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California -- Nevada -- Hawaii
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Adventures of Pez D. Spencer: Sailplane Racer
John Shelton's comic series about the adventures of a sailplane racer.
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Clubs & Glider Operations - Region 11
Northern California -- Nevada -- Hawaii
Soaring: The Ultimate Flying Experience
To fly as the hawk and eagle has been mankind's dream for centuries. Modern
sailplanes make soaring flight possible, and with them humans can fly higher,
faster, and farther than the greatest of birds, using only an invisible force
of nature to stay aloft.
The sport is called "soaring" and to pilot as well as spectator, it has universal appeal.
Learning to fly Gliders
The terms gliding and soaring
are used interchangeably.
There are many soaring clubs and commercial operations in the United States. Visit one and you are likely to find the pilots are men, women, and young people whose experience in sailplane flying may vary greatly, but who share a common bond in being participants in one of the world's most satisfying and exhilarating sports.
For sheer beauty, the sport of soaring is unsurpassed. Sailplanes may vary
widely in design but they are all graceful - especially when moving through
the sky.
Earning your Glider Rating - Your first step is to take an introductory flight in a sailplane. That flight will introduce you to a world you have never known. And it is so exciting that you will want to explore it, to learn more about it and to become part of it. Accept that challenge and you are on your way to becoming a part of the world of glider pilots.
As with any course of study, the more material you read on your own, the faster you'll learn and the more competent you'll be. The Soaring Society of America web site list the requirements to obtain your glider pilot license. Want more information about soaring? Contact one of the glider clubs or commercial operations in your area from the list below.
Region 11: By State, then by Alphabetical Listing
California - Northern California
Bay Area Glider Rides- www.BayAreaGliderRides.com - Hollister Airport, Hollister, CA 95023. Bay Area Glider Rides is a scenic glider ride company that offers flights over the Monterey Bay area. All glider ride flights depart and return to the Hollister Municipal Airport. Flight options are scenic glider rides for 1 or 2 passengers and aerobatic glider rides. Glider ride gift certificates are available. BayAreaGliderRides@yahoo.com 800-696-7627.
Bay Area Soaring Associates, Inc. - www.flybasa.org - Hollister Airport, Hollister CA; Truckee Airport, Truckee CA and AirSailing Gliderport, Sparks NV. BASA is a group of pilots who love to fly in high performance sailplanes. The Club owns six sailplanes, three of which are two-place ships. Contact Wolf Weber at (408) 927-7544 or email: membership@flybasa.org
Central California Soaring Club - www.soaravenal.com - Avenal Airport, Avenal, CA. They are on the field throughout the week, with at least one Flight Instructor available at all times. To schedule a flight please access our CCSC Flight Scheduler found on the home page. Contact Mario Crosina, 1747 Bobolink Lane, Fresno, CA 93727, (209) 251-7933 Mario.Crosina@comcast.net
Craggy Aero - www.craggyaero.com/towing.htm. Siskiyou County Airport, Montague CA. Visit their on-line store. Call Craggy Aero for tows. Flying Friday thru Sunday but we are open any day by appointment. Groups are welcome please call for information 530-905-0062. rhpf@craggyaero.com
Crazy Creek Air Adventures - www.crazycreekairadventures.com. Middletown, CA. In 1968, Jim Indrebo founded the Calistoga Soaring Center, located in the Napa Valley. For 21 years Jim, his family, and a staff of soaring enthusiasts operated one of the largest and safest full-service gliderports in the country. In the fall of 1990, work began on the new gliderport, just north of Middletown in beautiful Lake County, and on the 4th of July, 1991, the old Calistoga Soaring Center was reborn. Now called Crazy Creek Air Adventures. Open Friday through Monday. Call 707-987-9293. info@crazycreekairadventures.com
Hollister Gliding Club www.SoarHollister.com - Hollister Airport, Hollister, CA 95023. The Club offers professional glider flight instruction that will take you from your first flight to solo, and all the way through your FAA Private Pilot Glider certificate. Additional instruction in cross country soaring, and glider aerobatics is also available, as well as training for Commercial Glider and Certified Flight Instructor-Glider certificates. HollisterGlidingClub@yahoo.com 831-636-3799.
NCSA - Northern California Soaring Association - norcalsoaring.org NCSA is located at Byron Airport, near the Altamont Pass and Byron, CA. (See LOCATION on NCSA website) The NCSA is the only club in the bay area that offers its members basic instruction, as well as encouraging progression to cross country soaring. The club has six sailplanes, 4 two seaters and 2 single seaters, 7 instructors and owns a Tow Plane. NCSA operates out of Truckee as well as Byron during the summer season. Youth Scholarships Available. Contact Monique Weil, Vice-President, moniqueweil@comcast.net, 510-547-0687. Please come & visit us, weekends only.
