Bozeman Airforce Paragliding and Hang-gliding Club
Our goals:
Support efforts to ensure the preservation of existing paragliding & hang-gliding flying sites and develop new flying sites within the Gallatin Valley and nearby areas.
Develop a free flight community with opportunities for pilots to fly together and learn from each other through mentorship, training and communication.
Become safer, smarter pilots by sharing local knowledge amongst ourselves, including new & visiting pilots.
Become known to the local community as a group of responsible and safe pilots.
Work with & support landowners, local agencies, and conservation groups. We will sponsor clean up days at local sites, assist with maintenance of trails, gates, fencing, weed control and make available acess to our weather station data.
Bozeman Airforce Bulletin Board:
BEAR access has changed, do not park & hike from Bear Canyon RD. (see attached site guideline)
Our request to the FAA that they chart The M, Ellis, and Hogback as high frequency glider areas has been approved (3/2021). These areas should show up on new FAA charts soon.
Thanks to all who joined us for our M cleanup, we mounted a new windsock and cleared a ton of brush to improve our LZ.
Gin has a safety recall on the Genie Lite 3 harness. Gin says it may cause difficulty deploying your rescue.
PRO TIP OF THE MONTH
January: Cleats on your boots will give you traction while climbing, they'll also catch your lines. Remove your cleats before launch and if wearing boots with "lace hooks" cover the lace hooks with a pair of gaiters.
February: Repack your reserve. Ozone recommends a repack every 6 months. When was the last time your reserve saw daylight?
MARCH: (Spin Awareness) It's time to get the feel back for the air that spring temperatures bring. Excessive brake input can lead to spins. LOOK, LEAN, PULL. "*Think wait, look wait, weight shift wait, light brake wait, then whatever brake is necessary as the turn is already well developed.". (* from USHPA vol. 51 #2).
APRIL: GPS Trackers, learn to use them to send and receive messages and your location. Preload contacts and learn how to add other pilots you are flying with. (Join our tracking page, under pilot resources)
MAY: Use every flight, as an opportunity to progress by setting a few micro goals (no more than 3). Here's a few examples of "micro goals" C riser control, grab your reserve handle, speed bar, big ears, spot landing.
JUNE: Before pulling on your risers to inflate your wing, tell yourself "This is a trial & I will launch only if all goes well" This includes a visual for twigs and knots in your lines. Know how & practice killing the wing!
JULY: Always consider terrain clearance, set a minimum tolerance for yourself based on current conditions. Try to keep well away from terrain in thermic conditions. If you're not getting lift on launch, push out front, choosing your triggers wisely, but leaving in time to arrive over them with plenty of altitude so you have time to search without scratching.
AUGUST: Keep your landing gear down whenever your close to the ground.
SEPTEMBER: Ground handle often! Challenge yourself, do more then bring the wing up & down. Try wing tip touches, forward launches, collapses etc.
OCTOBER: Be humble, seek advice & work on your weak skills.
NOVEMBER: Read one of the great books on paragliding. (A few suggestions, Mastering Paragliding, 50 ways to fly better, Advanced Paragliding).
DECEMBER: Thinking of a hotter new wing for next year? " The fewer mistakes you make the less performance you really need" (K. Farina, Mastering Paragliding).
CONTACT US:
The Bozeman free flight community communicates primarily through WhatsApp. Join our club & we will give you an introduction & send you an invite to the chat.
If you are new to the area or visiting:
Our site guides are available here. All our sites require new & visiting pilots to first review written guidelines AND obtain a site briefing from a local club pilot before flying.
All sites are hike up, mountain launches where each pilot must be aware of wind and thermal effects on terrain.
Visiting Pilots, you know the deal, before you fly our sites join us & make a donation of $35.00 DONATE
Beginning Sites
Bear Canyon
Story Mill (Indefinitely closed)
Pass Creek (training hill launch)
Sled runs, thermal
The "M"
Pass Creek
Bear Canyon
Ridge Soaring, thermal
Mt Ellis
Hogback