.

[nony]

I ran into the same problem..you need some west facing hills...but they all have houses on them. The only site I've seen used was by the Bellingham airport. The lookout on the way up to Cypress might work, but the wind would have to be in the right direction...

[wakuman]

Marcus try this link
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323231&highlight=vancouver

there's everthing said about slopes around Vancouver

Cheers
Thomas

and Eagle /Kiona is just 5 hrs away at least you don't need the BC Ferries

[Albatross1]

Hi All,

First post here, so I hope this isn't too dumb ....

I grew up in Vancouver and I'm just getting into sailplanes. I'm trying to think of good slopes in the area with big enough landing areas and I'm kind of stumped. Apparently there's an area near Bellingham and even near Burlington in the US but closer would be better. Since this thread is a little dated, I'm wondering if there is any update to the slope situation in the Vancouver area?

Any hope or should I just go electrified sailplane?

Thanks for your thoughts,
Dave

[Marcel B.]

I'll bet you there would be somewhere near Abbotsford or Chilliwack...

The saddle of Mount Cheam might be ideal, I don't know. It faces west and gets a good thermal I'm sure of that...

[Albatross1]

Hi Marcel
Good thought. The wind really funnels through the Chilliwack-Hope area so I'd bet there's some awesome sites there. There used to be some full size flying near Hope too so that's a good sign.

I know there's some near Mission so one might not even have to go as far as Abbotsford but I was thinking closer to Vancouver, Burnaby or ideally Surrey?

Thanks,
Dave

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

Track down Fero Zatco he is the slope meister in the lower mainland.
fero@acheles.com
Alas he says the best site he has found is here in Pemberton at the Mackenzie para launch site. I know he does slope stuff down there.
I'm going to start sniffing around Spences Bridge/Ascroft/Lytton/Lillooet as I believe with those hills there has to be a great flying site......lots of launch areas but kinda need that landing zone.
Kevin

[Albatross1]

Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the contact. The landing area is the key I guess. I can think of lots of good launch places but none landing areas. I'll see what he says.
Thanks
Dave

[kcaldwel]

I've been doing bottom-up slope soaring on the island. There are cliffs along the shoreline many places, but the cliff top is usually covered in tress and/or houses. So I discus launch from the beach, and soar the cliffs, and land on the beach or hand catch the glider.

It is a test of depth perception!

I am thinking of producing a discus launch glider optimized for slope soaring. Would anyone be interested? It seems to me there are many potential slope soaring sites in Canada that have space at the bottom, but don't have access to a launch or landing spot at the top.

Kevin
www.sealbayaero.com

[Albatross1]

Hi Kevin,

I've been thinking just about exactly the same thing but I am planning to use some electricity to get airborne. I live near such a place and when the tide goes out I get some huge sand, pocketed with shallow pools though. It may be dicey dodging the shallow pools.

Lately I've been wondering if the sand would be too abrasive but maybe not if I have flaps? Do you do anything special to keep the salt water out of things?

Back to the topic, I noticed that some straightening of stretches of hwy 99 may have left behind old stretches of pavement (unless they were reclaimed) at the edge of slopes into Howe Sound. I'll have to pay more attention next time I'm out that way.

Thanks,
Dave

[FordB]

Squamish gets some amazing Windsurfing Winds, one would think that there would be a good spot around there somewhere??!!! The wind really funnels strongly up the valley in that area.

There MUST be a an answer, it might take a minor miracle to find the perfect spot, but KEEP LOOKING!!!

[kcaldwel]

Hi Kevin,

I've been thinking just about exactly the same thing but I am planning to use some electricity to get airborne. I live near such a place and when the tide goes out I get some huge sand, pocketed with shallow pools though. It may be dicey dodging the shallow pools.

Lately I've been wondering if the sand would be too abrasive but maybe not if I have flaps? Do you do anything special to keep the salt water out of things?

Back to the topic, I noticed that some straightening of stretches of hwy 99 may have left behind old stretches of pavement (unless they were reclaimed) at the edge of slopes into Howe Sound. I'll have to pay more attention next time I'm out that way.

Thanks,
Dave

Keep the glider in the air, and away from the salt water!

My DLG has big flaperons, and I catch it fairly regularly. Landing in the sand is not an issue, other than it sticks to the fin, and can change the CG a bit.

The DLG works very well for light winds from the bottom of the cliff. Sometimes it would be nice to have a bit less dihedral for sloping, and although I can put in 50 grams of ballast, that still only brings it to 300 grams or so (11 oz.), which isn't much on a 1.5m glider. Not for the big winds!

Kevin

[RYAN2200]

Hi guys. I just noticed there has been some discussion about BC slope sites here.

I made the drive down to Kennewick last weekend to fly Eagle, Kionna etc and it was great. The drive is a bit long but worthwhile since the flying really is spectacular. I know the Island boys have nearly double the travel time that I do but still head down several times a year.

Enough about that. In hopes of finding undiscovered BC sites I've spent a ridiculous amount of time scouring Google Earth, studying historical weather records and reading wind power feasibility studies. One thing that I have noticed is that the US seems to have far more maintained roads that can get you high into the mountains. The roads that do go high in BC are often severely cross ditched or de-activated entirely. I'm not against hiking but it's tough to bring all the required gear to stage a major 3 day slope assault if you have to carry it all on your back. The attached picture is of a slope that's directly north of Lillooet. The point I’ve labeled “Upper Site” appears to be road (donkey track?) accessible. Don't let the small picture fool you that spot sits more than 4300’ above the river! That’s some serious vertical for any slope spot! There are several other spots along this slope that look flyable with varying amounts of accessibility. Lillooet is known to be a very windy place, here’s todays forecast which appears to be the norm.

Increasing cloudiness this morning. Wind south 20 km/h gusting to 40 increasing to 40 gusting to 60 this afternoon. High 13. UV index 3 or moderate.

Lillooet is often the warmest place in the whole country and doesn’t receive all that much precipitation. The limited snowpack should allow access fairly early in the season. In contrast, driving to 5000’ here on the coast may be problematic well into the summer. We’ll be heading up this weekend to take a look at this area and a few other spots in the area.

There are some truly awesome slopes west of Lillooet in the area north of Carpenter Lake. They are all high in the alpine with amazing scenery in all directions. Access is very limited as far as driving high goes. I’ve included files for a spot that allows one to drive nearly to the top. It does take a while to get to this place and those with a passport but no sense of adventure are better off going to Eagle. It’s usually windy up here simply because of the elevation. Luckily the slopes are somewhat faceted and have connecting ridgelines that will allow flying from pretty much any wind direction by hiking to find your happy place. Spend a bit of time and check this area out in Google Earth, there are some amazing spots.

Getting back to the original question about sloping in the Vancouver area I’d have to say there is some potential in the mountains for those that want to put in the effort. If you’re willing to drive out to the valley, Mt. Woodside, on the way to Harrison is a decent site that I’ve flown many times. The bad news is that it’s a very busy place for HG-Paragliders. The good news is that they have improved the launch somewhat making it a bit easier to land a glider. It’s not a crunchie spot in my opinion. The other good news is that PGers aren’t big fans of the strong winds that make people like me happy. HGliders will fly when it’s slightly windier but tend to range further away from the launch than PGers do. So please use some common sense if you decide to fly here and don’t create confrontation with the locals, we are definitely the minority here. Elk Mountain in the Chilliwack River Valley is another decent spot when the wind is cooperating. It requires a fairly rigorous Grouse Grind kind of hike but is worthwhile since the slope is steep, grass and totally free of plane eating, rotor inducing objects like…. say… trees. There are more local spots, mostly in the Fraser Valley that I have flown and even more that need to be tried.

The way I see it is that the more people we have interested in slope flying locally the better. Flying RC gliders in these obscure places never draws a crowd which is too bad since it’s always waaay more fun when flying with others. I have driven thousands of miles by myself to fly slopes, by myself and would have gladly taken along whomever for the ride if I knew who had some interest in this sorta thing. I have no concerns about what you fly. Foamie, crunchie, flying wing…. a Gentle Lady you bought at a garage sale for $25…. The slope won’t dictate what you can fly but will quickly tell you what you shouldn’t have flown.

