Inspiration Point

About

At the Squaw Peak Overlook, the setup area is below the low stone wall bordering the parking lot. This grassy quarter-acre hillside affords plenty of room to set up and launch several gliders. The overlook is a popular tourist attraction, and crowds tend to gather at precisely the time pilots want to fly—late afternoons and evenings before the glassoff. During preflight operations, politely ask onlookers to remain behind the stone wall. A west wind works best. Midday valley heating produces cyclic thermic turbulence, and rotors behind the launch area are common.

Launch Points (1)

Launch

Foot Launch

Alt: 2,039 m / 6,689 ftHdg: 231° SWSurface: SHORT GRASS

The LZs are clearly visible about 1500 feet below and between 1.3 and 1.8 miles from launch. You will cross a 75-foot tall line of transmission wires and towers downslope and one mile west of the launch. Reaching either LZ requires overflight of dense suburban neighborhoods. The high minimum glide ratio required to safely reach the closest LZ, combined with the lack of safe bailout LZs, makes this site unsuitable for mini-wings and speed-wings. Note: The former Park LZ south of 3950 North is under renovation and unavailable for safe approaches and landings. Do not launch in suspected zero-lift conditions. Most pilots search for lift while still in the launch area, gaining altitude over the bench before committing to an LZ. High-performance hang gliders have found it challenging to reach the Church LZ on a sled run.

Landing Zones (3)

Flying Conditions

Has 1 different launch points. The best wind direction is 231 @ 10 knts but many sites can be flown from multiple directions, so check before you fly. You can expect to find: thermal conditions ridge soaring conditions cross country potential , all dependent on current weather conditions.