Mt. Diablo Soaring, Inc. - Rolf Peterson, Flight Instructor. 2618 Tahoe Drive, Livermore, CA 94550 (510)-447-5620, email rolfpete@aol.com
Silverado Soaring, Inc. - www.silveradosoaring.org - Silverado is a fun club and is an affordable way to enjoy the sport of soaring - no hourly or per flight fees. Silverado operates out of Truckee, CA during the summer; then out of Minden, NV and Williams, CA during the winter. Silverado has three dual place sailplanes - two Grob 103's & a DG-505. Contact: Bryan Forsyth, President, forsyth.bryan@gmail.com
Soar Truckee, Inc. - www.soartruckee.com Soar Truckee, located in scenic Lake Tahoe, California, just three miles south of Interstate 80, at an elevation of 5,900'. Staffed by experts in the sport of soaring, we offer glider rides over spectacular scenery. We also provide instruction, aero-tow, and other services for the clubs and individuals who love to fly with the eagles in this mountain environment. Soar Truckee also offers an on-site bunkhouse, shower, flush toilets and both on-site and adjacent camping facilities. (open May - October) P.O. Box 2657, Truckee Airport, Truckee, CA 95734. (530)587-6702 Read Soar Truckee's Standard Operating Procedures.
Valley Soaring Association - VSA - www.valleysoaring.net - VSA is hosted by Williams Soaring Center, in Williams, California, about 45 miles north of Sacramento. VSA is an organization of pilots, the club does not own gliders. Although many pilots of the association fly from various gliderports throughout California and Nevada, we all have have a common interest in the William's Soaring Center., 2668 Husted Rd., Williams, CA. Contact Ginny Farnsworth President ke6vgz@sbcglobal.net Read WSC's Standard Operating Procedures.
Williams Soaring Center - www.williamssoaring.com -
Pilot Instruction by national award winning instructors. Cross Country
Training, Badges, FAA Examiner. Glider Rides. Full Service Gliderport
located on a private airstrip. FAA Certified Repair Station, Sailplane parts, Equipment,
and Trailer Parts, Pilot Supplies. From Sacramento
take I-5 North for 45 mins, take Williams Exit #577 off I-5, east 1/2
mile to airport. Bunk rooms available at no charge. The most modern all glass fleet of any glider operation. Open
all Year - Thursday through Monday.
Location: 2668 Husted Rd., Williams, CA 95987.
(530)473-5600, email info@williamssoaring.com
Hawaii
Honolulu Soaring - www.honolulusoaring.com - Planning a visit to Honolulu, Hawaii. Take a ride, or get checked out and soar the island ridges. Honolulu Soaring Club, Inc. was formed in 1970 and has operated continuously from Dillingham Airfield on Oahu's North Shore. (808)637-0207.
Soar Hawaii - www.soarhawaii.com - Soar Hawaii has been in business for over 24 years. We specialize in sailplane rides and flight training. With a staff of over 15 people, Soar Hawaii takes pride in giving high quality flight training and sailplane rides. Our sailplane operation is located at Dillingham Airfield on the North Shore of Oahu. (808)637-3147.
Nevada
Air Sailing, Inc. - www.airsailing.org - Air Sailing Gliderport. Air Sailing, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization that owns and operates Air Sailing Gliderport located in Palomino Valley, just 25 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada. Members and non-members are welcome to fly at Air Sailing. Towing services are provided by Air Sailing and Nevada Soaring Association. Camping and RV facilities (hot showers, clubhouse, high-speed wireless internet service) and ample tie-downs are available on the gliderport. For current gliderport conditions and information, contact Lee Edling at (775)-722-9188 or lkedling@earthlink.net. For information regarding Air Sailing, Inc., including membership inquiries, contact Ty White at (510)-504-2217, or tylerwhite@earthlink.net
Great Basin Soaring, Inc. - Beatty, NV airport, about 1 1/2 hours north of Las Vegas on Highway 95. Short term membership is available to SSA members. We provide aero tows with a CallAir and have a LET L-13 Blanik for training. Contact: Terry Van Noy, phone (702)433-9677, email: tvannoy@earthlink.net
Las Vegas Valley Soaring Association - www.lvvsa.org - Jean Airport, NV. Mailing address, P.O. Box 19902, Jean, NV 89019-1902 Phone (702) 874-1420 weekends and holidays, Contact: Jay McDaniel soaringjay@cox.net
Minden Soaring Club - mindensoaringclub.com - The Minden Soaring Club is a 501 (c)(3), non profit corporation whose purpose is to protect our soaring rights at Minden, and to promote the sport safely at the best gliding spot in the world!