Anyway I know I’ve said way too much already for a first post. It would be great to use this thread as a means of getting in touch with interested locals. So make a post here if you wanna be known as someone who’d like to be contacted about exploring the interior, flying the known spots in Ashcroft, Kamloops, Nicola Valley etc… or even to arrange trips to Eagle.

One more thing… TLyttle, if you wake up one morning and there’s a dozen or so people milling around in your yard setting up camp, swapping stories and setting up gliders I’d be happy to take all the blame. Maybe if you and the Mrs weren’t so nice to everyone and the slopes were less flyable you wouldn’t have to worry about things like this.:)

Ryan

Edit -- .kmz (GoogleEarth) isn't a valid file type here and I can't figure out a work around to attach them, email me and I'll send them to those interested.

[FordB]

Has any tried the Mackenzie Launch in Pemberton??

Ford:)

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

Ryan, I do like your style,we've never met but I like you already. I've sniffed all of those places and have a few to add. I used to launch nw of Lytton(great) all the way towards Clinton offers lots...Lets go! I'm in!
I'll go up and check the Mckenzie launch in Pembybush this weekend and chuck my Trik and BOT.
Will update
Kevin

[RYAN2200]

Style? Kevin you'll quickly realize that I'm fairly free of that character flaw... it gets in the way of accomplishing important things. For instance... if I bought a $47,000 shiny pickup to increase my style quotient I'd have far less cash to buy the really cool things like say...... gliders!:)

I'm doing a day trip up to Lillooet tommorow (Saturday). If it turns wet, aint blowing or the slope plain old sucks I'll head up the highway and turn south at Hat Creek and fly the sites around Ashcroft. I'd be happy to take whoever wants to go providing that checking in with your parole office isn't one of the things you need to do before we head out....

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

Now yer talking, cept fur the weather card. There is that launch site the hang gliders use just south of Ascroft. Also go up the paved road north of Spences towards the Carmasunnisaraptunibugwanniyogurtveggiesucking commune some very interesting looking flying spots.
Winds are just starting to pick up here so will be checking out Mac Basin site Saturday...Sunday will be a wash out, hanger time.

[TLyttle]

Hawwww! Thanks for the kind words, Ryan, wife says "Bring it on!"...

[Albatross1]

Hi Guys,

I'm a little embarassed to say that I'm a rank beginner but I wouldn't mind tagging along on your coat tails to learn a thing or too. I was hoping to find some places closer to home so I could go at the drop of a hat and practice (I'm in White Rock).

Thanks,
Dave

[TLyttle]

I can only assume that Ryan has carefully assessed White Rock; I do remember having a look at the area, and the only thing missing is a proper place to fly from, as the slope itself seems to support thousands of seagulls with immovable wings!

Keep an eye out, pay attention to the park along the shoreline, just don't be too ambitious to start...

[RYAN2200]

Hi all. We went on a slope-exploration trip yesterday and had a great time. The weather was pleasant and we were able to fly it 40-60k winds without gloves. The big slopes north of Lillooet were a bust. There's a freakin locked gate low down on the only road leading into to this area. Arghhhh!!! I’ll have to see what’s involved in getting a key for the next trip. We flew light gliders on the switchbacks that lie to the east of this area. It was early in the day so the wind was light but the thermals were already booming up from the valley floor. Sinking below launch here would involve a very nasty retrieve. There are tree tops to avoid but once you’re away from the slope you can rip up the big air to your hearts content. Since we had more spots to scope out we left before the wind filled in. On the drive out I could see the spots at the top of the 5000’ ridge that we had planned on visiting and they look like they’re gonna rock.

We did a bunch more driving and threw our gliders off several places that were never meant to be flown,…. hey ya gotta try! Some of my favorite spots offer way better flying than you would imagine upon first glance.

We spent the evening flying some established sites in huge lift, what a great way to end a full day of slope-scopin.


************************************************** *******

Terry you know that I don't carefully assess anything, I suffer from dog and frisbee syndrome.:) Apparently White Rock can be flown, just not that often. The prevailing winds at mountain sites are channeled to some degree by the local topography, either helping or hurting the flyability of the site. The wind at White Rock is fairly free to blow from any old direction it wants and straight in isn’t normally what it wants. Supposing it does blow straight in there also a chance that it will be dark, high tide, raining or too crowded with kite flying weenies. If you live close by just keep an eye on the variables and have at her next time the stars align.

Albytross, just come along on the next slope assault. It's a great way to learn and whatever it is you wanna fly I'm sure I've crashed one before.:)

[Albatross1]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm putting together an easy glider (electric) so it should be bullet proof but maybe too lightfor those winds?

At White Rock, I plan to stay away from the park along the main drag. I've been watching the birds andthere's a bluff that they soar above pretty regularly but as you say the wind isn't usually straight in.

Ryan, I'd be interested in tagging along after I finish my plane ... sounds like fun.

Thanks,
Dave

[RYAN2200]

Dave, your glider will work fine for a lot of situations provided there's enough room for landing and it's not blowing gale force. I like to have at least one powered glider ready to go when the wind isn't blowing reliably in case you sink out it can be powered it back up to launch. I have a few epp wings and other things that you or anyone with interest can use by swapping the crystal or receiver depending on your Tx setup. I'd like to try flying the e-gliders at White Rock again sometime. The bluff way off to the right looks flyable with a powered glider.... maybe from the bottom?

[Albatross1]

Hey Ryan,
Thanks for the encouragement.

The bluff to the right is where it's at. That's where the eagles hang. Last weekend, I walked out there at almost low tide and watched 6-8 of them for quite a while. I'm not sure how good the LZ would be though, some of the sand bars might be big enough but they're also pretty narrow and they run parallel to the shore. Later in the summer, I'm sure that they will be much wider though but they always seem to have some standing water here and there.

I'm trying to make my EGE as water proof as possible (film on foam and connectors in balloons or something like that). Still not finished though but I'm getting tired of the flight sim so it's time for real world soon.

How much slope do you need for slope soaring? I some some youtube stuff on fighting wings and they were just flying from something like the sea wall. Amazing stuff.

Dave

[Albatross1]

I've counted as many as 16 different individual eagles around that bluff before. They're like crows there!

[TLyttle]

The eagles and the gulls tell you everything you need to know. If you see the gulls sloping with their wings half-folded, the lift band is very fast and narrow. If you see the eagles 200' up and out, there's good air for a light model.

I've seen (and used) slopes anywhere from 20' high to 2,000', and what I have learned is take enough models with you to meet any conditions; beyond that, pick the conditions that suit your model.

Stay with Ryan's 6, you can't go wrong...

[Albatross1]

Thanks Terry,

The gulls come and go but the eagles are almost always over the edge of the bluff and they vary in height from say 40 ft above the trees to mere specs in the sky (while still circling). Sometimes the wind parallels the slope though if a storm is coming or weather is changing.

I was also told by a fellow in Oregon that there can be pretty good thermals at the beach near the water line but I don't often see the birds riding anything that far away from shore.

cheers,
Dave

[TLyttle]

From what I remember, storms there come from the southeast, no go. Pay attention to the weather forecasts, look for Westerlies.

In all cases, the birds tell you all you need to know, period.

[RYAN2200]

That's true about the birds down here Terry but up at your place I listen to the snakes.... they tell me where it wasn't safe to cross the road.:)

[TLyttle]

Hahaaa! I forgot about that....

[RYAN2200]

Dave, if you're still interested in waterproofing your gear check out the waterplanes forum on RCG. There's a product called Corrosion-X that people have been dunking their esc and Rx into. I can tell you first hand that it does work well and that unprotected rc components have nearly zero tolerance for water.... go ahead and ask me how I know the second part.:)

Corrosion-X can be somewhat hard to find so you can borow mine if you like although I'm not sure if anything will help in saltwater.

