Announce and track hang gliding events
#388439
AZHPA presents the 2016 Mingus Mountain Labor Day Fly-In. Want to enjoy a smaller, more intimate, casual event? Come enjoy our cozy, comfy, cool campground right at launch for our relaxed get-together. As usual, our festivities will happen Saturday night but also as usual our clan begins to gather several days in advance, so come as soon as you like and stay as long as you like- unwind after Colorado Fly Week or wind-up before the Santa Cruz Flats Race. Along with scaring up some goodies/donations for our raffle, we expect to again have food and entertainment, and this year, the awesome Hardways! Bring your rain gear and your O2; you’ll probably need one or the other. Only $75 per pilot will get you the above and all the campin’, flyin, and hangin’ out you can handle, plus one meal ticket and a T-shirt; you can get extra meal tickets, shirts, or make donations for your non-flyers. Any net goes to support fabulous Mingus Mt.! Launch directors Friday-Sunday mornings.
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By dreamflyer
#389831
I'm checking this one off my bucket list this year. Headed down from Montana ,my boy Flys the Phoenix area.
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By magicpotato
#390608
Only a week away! Looks like their forecasting warmer weather next week than this weekend, and maybe some storms Saturday. Make sure to check out US airnets weather forecast for Prescott for the most accurate forecast.

If the wind is from the South, be careful of rotor!
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By aireout
#390619
magicpotato wrote:Only a week away! Looks like their forecasting warmer weather next week than this weekend, and maybe some storms Saturday. Make sure to check out US airnets weather forecast for Prescott for the most accurate forecast.

If the wind is from the South, be careful of rotor!
The north rotor is the true monster.
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By magicpotato
#390622
Haven't hit the north rotor yet, but I'll heed your warning! Fingers crossed for a sky-out day.
By once&future
#390664
How many pilots you figure are showing up this year?
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By aireout
#390686
I'll be there. Looks like it the south rotor... the one we know and love.
By bongwater
#390694
If any bay area pilots are planning on going I have a glider that needs transport.
It is for Ollie and i need it out of my garage.
It is located near funston.
Ollie you out there?


thanks
mikesquinn@hotmail.com
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By magicpotato
#390819
Getting back on topic... Looks like at t-storm on Saturday but clearing for memorial day!
By Flyrigid
#390823
As of Wed. evening, NWS is calling for sunny Sat., Sun., and Mon.
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By magicpotato
#390841
Looks like South winds all weekend. 15-16mph Sat and Sun, calming down to 9-10 on Monday according to XC skies.
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By frank_hamann
#390844
Hi Magic,
You said "Looks like South winds all weekend. 15-16mph Sat and Sun, calming down to 9-10 on Monday according to XC skies."

Is this good for flying?????

I plan on being there on Saturday Sept 3 and Monday. What time should I show up?

Regards,
Frank Hamann
Orange, CA
Hang 4
Sport 2 175
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By magicpotato
#390845
Hey Frank,
Unfortunately, this does not look like ideal flying conditions. Perhaps it would be good to implement the "looks good, you go first" method. However, very early morning may be a good time for flying (like 10am at the latest) I'd get there early and be ready to GO before it starts blowing South hard. Monday would be better. This is a morning site in general; by 2pm it's usually blowing down (as the prevailing winds take over and the valley thermals are overpowered by thermals in Prescott. Of course, consult with pilots when you get there, but plan on early morning flying.
By dustin
#390846
Back before we analyzed weather quite so much, south at 15 was and still is a great xc forecast for mingus. That was also back when people went xc around here. West at 15 is even better. Just launch before it cycles down.
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By magentabluesky
#390870
September 2, 2016 10am Photo of Mingus
Attachments
Mingus 9 2 2016 10am.JPG
Mingus 9 2 2016 10am.JPG (35.86 KiB) Viewed 6198 times
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By frank_hamann
#391034
Arrived at launch Saturday Sept 3 about 7:30 AM. Campground was full with probably 50 to 100 pilots, both Hang and Para. Launch faces east. Wind was blowing 5 to 10 mph from the south east, with strait in thermal cycles. Most of the people were still in their tents when I arrived. By 8:30 the wind was building in a more south 90 deg across launch. By 9:30 one hang Mingus local was setting up and he told me, if I want to fly, I better set up and go ASAP. I decided to "watch" instead. He took his time, by 10:30 it was blowing 20, gust to 30 from the south, with strong thermals blowing strait in. He launched and was able to soar above the launch 5 or 10 minutes, and getting tossed around from air rotoring over the ridge south of launch. After being tossed around, he headed out to land. A couple of paragliders launched and got tossed about and left to land. No one else flew, except two or three later that evening (I was not around then.)

The next day, I arrived around 8 AM. The wind conditions were similar to the day before. There were a couple hangs setting up, so I decided to set up too. I launched around 9:45. I was the second to launch. The wind was 90 cross from the south again, with strait in thermals. The wind when I launched was about 10 to 15 MPH. Had an easy launch and flew out front, and soon felt the rotor, so I turned left, away from the rotor and thermaled up to about 8500. Launch is at 7800. After ten minutes of thermaling, and feeling the strengthening rotor, I followed the other hang glider and a paraglider out to the airport LZ. The air got very smooth the farther you flew away from the mountain. Unfortunately, I found no thermals and landed in 5 MPH east wind at the airport for a 20 minute flight.

For me it was an exciting flying experience. That day (Sunday) there were about 4 hangs and 4 paras that flew. For the two days I was at this "fly-in", probably less than ten percent of the pilots actually flew. I hope Monday was better than the two previous days.

Compared to my home site, Crestline, Mingus seems extremely complicated. I wish the flying conditions had been more ideal.

Frank Hamann
Orange, CA
Hang 4
Sport 2 175
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By TjW
#391037
Well, when it's good, Mingus is very good.
You may be more-than-a-little spoiled by Crestline's reliability.
By once&future
#391039
I'm a little bit surprised pilots are trying to fly Mingus in a strong South. Yarnell is less than an hour away, faces South and also has great XC potential. Is that launch no longer flown?
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By TjW
#391065
once&future wrote:I'm a little bit surprised pilots are trying to fly Mingus in a strong South. Yarnell is less than an hour away, faces South and also has great XC potential. Is that launch no longer flown?
We used to fly it on the way to Mingus from Crestline. Flying as far as you could toward Mingus was a nice way to break up that long drive.
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By frank_hamann
#391098
Can anyone give a site introduction/guide of Yarnell?
1. Where is launch?
All I can find on the web is this video:
(sorry I can't put the link)
It seems from this video that there is a gate on the road to launch. Is the gate locked?
Can a 2WD car make it to launch?
What is the best time of year to fly there? What is the best time of day to launch?
My father in law lives close by, and I am in the area a few times a year. I would like to fly there some day.
Regards,
Frank Hamann
Orange, CA
Hang 4
Sport 2 175