high school butte

High School Butte is a south-facing launch friendly to P2/H2 pilots comfortable with somewhat tighter landings. This site features a short hike to a grassy south-facing launch. This small site is not very conducive to soaring, especially with more than one glider present, but can be a great spot to lap with mini-wings or full-sized gliders and practice spot landings on the field below.

Please CONTACT A CLUB MEMBER before visiting any flying sites.

Updated 5/16/2023

Operating Parameters: Ideal wind direction 160-210deg. Wind strength: min 0mph/max 18; ideal 5mph.

Minimum required glide ratio: 2.9

LAUNCH:

Hike up a handful of switchbacks (thanks, Ranyon!) roughly 400’ to the top of the public access area. There is room for multiple gliders to lay out simultaneously on the grassy launch area.

LZ:

The LZ for this site consists of multiple adjacent soccer/baseball fields on school property. Pilots typically approach over the trees and power lines to the east of the field, and land heading southwest to lengthen the final leg of their landing approach. Please ball up your wing and pack up off to the side to allow space for other pilots to land.

BE AWARE OF:

Small trees below launch. Pilots have plenty of space to clear and avoid the trees, but object fixation has caused a few to get into sticky situations!
Power lines run parallel to the road below. Set up your landing approach so as to clear them with sufficient height.
Do not launch if there are any activities (soccer/baseball games) occurring on the fields below.
The school building itself can generate some rotor in the LZ, especially if surface winds are more westerly.
Sprinklers on the fields have been known to turn on in the evenings before an unsuspecting pilot has finished packing up.