[FordB]

Come on Boys!! We've gotta keep up this search of finding the perfect slope for us near Vancouver!!!
Anybody try the Mackenzie Launch in Pemberton yet?
Ford:)

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

As of last week it was a 30 minute walk to the launch, will go up and have a look Sunday. I will post my findings.
I live just off the road to there so its easy for me, and flyers can always call on flying conditions...my wife is used to it:)
Kevin

[Albatross1]

Ryan suggested Mt Woodside. It's a launch point for hang and paragliders. It looks interesting. There might be some other ones around. In the good ol days, they used to launch a lot of hang gliders from up Grouse Mountain and they had an LZ down near the fish ladders. I was thnking about that and also say up at Cypress in the summer, maybe they've grassed some of the lower parts of the runs to doll it up for 2010?

I'm going to see where the hangliders are flying.
Dave

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

I've got my hang gliding site book open....lower main land
White rock...Semiamoo Bay
Port Co... Burke Mtn
Haney.. Blue Mtn
Abbotsford....Sumas Mtn
Mission.... Dewdney
East Mission....Little Nic
Agassiz... Woodside (top)
Just a few of the sites from
"The Western Canadian Hang Gliding Site Guide" my old Para-gliding days
Let me know where your intersted I'll see if I can help.
Kevin
Crappy weather today ...perfect for finishing my first DLG that arrived yesterday.....man them thar Youropeeons shure kan bild m nice:)

[Albatross1]

How about near Surrey, Abbostford, Langley, Delta, Ladner (?), anywhere south of the Fraser River. Any near CHilliwack or Aldergrove? How about just over the line in Wash state, like near Mt Baker or closer?

That should keep you out of trouble for a while!

Thanks, any leads would be a big help.
Dave

[Albatross1]

Here's a pretty good site, for the hg's.

http://www.westcoastsoaringclub.com/sites/

Looks like Mt Sumas is only 15 clicks from Abbotsford.
Dave

[TLyttle]

Last time I looked, they were paving over Sumas as fast as they could: down come the trees, up go the houses, no parks, no access that I could see...

The southwest side of Baker is covered in logging roads, again the last time I saw it. Getting back and forth across the border with WMVs is a problem, though, as a transmitter COULD be a bomb trigger to those guys!

[RYAN2200]

Terry stop talkin like that I'm taking my Tx as a carry on in the morning and I panic easily.:)

I typed a nice post this afternoon and for some reason I don't see it here. What a freakin waste of time that was. I'm sure there wasn't any nasty language or thoughts to get it deleted. Anyway it went something liked this.

Sumas might work for our needs. It's directly above the Highway #1 bridge over the Vedder canal. You can drive all the way to the top. A 10-15 minute hike with little elevation change is required. It's not a place to learn though since outlanding is not an option. The hg cliff launch is small but may work as it's close to the proper outflow lift area. The carpet clad pg launch is just slightly south from there. I have paraglided from this spot and know that it often blows cross from the left and you have to wait for a thermal cycle from the south facing slopes way down below to bring it in straight. You need to watch for a big ole dead snag at the edge of the precipice and the possibility of a rotor if the outflow returns mid launch. You'd be lucky to see any hg/pg types here, it's just not that popular. I'd be into trying light handlaunch wings here if any one else wants to. I'm sure the thermals would be adequate to keep us entertained even if the outflow winds were absent.

Little Nic is not suitable for rc slopin. It's just a notch in the tall trees that goes way out. Above the Little Nic launch there is a huge logging slash that faces the right direction for the inflow winds. I nearly beat myself to death trying to access it last spring. It looked so simple from a distance.:)

There's a site called Blanchard over Samish Bay in Wa State. Google it. The launch is fairly small and can be quite busy with hg/pg people. Personally I would only fly it on storm days when they are all grounded. Got lead?:D Please don't create conflict here, I don't wanna deal with it especially since it's avoidable.

I'd like to know who would be intersted in doing a trip up to the interior to fly the known big lift sites and do a little light duty exploring. Day trips are doable but A 2-3 day trip is even better. So far we have;

flyinguy-in-whistler (kevin) who appears to have very nearly the same mental issues as me.:)
ryan2200 (me) who doesn't need coaxing of any sort to head out flyin.

So far it's not much of a list.....

I have a zillion other ideas, local and afar, and no time to type them.

[kflyer]

Ryan,

If you guys don't mind a r/c beginner following you around-- just for the sake observing, however, with some occasional questions, which will be kept to a minimum-- i would be interested in joining you, given that the location isn’t too unfriendly for a two-wheel drive car.

Sulman

[TLyttle]

It ain't the 2WD that keeps you moving in most of these places, it is ground clearance. Tough tires are a bonus as well. If I had $20 for every 4WD I have towed out of the bushes with my old 2WD pigup, retirement would be just that much easier...

[Albatross1]

Hi Guys,

I'm interested but not ready to go too far and wide yet. Blanchard looks good from google maps but it shows up in some flat field ... fortunately there's a video of it which looks ok but full of pg people.
Dave

[RYAN2200]

For a better look at Blanchard, copy and paste 48.6097 N, 122.426 W into Google Earth or look at this pic. It's just above the Chuckanut Highway.


kflyer, I'll put you on the list of people to annoy before heading out sloping anywhere if that's ok with you? Again, if anyone would like to come out but doesn't have a mountain type sloper just pm me and I'd be happy to lend or donate something flyable to those that are keen.:):TU:

[FordB]

Blanchard looks great!! Has anyone flown their gliders there before? or is this the first time adventure??

How long does it take to get there from Vancouver?

Ford:)

[Albatross1]

Hi Ford,

From White Rock it would be about 51 minutes,so just add whatever it takesyou to get to the border crossing and the border wait. Here's the directions http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Thanks
Dave

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

Ryan
How was your holiday sucken on Pineapples?
Last week snow still at Mackenzie...but Thursday my wife was filming from the sailplane and the launch site is CLEAR. Now I'll do a drive up and see if the road is clear of that nasty white stuff.
My wife has taken a job in Kelwona so I'll driving lots from Pemberton so lets see does anyone doubt I'll be travelling with a few planes each trip:)
Sad note...totaled the Maestro...hit a wrong switch on launch:(
Kevlar
I got a GoPro onboard camera from a freind so will be testing it this week on the big heli, I think it will mount easy on the BOT so will post vid and stills later.
Beep Beep Beep...your in lift

[RYAN2200]

Kevin, the flying in Maui was awesome and yes it is possible to eat too much pineapple at one time… go ahead and ask me. The tradewinds were blowing steady all day and that made for some huge, reliable and smooooth lift. I hiked to most of the spots I flew and in doing so realized that sandals aren't appropriate everywhere on the island. All of the sites were comitting in the sense that if you were unable to soar you probably wouldn’t get your glider back without risking serious bodily harm. Sorry to hear about your Maestro. It’s amazing how fast ones mind is able to realize what’s wrong…. the nanosecond after it’s too late do do anything about it.

Ford, Blanchard has been flown. I wouldn’t take some fancy schmancy full house ship there though. Because of the restricted LZ It’s more suited to agile Weasel type foamies. Coincidentally I just bought a new Weasel-Pro from DreamFlight. It’s moulded epp and easily breaks down into three pieces for hiking. It uses a carbon rod and some very strong magnets to hold the wings on. It’s very well thought out…. Google it.

I flew Woodside on Sunday afternoon instead of doing yardwork. I know, it was a tough decision. Lift was decent with a good mix of prevailing winds and strong thermals. It seems that any nice day in the spring on Woodside with a decent lapse rate will allow flying slope gliders on the thermals alone.

I have a hunch that this Saturday isn’t looking all that great for yardwork either so I’ll be flying somewhere, not exactly sure where though depending on the weather. I’m considering the Elk Mountain hike, going back to Woodside or heading up to the Cache Creek area if it’s looking wet down here. As always, anyone interested is more than welcome to come along regardless of what they fly.

ryan

[FordB]

Ryan!
wow, I've been seriously contemplating that brand new weasel!! Looks great!!
would luv to see your pics of it if you have any.

How much was the total cost to get it up here? are you in the Vancouver area?

Ford

[FordB]

Ryan,
speaking about the new weasel, I even sent them a question asking them how I could high start it, ie. the surgical elastic with the long fish line at the end...

they told it it would work as long as I tape the wings to the fuse, and install a hook.

I'd like to see if I can thermal it at Deer Lake with the Oakhalla Hawks Club, ever been there?

