CHGPA MEETING JUNE 27TH !

[markc]

The next CHGPA meeting will be from 7:30 - 9:30pm on June 27th at the Arlington County Library--

1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
703-228-5990 (Main)
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/L ... ntral.aspx

Bi-wingwal Pilot (the other type of bi-wingwal-- sailplanes and hang gliders) Kolie Lombard will be giving a presentation on flying sailplanes and soaring forecasts.


Road and Metro directions for the June 27th CHGPA meeting
are now available in our Events Calendar:

http://www.chgpa.org/Events/events.html

Kolie provides a wealth of forecasting info during his talk,
which will definitely help you make decisions on days that
are difficult to call. You'll learn a lot!

Matthew & MarkC

[mcelrah]

Agenda items of special interest to paraglider pilots:

- whether to reopen liaison with National Park Service for permission to improve/maintain Dickey's launch - that means cut trees out front!
- possible establishment of PG launch at High Rock
- Pulpit Fly-in planning

- Hugh

[eggzkitz]

I was at Dickies again yesterday, just for the hike, and I was thinking about those trees. I can see people crashing into them (although I have never actually seen it personally), particularly if the winds are not right.

When we were there last weekend flying, we saw one pilot just miss them by a couple feet.

But I guess I am still not sure if it would be worth engaging with the NPS on modifying those trees to accomodate us. My feeling is that if conditions are right, one should be able to clear those trees, and if a pilot crashes into those trees, it is either because conditions were not right or the pilot made a mistake. And neither of those scenarios warrant modifying the landscape in a National Park environment.

Just my humble opinion, since I probably won't make the meeting (again).

[mcelrah]

Long phone conversation with Allen Sparks last night on this: I think what's wanted is to develop a long term relationship with the NPS BEFORE we get into extremis on the trees, so that we can negotiate without saying " the launch is dangerous, we need to cut trees" - they could say " the launch is dangerous, let's shut it down". "Altering the environment" might mean topping a couple of trees that are above the Skyline Drive, dedicated to natural pursuits such as driving Harley's with stage 3 exhausts... - Hugh
P.S. Sarcasm not directed at you. (And I ride motorcycles.) Point is, the Park is not a wilderness, it is dedicated to providing viewscapes - cleared areas along Skyline from which one can admire the view, such as is also provided by the launch.

[eggzkitz]

Point taken. I sense you have a good thing going with the ability to fly there, so I would imagine this is more about your relationship with the NPS and maintaining the ability to fly there than anything else at this point. So I would defer to those who know and maintain that relationship.

[mcelrah]

Based on further discussion at the meeting last night, I'm getting enough yellow flags from people with more history at the site that I plan no further activity on engaging with NPS. Tom McGowan showed up with a copy of the Shenandoah NP management plan for rock climbing which explicitly prohibits any cutting of vegetation. Consensus seems to be that Dickey's is liveable-with as it is and bringing more attention to our flying activities is unlikely to enable any improvement/maintenance beyond the mowing NPS already does. Big red flags on "informal" site maintenance: many trees are tagged, their identities individually recorded in a database and cutting is a CRIME! Serious fines and loss of the site could result. The rock-climbing literature actually mentioned "plainclothes" people hanging around to watch what goes on, monitoring climbing blogs etc.
- Hugh