Minden Soaring Club Inc.,
PO Box 361,
Minden, NV 89423
Nevada Soaring Association - NSA - - nevadasoaring.com - Air Sailing Gliderport, NV. NSA is a non-profit club that operates from the Air Sailing Gliderport to provide economical, well equipped, well trained and supervised recreational soaring for the benefit of its membership. Guest and new memberships are welcome. Pre-solo, local, cross country and advanced soaring are both taught and encouraged. Contact Bob Spielman, thudpilot1@msn.com, 775-560-2406
Soar Minden - www.soarminden.com Ideally located near scenic California Lake Tahoe and Reno Nevada, we invite you to experience glider soaring high above the breathtaking scenery of California, Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe. Douglas County Airport, P.O. Box 1764, Minden, NV 89423. (800)345-7627, (702)782-7627
Soaring
NV - www.soaringnv.com -
Minden's newest commercial gliding operation. Now Open! New ASK 21
and other great gliders. 1140B Airport Rd
Minden, NV 89423
Call (775) 782-9595
email: info@soaringnv.com.
Hang Gliding and Paragliding Clubs and Schools
United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association - USHPA - www.ushpa.aero. The national association for both hang gliding and paragliding. (Similar to the SSA) It is a nonprofit membership association with 25 elected representatives. It provides many services such as pilot rating, instructor certification, and full color magazines. It maintains a membership in the FAI, the international governing body for all forms of private aviation, both powered and non powered. This allows Hang Glider and Paraglider pilots to apply for world records and compete and earn points in international competitions. Perhaps most important of all, it is the liaison with the FAA and is the main reason that no pilot license is required to fly either hang gliders or paragliders in this country (some other countries do actually require government licensing).
Airtime of San Francisco - http://paragliding-lessons.com - Professional Paragliding Instruction and Tandem Flights by Jeff Greenbaum who has been teaching paragliding in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1988. phone Jeff Greenbaum (415) 310-7411.
Bay Area Paragliding Club - BAPA - http://www.sfbapa.org/ has members from all over the Bay Area and beyond. They meet on the first Wednesday of each month at the Round Table Pizza in Pacifica. Meeting times do change from summer to winter so check their web site for current times. They manage the Dumps, Stables, Mt. Diablo (PG permit only) and Mt. Tam (PG permit only) flying sites.
Marin County Hang Gliding Association - MCHGA - www.mchga.org - MCHGA draws members predominately from the North, upper East Bay and San Francisco. The majority of members are hang glider pilots but there several "bi-wingual" and paraglider pilot members as well. They meet on the third Thursday of every month, but the location varies, so check their web page for meeting location. They maintain the Mt. Tam hang gliding site.
Merlin Flight School - www.merlinflightschool.com - is a professional school specializing in customized foot launched flight instruction. Our students consistently are among the best trained and safest pilots around. (415) 456-3670 wally@merlinflightschool.com
Mission Soaring - www.hang-gliding.com - Mission Soaring Center has been serving the Northern California hang gliding community since 1973. Owner Pat Denevan is a leader in the development of modern hang gliding training standards and the USHGA Instructor Certification. 1116 Wrigley Way Milpitas, CA 95035 Phone - (408) 262-1055 mission@hang-gliding.com
Sonoma Wings - www.sonomawings.com - Hosts members that fly both hang gliders and paragliders. Serving Sonoma, Mendocino, and Napa counties. They meet on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00pm at the Stony Point Round Table Pizza in Santa Rosa. Their sites are Hull Mt., Mt. St. Helena, Goat Rock State Park, and St. John. Several Hang Glider flights have been made from St. John to Yreka, CA (near Montague) and to Burney Mt.
Wings of Rogollo - WOR - www.wingsofrogallo.org WOR draws most of its membership from the East Bay, southern Peninsula and San Jose area. It has both hang glider and paraglider membership. They meet on the third Tuesday of every month at the Omega Restaurant. Social hour starts at 7:00pm and the meeting starts at 8:00pm. If you want to eat come early because the room usually fills up. They are responsible for the Ed Levin, Mission Ridge and Mt. Diablo (HG permit only) flying sites.