Ford

[RYAN2200]

Ford, I paid $74.50 US shipping included for the new Weasel. I had it sent to Sumas Wa. to avoid duty, taxes and waiting an extra week for "international " shipping. I haven't put the Weasel together yet, but will take some photos if you like. After opening the box I had the major components together in about a minute. The odd shaped box it came in will be kept for travel since it all fits back in there nicely.

The Weasel is all epp foam so it's kinda heavy for flatland flying. I also have a Boomer flying wing from Mountain Models that's designed for sidearm launch. It's shown in the pic in my last post. The Boomer is mostly eps foam which is lighter but more fragile. The leading edges are epp, which again is heavier but will take a severe beating. There is no spar either making it even lighter. Despite the steps taken to make it lighter the Boomer will take a beating so I bring it everywhere and fly it anywhere. To the best of my limited knowledge there aren't many common flying wings that will be all that satisfting on flat ground.

With no disrespect to them I think heading out to fly with the Hawks may be more hassle than it's worth depending on your location and access to other fields.

http://www.mountainmodels.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_28&products_id=349

[flyinguy-in-whistler]

Sweet........
Ryan you need jungle Teva's when flying in Hula land.
I'm driving to Kelwona this weekend and will be taking 3 planes with me and will be going different routes to find those special spots. Friday south, Sunday/Monday north Merrit Lytton route back to Pemberton. On that note it IS CLEAR to the launch site.
Kevin

[FordB]

Ryan,
I'm only about about a 15 minute drive and a 10 walk from the Oakhalle Hawk field on Deer Lake.
Apparently on a sunny day they get good thermals, and the "plane doesn't want to come down" one guy there told me.

I desperately prefer to fly on a good slope, but I may go there to get my feet wet, and get my training wheels...

This is one plane I'm considering building...
http://spadworld.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16239

Ford

[FordB]

Guys, how is going? Let's not give up our struggle! We need to find the closest place to Vancouver to Sloper Gliders!

Saw a couple of interesting spots near Gibsons on Google Earth.
Anyone checked out the hills around there?

Ford:)

[RYAN2200]

Give up? Neveerrr! I flew Woodside on Sunday evening. There was a steady breeze blowing that was a little too strong for the paragliders when I first got there. I had no trouble staying up and zooming around for an hour with a mid weight wing. Woodside is not the place to sink out unless you aspire to spend some time living like Survivorman in search of the wreckage.

Ford, doesn't it rain all day every day in Gibsons? I'd try tracking down Relic from the Beachcombers if you head over there.... he looks the part of a hardcore mountain sloper. That last bit of data may be way off.

We're flying the interior this Friday and Saturday so give a shout if you have the luxury of blowing off work... Terry stop laughing I don't find it funny when you explain to me how much spare time you have to hang out in slope paradise and do whatever you feel like doin.:)

[RYAN2200]

Update. Sumas isn't an option anymore. There is now a fairly serious looking locked gate on the only road up there. We hiked it today with the little people and it took a looong time. I would guess it would be about an hour for anyone in reasonable shape who can walk faster than a four year old. The other news there is that the trees at the old hang glider launch have grown up and would make flying a bad idea.

I flew at Bellingham on friday and it is was better than the last time I was there. There's now a small park right at the site which beats the heck out of sneaking down the train tracks past the no trespassing signs. The winds were fairly light but the rotor over the grass landing area was way nastier than I figger it should have been. Be carefull of other park users if you decide to take er up high and land on the grass because you may not have as much control as you planned on.

Is everyone subscribed to this thread? The next time I head down to Bellingham I'll post here to see if any other locals wanna head down as well. It's only 28k from the Aldergrove crossing to the slope so it's an easy afternoon trip.

[FordB]

Ryan,
have you seen the new ALula that they are now selling with the Weasel?
How do you think that compares to the Boomer?

Ford:)



Ford, I paid $74.50 US shipping included for the new Weasel. I had it sent to Sumas Wa. to avoid duty, taxes and waiting an extra week for "international " shipping. I haven't put the Weasel together yet, but will take some photos if you like. After opening the box I had the major components together in about a minute. The odd shaped box it came in will be kept for travel since it all fits back in there nicely.

The Weasel is all epp foam so it's kinda heavy for flatland flying. I also have a Boomer flying wing from Mountain Models that's designed for sidearm launch. It's shown in the pic in my last post. The Boomer is mostly eps foam which is lighter but more fragile. The leading edges are epp, which again is heavier but will take a severe beating. There is no spar either making it even lighter. Despite the steps taken to make it lighter the Boomer will take a beating so I bring it everywhere and fly it anywhere. To the best of my limited knowledge there aren't many common flying wings that will be all that satisfting on flat ground.

With no disrespect to them I think heading out to fly with the Hawks may be more hassle than it's worth depending on your location and access to other fields.

http://www.mountainmodels.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_28&products_id=349

[RYAN2200]

Ford, the new Alula looks much easier to build than the original. It isn't epp like the Weasel so it will be lighter with a flatter glide at the expense of durability. If the Alula kit is anything like the Weasel, and I'm sure it will be, you'll be happy with it. I'm not exactly sure what type of flying you plan on doing? For sloping, the Weasel can't be beat in this class of gliders.

The Boomer is still a great option that will give you plenty of enjoyment. It would be as good or better than the Alula when it comes to all out flat gliding ability since it's mostly made from eps and therefore light.

The Dandelion is another option from Ming at Windrider but I've heard shipping has been delayed out of Hong Kong.

Remember that none of these so called flying wing SAL gliders in this class will compete with even the crappiest of any true DLG glider. So if it's flat land thermalin performance you're after don't watch any DLG videos on YouTube or you'll be changin plans real quick.

Since this is a slopin thread I'm gonna say go buy the Weasel, put it together, give me a call, and we'll go rip it up. The last three evenings have been blowing hard out in the valley.;)

[FordB]

Ryan,
I'm currently living in North Van. I think I need two planes, one for flatlands, and one for sloping. Wow that Dandelion looked amazing! Very, very interesting reading Ming the designer's updates....
if you have a moment, what is your impression of this plane: "Look Sailplane"?
http://nesail.com/detail.php?productID=4438

Ford

[RYAN2200]

Ford, to be brutally honest, that thing is...well...ugly! I'd stay away from anything with a polyhedral wing for slope flying.

I won't say anything about ordering from NESP but I do urge you to do even a brief Google search on your own.:shock:

If you want a more conventionally designed sloper look at LEG website for some ideas. The LeFish is pretty neat. The only problem is that Jack from LEG is kinda on a hiatus of sorts so getting a kit from him may be problematic.

If you're in North Van we the people command you to hike to the top of Seymour and provide us with a detailed slope report. :) Actually I can't even command my dog to sit. I've been meaning to head up there myself after work midweek to do some flyin.

[FordB]

Yes, Seymour is basically my backyard. About a 10 to 15 minute drive to get to the parking lot.

Which slope were you thinking about? From the parking lot area looking east, I like the slope, but I'm not sure about the wind direction. Wouldn't you need the wind going hitting the slope going up? There is another slope more up to the north, maybe walking up a bit and facing south, might get some good facing winds...:) Too bad we don't have another sloop facing east!!?? Maybe Crpress is better for that?

Maybe I'll take my Wife up there tomorrow ... :)

Ford

[RYAN2200]

I have flown a paraglider off Seymour several times, always in the winter. We parked in the lot and hiked all the way up to the top, staying on the far left. The last part was a steep hike just past the ropes. The spot we launched from would be rc slopable from a fairly wide range of directions. Maybe I'd better go up there and take a better look at it.

Slope flying does require wind hitting a fairly steep slope as square as possible. Despite that I'm sure the thermals would be more than strong enough on a day like this to easily fly a light wing and you wouldn't even need to worry about any true slope lift.

[FordB]

Re. Possible Slopes as Seymour Creek in North Van
Ryan,
I found a place in North Van which has small slopes facing the south, west and north sides of a sport field complex with several baseball diamonds.

