All things hang gliding. This is the main forum. New users, introduce yourself.

Moderators: sg, mods

User avatar
By magentabluesky
#403990
Mingus Flying Guide

Mingus Mountain is a great Hang Gliding site with cross county potential in every direction depending on the conditions. The flying season is considered from April to September. My personal opinion is mid May to mid July being the best. October still yields some ridge lift days with small tight short lived thermals. From November through March there seems to be a giant subsidence in the general area squashing the lift.

The season is divided up in two weather patterns, the Pacific frontal weather systems cycling in from the west and then the Monsoonal flow from the south east. The change usually occurs around the first two weeks in July then changing back to the Pacific pattern sometime in September. Some of the best soaring days are the convergence of the two air masses. I found about 20 percent humidity to be best in Arizona, marking the thermals without over developing into massive thunderstorms.

The typical spring pattern is for prefrontal southwest winds blowing over the back. Be careful of the rotor. The surface wind at the launch ramp may show an east wind coming up the mountain, but always check the streamers in the tops of the trees and check with the local flyers. They know. It may just be the rotor and unsafe to launch. When a Pacific Low Pressure is south centered down on the USA - Mexican border Mingus can experience a south-east prefrontal wind blowing straight in. We call these a back door storm. In the spring though, the prevailing afternoon wind is out of the southwest making Mingus a mid morning launch when the warm Verde Valley air rises on the ridge lines collecting at the House Thermal fighting back the prevailing wind. To find the House Thermal turn left after launch and go to the point. I have never found good lift right of launch. There may be ridge lift on the face between launch and the point, but usually the “Big Ones” cycle through at the point. If you are not maintaining on the face and a good thermal has not cycled through at the point, follow the ridge lines to the Old Dump Bailout. Thermals often release off of these ridge lines, knobs and forks being the release points. The “Big Ones” can easily take you to 14K -15K and open cross county in almost any direction.

But because Mingus is like a vacuum wick sucking up the surrounding warm rising air, sometimes it is hard to escape the mountain. Flying south of launch, don’t expect lift for 4 to 5 miles until the peak (red circle) just north of Cherry (3 miles north). I have continued south to Pine Mountain (30 miles) along the ridge with good lift and returned to land at Camp Verde.

I have gone west against the wind while singing the song with a landing at Prescott Airport (before it had a tower) and also a flight turning pointing over the airport and back to Mingus. The Class D airspace for Love Field is the blue circle. The Foot Hills (red box) just north of the Fair Grounds are a good consistent thermal source. The Fair Grounds are used for landing, but please check with the local pilots on the proto call.

Going southwest, quite often a convergence line will set up between Dewey, Mayer, Cordes Junction, and Sunset Point (red arrow). Look for the cloud street.

With the Monsoonal flow out of the south east, going North-west (avoid the Woodchute Wilderness Area recommended 2000 foot over flight) stop at St. Matthews Mountain (red circle), 6310 feet, for the resident thermal. If there are thermals, there will be one at St. Matthews. St. Matthews is the most consistent thermal source in the entire area. Continue along the north east foothills of Chino Valley all the way to Seligman. If you encounter the afternoon westerly’s turn north (cross wind) following Hwy 89 to Ashfork or do an out and return back toward Mingus landing at the Fairgrounds. Avoid the Class D airspace.

I have gone straight due north crossing the tiger country of the Verde Valley River, just east of Perkinsville. The south facing ridges are perfect for collecting the prevailing wind and perfect for collecting the sun’s rays. The thermals are where you would expect them to be on the ridge. But, all I can say is the sphincter muscle gets really, really tight. It is a long way from nowhere. Once on the upper high country, there are tall pine trees with a few landable meadows. The meadows are great thermal producers, but the prevailing wind is blowing you down wind away from the landable meadow. Whatever you do, don’t fall out of the thermal. You will never buck the head wind back to the meadow. There are a lot of miles over tall trees. The sphincter muscle gets real tight and you get good at hanging on to the thermal. There are also a lot of Wilderness Areas north recommending 2000 foot altitudes. Check the Sectionals for the airspace restrictions.

Going north east is more civilized but there are still sections with tall trees and thermal producing meadows. Do I land in the nice meadow or do I risk hanging on to the thermal over those big trees?

As far as the regular landing areas, check with the Arizona Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. They also have the permit with the Forest Service for the takeoff. They are trying to keep all the neighbors in the community happy.

Arizona Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association Mingus Link

Happy Flying at Mingus.
Attachments
Mingus East Side.JPG
Mingus East Side.JPG (116.75 KiB) Viewed 575 times
Mingus West Side.JPG
Mingus West Side.JPG (121.74 KiB) Viewed 575 times