Sites/Big Black
DOSSIER · 847SITE · NORTH AMERICA
33°09′24″N · 116°48′38″WLIVE CHART · OBSERVED 1358Z
Airworthy · 3+
NORTH AMERICA · CALIFORNIA · USA

Big Black

ThermalRidgeSimulated
ELEV 1,176 M / 3,860 FTTZ Pacific Daylight Time

Specimen Sheet · Vital Statistics

Launch Elev1,176 m
Launch Elev FT3,860 ft MSL
Min Hang RatingH3
Best Wind0° · 0–0 kt
Coordinates33.1567° N
 -116.8106° E
§ 01CHART · LAUNCHES & LANDINGS

Field chart.

Launch point
Landing zone
Launch heading
1 LAUNCH · 1 LZ · ALT RANGE 5031,176 M

§ 02 · Flying Conditions · Field NotesUpdated 2026·03·21

Although Big Black is in the Cleveland National Forest, it is a highly sensitive site. After years of working with the Palomar Ranger District we feel very fortunate to have regained access and to fly there via a Special Use Permit.

Small cutout between trees: Being nested in pines, launch can be tricky for paraglliders, but ok for hang gliders.

Has 1 different launch points. The best wind direction is 0 @ 0 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 , all dependent on current weather conditions.

§ 03 · Wind Window · Best Operating EnvelopeN · 000° ±0°

NSEWNESENWSW
00 kt
Primary · N · 000°
Envelope: 000° – 000° (±0°)
Preferred · 00 ktWorkable · 03 ktHazardous · >5 kt

Chase the Wind

Nearest weather station to Big Black. Select any row to see which launches are in wind, then set your MSFS world clock to that UTC time.

Ramona Arpt, CA, US

13:43 UTC

16 km from site

Wind

Calm

0 kt

Ceiling

Clear

10+ sm vis

Calm · 0 kt · 13:43 UTC

Big Black LaunchCalm / Var

Select a time to check launches

Jan 21

Weather at , 16 km from Big Black. Mountain conditions may differ — this is a clue, not a forecast. Adjust sim time on site until conditions feel right.

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§ 07 · Location · Field CoordinatesWGS-84

Latitude33.156675
Longitude-116.810567
DMS · N33°09′24″N
DMS · E116°48′38″W
Altitude1,176 m
Altitude FT3,860 ft
Time ZonePacific Daylight Time
UTM11S 517 665 E · 3 668 868 N

§ 09 · Recent Flights · Log Book

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FILE № 847 · CLOSED 2026·03·21
THE HANG GLIDING FILES · THGF
✎ SURVEYED · NORTH AMERICA · USA