Would have been great had I had with me an Alula or possibly a Weasel.
Today the wind was almost squarely coming up the western slope. The slope is not grass, most minor brush, easily walkable to retreive planes.
The south slope is between the first ball diamond and the hockey court, lots of good grass to land on. The wind changed and it came perfectly from the south up this south slope. Facing the west is the creek, should be easy to retrieve a plane if you had to.

InterRiverPark Rd.
North Van

You can also see the slope on Google Earth. Would love to hear your opinion on this...

Ignore the fences around the ball diamonds....
Ford

[RYAN2200]

Nice find Ford!;) I think it would be flyable with something light. Don't tell anyone! lol. The biggest problem with sites at lower levels that I've experienced is the mechanical turbulence caused by tree rows, buildings etc. Even obstructions quite a distance upwind can cause problems, especially for lighter gliders. I imagine the normal wind direction at this site would be straight up the slope, parallel to the creek.

I also wonder if other users of the park would freak out? 8oz. unpowered, all foam gliders can be quite dangerous you know.

I’ll keep an eye on the wind and let you know when I can come out to give it a try.

[FordB]

yesterday around 4:30pm, 3 or 4 ball fields to the north had not a soul on them...
the slope on the 3rd field from the north facing the river, between the slope and the river, seemed pretty empty of people.

I think I need to get my order for the Alula in soon!!

Ford

[jan]

Hello there! I would like to tell you about perfect slope site right in the middle of Vancouver. In mid eighties I, just like you guys was looking for places to fly around Vancouver. I tried access roads to Seymour mt. and flew my 2m sailplane from the parking area at the look out on Holyburn mt. But landing area was tight and rough! And one day while visiting Vancouver's planetrium, I spotted a glider zig zaging above sea wall! Immediately I went to investigate, The pilot was an engineer from Boeing in Seattle and he was flying 2m rudder, elevator only glider, about 5m above the sea wall. The wind was north westerly. The difference between water level and the top of the wall was about 3m. When there is low tide, the drop can be about 4m! Since then I made many flights in that area and some times I was able to get as high as 50m high and way out over the water. The only limit was in my 450ma nicads on board of the plane. Then we moved to Nanaimo on Vanc. island and as far as I know, they towed some old sail ships right in front of the Marine museum and put up a brake water. I am not sure if the same spot would be flyable or not at present time. The sea wall and the water are still there, so someone should go and find out? Here are two pictures. Flying american and my daughter with my glider. She is 43now! Man??

Jan

[RYAN2200]

Great stuff jan, thanks for taking the time to post that. Epp foam has made more sites flyable than there was back in the 80's. The way I see it is that if I can launch a glider at any given site then I should be able to land it there too... albeit straight in at mach2. Epp = good:p.

Who's gonna go down and check this seawall site out? The city and some of it's inhabitants scare me.:mrgreen:

[PapaSmurch]

I've flown the seawall with a Zaggi and it was a blast. You need a strong wind hitting the rock wall squarely (NW?). It's tricky, but very doable if your fast on the sticks. The wall is only about 15 feet high, depending on the tide, so you can't get too far off the deck. And of course, you've got water there if you stray to far out. Not ideal perhaps, but it had to be done.

I'm intrigued about this sports field in N.Van. I just gave up recently and bought a Parkzone Trojan, so I could actually get out and fly. I swear my Zaggi is looking at me like a sad puppydog now though. I would like to get her up in the air again if poss!

Has anyone flown this sports complex yet?!

PapaSmurch

[PapaSmurch]

That's hillarious....I just checked out the sports complex on google. You realize that's the North Van Flying Club site, right? I didn't even realize there was slope there!

http://www.nvrcfc.com/

[RYAN2200]

PapaSmurch, it's Sean right? North Van Flying Club? It must be fairly new. I have MAAC just so I can fly down at Eagle Butte but other than that I tend to struggle attempting to take all the rules seriously especially when a few people put their homemade badges on and get in your face. I’ll be the first to admit, mountain slopers tend to be a bit eccentric.

I’ll be out slopin this weekend somewhere fairly local if anybody wants to come along. We can beat the crap out of my truck if anyone wants fly slope but doesn't want to mangle their pretty car.

[FordB]

Here's a few pics I took of this area a few months ago.
I'm may try flying there soon...

I had no idea there was an RC Club here!!!!

The club website has a good pic from higher up as well...

http://photos.nvrcfc.com/?level=picture&id=5

Ford

[FordB]

Ryan,
hey, in your last message with the pic of you and the river in the background... where is that? Looks great!!

Ford

[FordB]

OK Guys, C'mon!!!!!!!!!!
surely this view from Grouse Mtn. would convince us that this is a great spot to fly our planes!!!!????

The wind should be right on the slope as well!!!??

I believe this pic is taken from the ski slope just as you get off the lift, on the highest ski slope there.

Has any one flown from there???

(I should be starting to put together my Alula in the next few weeks!!!!)

Fo0rd

[Falcon flyer]

Hi guys
How big of a hill/slope do you need? There are a few small hills in parks around here in Abbotsford but the better ones face North. When I get my discus launchable Boomer flying-wing finished I'll give them a try (weather permitting that is).

FordB
I almost bought the Alula. Did you get yours finnished yet? How's the flying?

Albatros
FYI When coming from Vancouver Abbotsford is no farther away than Mission is, in fact if you are taking the #1 then Mission is farther because you have to go through Abbotsford to get there.

I hope us slope soarers can keep in touch.
Jim H

[RYAN2200]

Ford, apparently the thread subscription mechanism here doesn’t work all that well. The site you inquired about two months ago is known as Mt. Woodside. The river in the background is the Fraser. If you look closely you can see the Harrison River coming in from the right. Mt. Woodside is quite popular with hang/paragliders so I avoid it on the busiest days in the spring. The best days are when it’s way too strong for the hg/pg flyers… add some ballast and you have the whole place to yourself. I’d forget about Grouse Mountain unless you hike up and behind the ski hill far away from crowds and the people that run the place.

Jim, required slope size is dependant on a few factors. I’d say aircraft selection is high on the list as well as the steepness of the slope. Bigger is better of course. This video might help answer the size of slope question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Jba49Ia5o&feature=related
I’ll email you with a few ideas for trying your Boomer in Abbotsford.

[TLyttle]

Slope height is important alright, but even more important is the terrain ahead of the slope. 10 miles of ocean works really well, a mile of range land works quite well, a row of trees just below is not ideal. I have sloped off 20' high sites when the wind is just right, and found an envelope 100 yards out and nearly as high! As I have said before, the birds tell you everything you need to know: windspeed, lift depth and height, and turbulence. What else is there?

[RYAN2200]

Hey Terry! What else is there? How about a slope that hasn't had 10" of rain dumped on it in a week? Ya that would be better.:D Don't forget to water your cactus Terry... or would that be cacti?

[TLyttle]

I hear ya... When we were trying to decide where to move to, it rained for 3 weeks straight. I asked the wife, "Are we being sent a message here?", and the decision was made: no more Wet Coast. All we got from that storm was some 55mph winds (takes a special kind of model to slope in that wind; start with a manhole cover). Even at that, there were no power failures, unlike the coast. We all make our choices...

[Isaiah 40:31]

Well, I guess this will be my first post on here!

So, a couple questions, and an input item:

How is the ground for landing in that field at U.B.C. and at Woodside?

Also, how is the gravel road up Mt. Woodside? My experiences on gravel have been with the road up Mt. Cheam, Jones Lake, Meager Creek Hot Springs (washboard!), the road up the east side of Stave Lake to Salisbury Lake (atrocious) and the road to Bamfield, so if you can let me know how it compares, that would be great.

Now for my input:

What do you guys think of this place? 49°29'40.75"N 123°59'29.44"W

Not exactly 'vehicle accessible'. Well, at least not the wheeled kind! But it could mix my love for kayaking with gliding! Seriously, though, I think it may be into the prevailing inflows, and the landing would be nice and soft - at least at low tide! So from a purely flyability point of view, would this be a good place?

I've been traveling the coast with GoogleEarth tonight after reading this thread!

I have been up to that field at Inter River Park a long time ago. At that time there were some pretty serious prickle bushes around the west side. Those things are like claws to balsa and Monokote!

I had a 46 minute flight with my Gentle Lady off of Thornhill in Maple Ridge years ago. That slope only worked a couple days a year when the winds were super strong, and from just the right angle. Alas, that wonderful hill has now completely grown over - with houses. :(

[Isaiah 40:31]

Jackpot?

Is 80m x 20m a large enough landing area for fragile thermal planes?

49° 1'42.02"N 122°52'18.06"W

I'm just brainstorming places, I don't have enough experience to make a determination.

This one has a horseshoe shape, but mainly faces east:

49°19'15.11"N 122°40'42.93"W

[RYAN2200]

Hey Terry look! Another victim! It’s great to here from you Isaiah. I checked out your Google Earth locations you were thinking about. The location on the Gulf Islands looks flyable if the wind was blowing straight in. The slope looks to be roughly parallel with the straight which is probably the same direction the wind would follow which isn't so good. That slope would likely need to be flown from the bottom which would require an electric motor or a high start to get into the lift band. Flying from the bottom of a slope can be a little unnerving when compared to flying from the top in the normal manner. It’s sometimes difficult to gauge how close you are to the trees.

I’ve looked at the White Rock site before and it’s very popular with the local raptors. I didn’t know that there was a small spot at the top that might be suitable to fly from. A powered glider would likely be the ticket here as well. I’ll have to check this out when the outflow winds go away. The gravel pit on the Pitt River probably wouldn’t work all that well. The wind would likely blow up or down the river which would be parallel to the slope. I’m not sure the quarry operator would be wild about people running around there either.

“Is 80m x 20m a large enough landing area for fragile thermal planes?”

The answer to that is a simple one. Yes and no. The local F3j flyers can land a 3+ meter glider in a 1m x 1m square with incredible regularity and hand catch them for fun. This is of course done in a grass field big enough to hold about 30 simultaneous soccer games and not on the top of a mountain. The difference here is that the wind we require for sloping is invariably disturbed by contours of the mountain which creates all kinds of nasty rotors and areas of shearing air. The best plan of action when flying at a new site is to go with something bouncy like an epp flying wing that doesn’t mind landing like a lawn-dart.

The road up Woodside is gravel but in pretty good shape but surely snow covered by now. I take my 2wd Toyota right to the site on a regular basis during the summer. I wouldn’t take a car up there if you are in love with it. The hang-paragliding club does their best to keep it in good shape by holding work bees and talking real nice to the grader operators.

There’s an outflow spot close to Stave Lake that I’ve been meaning to check out. 49°16'34.66"N 122°18'53.58"W It’s hard to tell but it might be flyable. The snow might become an issue there real soon.

[honker]

Hi everyone,
Just my two cents worth, has an ex sloper from back in the North of England in the 60/early 70s, living for the past 35years on the west coast of Vancouver island.

I have looked for sites for years, and a trip during October to watch some soaring in the Uk has me all fired up to try again.

A few years back I had a trip to the Pemberton area, my kids had bought me a glacier flight in a Blenick glider for my 60th, it was awesome, anyhow I am also a hiker and found an old road that takes off south from the Duffy Lake road at the east side of Duffy Lake, It was a 4 wheel drive but not bad, the road was an access road to a mine over in the Stein valley, it crosses a saddle on Gott Peak at around 8500ft in grassy alpine meadows, close bye is Blowdown Lake a perfect camping spot. I was there in August and the winds seemed perfect with different options of slope.
Cheers
Honcker Maac 10911

[Isaiah 40:31]

Hey Terry look! Another victim! It’s great to here from you Isaiah.

Ryan, thank you for the warm welcome! I have been flying r/c off and on for about 22 years - yikes, I'm not that old! I have had some successful flying of my Gentle Lady over the years, and fly an old Q500, as well as some SPADs. I was also near solo in full size gliders before the money ran out. This Christmas has brought my boys a Hobbico SuperStar 40 trainer w/.46 LA, as well as the the RealFlight G5 full-featured sim! I also got my older son a 103" DG-1000, so I'm trying to find a slope site where we can safely launch and have a large landing spot, as it has no spoilers.

I'm with the Mission Wings club.

There is a very long build thread on the DG-1000 on another website forum, but even though I've been around r/c for a very long time, and know many things, my confidence is not high, nor are my manual skills all that great to feel at ease with this new build. I do not wish to mess up my son's new plane! I will be taking it slowly, and asking a lot of questions.

As for the Bellingham site...yes, it has GREAT lift, however I learned several things from my only visit there (about 13 years ago): 1) It is very hard on a Gentle Lady! The rotor does nasty things -which I'm sure is quite normal on any slope-, and I was weaving in and out of bushes on landing. Best to leave it to the foamies. 2) There are signs that specify no radio control aircraft. 3) The reason for #2 is because you have Boing 737s and the like landing right over you on approach to the Bellingham airport!!! I actually moved out a couple hundred feet to one side when I saw the landing lights pointing directly at me.

Not sure what else to offer that's local, however, if you head up the Highway between Lytton and Lillooet, there are very good winds, and sheer faces to the water. There MUST be some good flying there, though retrieval would probably be unlikely if you went down in that area. Lots of farmers fields right on the edge of the canyon with all the space you could ever need to land.

[Albatross1]

Hi Guys,

Good to see everybody and more are still persevering while I learn to crash electrics. I live close the the White Rock site you mentioned and I've talked about it with my buddy who is teaching me and who also lives close to there. Good news is that this area is now officially a park and there's not too much traffic through there but enough. The bad news is that the 3 ft high chain link fence at the bluff edge doesn't look like it would feel too good. My friend is a great pilot and he gave it thumbs down. If you launched there and landed down on the beach the beach there is usually pretty soggy and spotted with tidal pools, it would take quite a while to get there and there's enough people around that your plane may get picked up by a well meaning beachcomer.

I liked the bellingham site until I read Isaiah's comments.

There must be a place amongst all of these trees. Isaiah, there's usually a aerotow event out on one of the sod farms near Mission, probably near Hatzic? There may be some other good spots near Hatzic Lake?

Thanks and happy new year to you guys,
Dave

[Albatross1]

Thinking of Terry's comment about 10 miles of open ocean and a 20 ft high launch area, below the 'White Rock site' is the Burlington Northern right of way. People often walk it from Crescent Beach to White Rock beaches (yes some get hit by trains). The right of way is at the base of that bluff that the eagles soar off and the top of the rail bed right of way is probably 30 ft above the beach. If you look below the clearing that Isaiah pointed out, you can see the right of way and the rip rap that marks the western edge of it above the beach.

What do you guys think of flying off of that? It would all be trail accessible, via stairs at the Western end of 15A ave (10 min). The nudists hang out (no pun intended!) near there s well so you may have to avert your eyes at times!!

Dave

[RYAN2200]

Dave, luckily with this weather there shouldn’t be too much hangin out there. I flew above Big Beach in Maui earlier this year and hiked back down through what is known locally as Little Beach. I’m positive I saw Santa wearin nothing but Oakleys and a fanny pack… yikes is right! I’d be happy to come check this spot out in White Rock with an electric glider. Let me know if you notice the wind turning around when it’s not raining.

Bellingham is a decent site but it’s not suited to pretty gliders. The rotors can be huge over the grass area and make landing very sketchy especially when there are people walking the trail. I prefer to fly along the lip of the slope and land on the weedy lookin bushes… I think they’re Broom but I know more about slope flyin than I do about identifying the foliage of the Pacific NW. Don’t worry about the air traffic at Bellingham. If it’s windy enough to fly slope the planes will be taking of from the airport into the wind towards the bay. If the planes are so low that they are in danger of hitting a sloper then I’m reasonably certain they have much bigger things to worry about. In the absence of thermals your altitude will be limited by the wind speed and slope height. The ocean does a good job of keeping the thermals down and the slope isn’t all that high.

Isaiah, great to hear you’re getting the kids involved. I remember teaching myself what not to do as a kid before the information age. The learning curve was so messed up I’m surprised I still enjoy it so much.

I know of a spot that’s close to Mission that would be suitable for your sons’ glider. The field is big and grassy with decent lift against the mountain. Contact me for details as I don’t want to say much here until I get reacquainted with the landowner.

Lillooet is largely unexplored. The wind blows up the canyon from Lytton to Lillooet but doesn’t produce all that much slope lift since it parallel to the canyon for the most part. I know I’ve mentioned this before but the slope just north of Lillooet is absolutely massive. Look on Google Earth above where the river does a 180° turn.

Whidbey Island is a great spot to fly and I was planning to head down on Saturday to tune some new moulded gliders but the chance of precipitation has increased dramatically. Those that are keen to fly wherever might want to keep subscribed to this thread and we can fly together.

[RYAN2200]

Has everyone seen this?

http://www.vimeo.com/8356047

Finding a spot to dynamic soar (DS) in BC is on my list of things to do once the snow goes away. Don't get me wrong, 400 MPH is beyond insane, I'd be so pumped if I could do half of that. Since I don't have a radar gun I think that 200 will probably look like 500. Honker, I've been looking at the pass right at Blowdown lake as a possible spot to try this although I'm not sure if the ridge is sharp enough to induce the seperation required to DS. It appears there are some hike-to spots within 1000' vertical in the area that will offer awesome frontside flying at the least.

[honker]

Hi Ryan,
I did hike the ridge on Gott peak and at the Blowdown lake side, it is a fairly sharp ridge with a drop on the east side. Going south along the ridge, it becomes more rounded and grassy, almost meadow like.
I last saw this area from a Westjet flight around this time of year(early May)from Calgary to Comox and it still had lots of snow, so just when it would be accessible I am not sure. I was there in August with not a trace of snow.
The principle of dynamic soaring as me beat at the moment, can anyone suggest any good reads.
Cheers
Honker

[RYAN2200]

HONKER, WestJet goes to Comox? Really?

I wouldn’t recommend trying to understand the physics behind dynamic soaring at least until you’ve tried it…. otherwise you might just lose your mind! I’m bewildered by the acceleration that is possible when you nail the downhill turn just right. It’s a pretty exiting way to fly. That being said I still don't fully understand how it works... it just don't make no sense!!!!

My good friend Phil has written a few articles for RC soaring Digest (2007-7 & 2008-8).

http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/pdfs/

This may or may not help understand but there’s tons of good reading on all aspects of rc sailplanes on RCSD.

I’m by no means an expert but I would recommend a purpose built DS ship as it makes it much easier to get the hang of it. Here’s a vid of my first DS flight with my JW60. Did I mention it’s really fun?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r34pOsuH1uE

I would be interested in trying Blowdown Lake and a few other high sites that are closer to Lillooet. If anyone has any serious interest in a trip like this please contact me as we slopers are somewhat rare in these parts.

Ryan :)

[honker]

Hi Ryan,
Yep Westjet flies into Comox, in fact I have just flown back from Calgary and had a great view of the Gott mountain, Blowdown lake area.
I have been out of commission for a while, after an operation for a knee replacement, this year is out, but maybe next year a trip could be in the cards.
I was out in the Moose Jaw and Regina area's of Saskatchewan,lots of wind and some interesting sites in the Qu'appelle valley, made me quite envious.
Cheers,
Honker

[mjohnson]

Hello Honker

Have you had a look at the bluffs on Quadra Island? I am just getting back into the hobby after a 14 year hiatus and live in CR. I see the bluffs from my house and during the sou'easter I look over with thoughts of sloping. I have not been over there to see if it would be a good site but there are no trees on about a half of a mile of bluff there.

Cheers

MJ

[ThomasLee]

has anyone tried sloping on the dikes around richmond? I am thinking in particular the dikes around Garry Point park by Steveston village. Tempted to order an alula or weasel and try that out....

[tugboat]

good fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2cq1WbOuRs

[tugboat]

you could slope richmonds / steveston dykes no prob with an alula....my freind slopes the railway berm in white rock with an alula

[ThomasLee]

thanks tugboat! Do you know approx. what kind of windspeeds I will need to be able to fly the alula? I've never done slope before, but the fall/winter winds are coming and thats not good for my flatland stuff!!

[C4X]

Hello slope people! :D I am a "Sailplane junkie beyond help". My family understands :). I have, however, been unaware of this Canadian resource until now (imagine that?). At present I'm a displaced Canadian living in Fiji, but have just made plans for a permanent return to the lower mainland in January (Im going to be living at Ryan's, in his living room, with my family of four, eating his food and flying his gliders while he's at work (though he doesn't know it yet) :p.)

Anyways, on topic: I regularly abuse an Alula, it will sustain flight in practically zero lift and will without question make use of liftzones that are otherwise unusable to 99% of the other ships out there. 5 mph will do wonders for any steep slopes/jettys/banks taller than 5m (for a 'Lula). Fantastic scout glider. You can throw it out with impunity to sample lift. Throw a small inrunner onboard and you have a highly versatile urban explorer! (planning to do just that to mine, as she is getting tired and needs a new mission statement :checkmark:)

Sloping Vancouver: I spent 2 summers flying around Vancouver and the Georgia Straight environs in a Beaver, always vigilant for potential slopes, always crosschecked on G-Earth after work. Can't say I found anything perfect, though some possibilities are there, most are not near Vancouver :(.

One spot I never managed to fly (didn't own a suitable glider at the time) that showed promise is a small cliffband in Lord Stanley's park. Due to the windstorm that knocked down most of the trees on the NW corner of the park, a flyable bit of cliffside exists for a westerly flow (not too uncommon in Summer). Its steep, has an LZ, and should be decent undisturbed lift. Landing below would be in the water (or on the seawall path, not recommended). Would be perfect for a Le Fish or an Alula. Only concern is that floatplanes cross third beach at 500'. It is no big air site, though, so should not be a problem. Also, RC may be frowned upon in the park. Never asked in case I wanted to fly ;)

As for other slopes within striking distance of Fraser Valley weekend slopin' crews, Ryan is the man to talk with. He's strange, he is not cool, he talks funny, but he knows some things. I think we're friends, but since I moved to Fiji he has been acting distant and not returning my calls. Was it something I said? I coming home buddy! Got any other donation gliders I can misplace (ask me what that means!)?

[ThomasLee]

Welcome back! Vancouver is the place to be (until it starts raining anyway....)

Thanks, glad to know the Alula will work for the really light stuff! Vancouver's just not a very slope friendly place.

Excuse my ignorance....who's Ryan???

[tugboat]

An alula can stay aloft in what seems to be zero wind....My buddies is a scratch built knock off so its even lighter than the retail one. A couple km/hr he can stay aloft....

Another place you can slope soar if you get the winds right is China Creek park in vancouver. When the outflow kicks in ive actually slope soared my paraglider there.

[C4X]

RYAN2200, the man with the plan on this thread. He got me started in sloping and helped me to develop my addiction to its current level of "barely manageable" :p We all need our vices . . .

An alula can stay aloft in what seems to be zero wind....My buddies is a scratch built knock off so its even lighter than the retail one. A couple km/hr he can stay aloft....

Another place you can slope soar if you get the winds right is China Creek park in vancouver. When the outflow kicks in ive actually slope soared my paraglider there.

I was gonna mention that spot as well, cause its true, you can slope there with East wind. Only trouble is the rotors from trees, buildings, etc., but I have flown there. Fun!

Another spot is, believe it or not, the park that resides where the old BC Lions stadium used to be (right by the PNE). The bank right next to the #1 freeway underpass provides margianl lift in a good Westerly (though a lightweight SAL/DLG is required, really, to make use of it).

On the topic of sloping with handlaunch gliders, there is a tiny little park on Capitol Hill, N Burnaby, that one could sustain some nice flights and have a manageable LZ at their disposal. Check it out with a Westerly! Its on Hythe Ave accessed from Empire Dr.

When it comes to sloping in Vancouver, its all about Urban Assault! There are creative ways to slope in and around the city, one needs only be willing to pitch it out there and experiment. A light lift capable e-glider (that can also provide a good turn of speed, like the Ocelot or an Art Hobby ship) would open up even more options. One that immediately springs to mind is flying from the beach below the UBC Anthropology museum. Totally doable, would certainly provide more than enough lift once you motored up into it. There are def others with this approach (my next glider for urban assault will be an 'E' model :p) . . . .

[ThomasLee]

Thanks! I gotta go check out some of the sites when I get some time.
Do you guys reckon I can slope a DLG at Garry Point? Not sure I want to risk it though since I never sloped before, and they're significantly more expensive than an Alula....
Do you guys fly often? Maybe I can tag along when you guys go sloping sometime?

[C4X]

Thanks! I gotta go check out some of the sites when I get some time.
Do you guys reckon I can slope a DLG at Garry Point? Not sure I want to risk it though since I never sloped before, and they're significantly more expensive than an Alula....
Do you guys fly often? Maybe I can tag along when you guys go sloping sometime?

You can certainly slope a DLG at Garry. THrow it out there, if the lift isnt working, just bring it back into your loving arms ;) If the lift is working, consider a way to get some ballast under the CG, it will make more of the lift which is likely to have a big horizontal component (and DLGs dont tend to penetrate well usually).

I will gladly join you once Im back in country (January) and have some free time. My life will be turmoil once back in Canada, but theres always time for a fly and my Alula is always at hand!

[ThomasLee]

Thanks, I'll try out the DLG at Garry Point when the winds pick up. Sorry for such a newbie question, would the lift be in front of the slope ( over the water) or should it be directly above or behind the slope??

Hopefully you will be able find some free time once you are back! School just started up again last month, but the weather has been so beautiful around here that I'm flying more than I'm studying!! (ssshhhh!!!!!!)

[C4X]

Whatever lift is available at Garry is going to be in the form of a very narrow lift band, which will reside mostly right over top of the lip, and slightly ahead. If its windy enough, there may be enough compression to allow you to fly a bit further out over the water. Sometimes the lift is surprising (for different reasons). I've flown big hills with wind on slope that lose all lift at times, and Ive flown little hills that kick up a decent amount of lift, further out than one would expect. Enjoy! Reports!

[ThomasLee]

Thanks, will do! I'll see if I can repair up a beater DLG to test it out. The narrow band makes me a little nervous, but hopefully nothing happens that requires me to strip down and plunge into the water at 5 degrees!

I'll report back when I get the chance to go try it out!

[C4X]

I understand your trepidation, takes a while to learn the exit strategies when the lift isnt there. But I assure you, it will be no different than pitching your DLG out in a flat field, save for the 'over water part' (which will only be a few metres max). If its coming down, give yourself enough room (time) to circle in behind you for landing, dont try to land too close to yourself for the risk of overshooting into the drink. You'll quickly see that there are always trends before any event, like coming in too fast and overshooting (normally a standard way of learning the LZ, as you simply get back into the lift and try again), or coming in too low (and then inevitably too slow as the nose comes up). All in good fun! I wish I could go with you. The Alula excels in just such a spot. January . . .

[ThomasLee]

I will likely play it quite safe, at any sign of loss of lift I will head right back to myself...thanks for the top on landing, I watched some videos and even 'gentle' landings are a lot rougher than what I am used to!
We will definitely have to go flying when January turns the corner....

[ThomasLee]

Tried to work the slope a dlg yesterday at Garry Point, wind was blowing but I couldn't find a good location with the proper orientation... tried sloping one of the big metal roofs, worked somewhat but it was a ways away from the field so I didnt want to risk it....quite turbulent and I didn't have ballast... try again some other time! It was pretty sweet though :)

[C4X]

. . . wind was blowing but I couldn't find a good location with the proper orientation . . .

Story of my life here in Fiji :rolleyes:

[RYAN2200]

C4x, I concur, I am uncool. Cool costs money and so do slope gliders so I had to make a decision. I figured that cool wasn’t all that important especially when hanging around with you on the tops of windswept mountains in remote areas. Btw, being a good dancer doesn’t make you cool. Screw cool.

Sorry I haven’t been in touch lately. I have had to work tons of overtime lately to try and pay for that slope safari we went on this summer. In case you were wondering, 7 dollar coffee is the same thing as the free stuff in the I-5 rest stops albeit in a different cup. How’s the coffee in Fiji…. probably as good as the beer…. Priceless!

Free gliders? What the heck happened to the last one I gave you? Oh yes, now I remember what you did with it you inconsiderate speed -----! Care to share with the class on the topic of how not to exit a DS bowl at mach 7? :D

ThomasLee, if we hurry we could still get some sloping in at Woodside this year before hypothermia becomes a certainty. You can bring your handlaunch if you like and I also have a bunch of heavy slopers if you need something a bit sturdier. Let me know through email since this website doesn’t seem to forward any PMs or subscription info. Don’t listen to Clarke (C4x). Despite what he’ll tell you, getting blind drunk at the Sasquatch Pub after an all day sloping session at Woodside and making you drive my truck home isn’t something I would do…. right Clarke? ;)

[ThomasLee]

It's Ryan!
Yeah that'll be great to go out and fly a bit, I'm not 100% sure how much schedule is like for the next little bit as theres quite a few projects going on, can you shoot me an email? thomas "at" armsoar "dot" com I went on your profile but cannot seem to find the 'send email' button (yes yes yes...i'm quite a rcc noob)
Not sure if you should trust me with a truck even if you're drunk, I had to take my class 5 four times!

[C4X]

C4x, I concur, I am uncool.

True. I still like you just the way you are though. Here you go :donut:

How’s the coffee in Fiji…. probably as good as the beer…. Priceless!

I of course maintain a stash of Artigiano for my coffee drinking pleasure, and I found a new beer from PNG that is quite nice, thank you very much :yo:

Free gliders? What the heck happened to the last one I gave you? Oh yes, now I remember what you did with it you inconsiderate speed -----! Care to share with the class on the topic of how not to exit a DS bowl at mach 7? :D

http://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=87643&d=1287117639
Sniff, sniff :( I miss you Sparkie!!!

Wasn't my fault. That glider just needed to be free! It left of its own accord.

Don’t listen to Clarke (C4x). Despite what he’ll tell you, getting blind drunk at the Sasquatch Pub after an all day sloping session at Woodside and making you drive my truck home isn’t something I would do…. right Clarke? ;)

I specialize in "unique challenges" of all sorts ;)

Not sure if you should trust me with a truck even if you're drunk, I had to take my class 5 four times!

Way to persevere, youll make a good sloper, and believe me, you will be hooked. It will control your life! :)

[ThomasLee]

My goal is the 2013 f3k team, so hopefully sloping doesn't end up taking up ALLLLLLLL my time! ;)
I think it'll be great though, especially during the colder seasons when flatland thermals aren't around much :(

I'm actually really surprised and glad you guys are sloping here, I've went through the thread here and some threads on RCG and it always just says vancouver is NOT a sloping place :(

[C4X]

Thats a solid goal. I will gladly join you with my old DL50, anytime, to help you with training. F3K in Vancouver is certainly a great pursuit and easy enough to find places for practice. In fact, I will def be building a decent DLG on my return. Where do you fly handlaunch?

And you're right, Vancouver is not a slope destination, but as Ryan made abundantly clear to me early on, if you can commit a little extra time there are heaps of sloping spots within a 5 hr radius (one of the most epic spots in North America, tri-cities, being almost exactly 5 hrs from Van). Plenty to explore and that much more if you are willing to travel further. The place that hooked me proper, Mt Woodside, was where I had my first slope experience and its within earshot of Vancouver. A really good slope actually, so-so LZ, and at this point I would even hazard a moulded ship there because the lift can be so good.

[ThomasLee]

Yeah, that'll be great! There is a small but definitely growing community of handlaunch fliers in the Vancouver area. I usually fly at the Oakalla Hawks' rc glider field in Burnaby, though sometimes when I'm lazy or don't have much time I just fly in the local school fields in Richmond.

Yeah, the most important thing I guess is that since I am a student and running my webstore, I usually can't spend too much time flying... Hopefully I will be able to take up on Ryan's offer and go check out Mt. Woodside sometime...just gotta get some stuff out of the way first! Tri-cities sound fun....I sense a lil' sloping weekend trip sneaking up on my dlg sessions next season...d'uh!

just a short vid of me flying some DLG earlier this month (sorry for being a little OT guys!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9MgtsJd29I


b.t.w. would you be able to forward me Ryan's email? thanks