Desert Soaring 

Most of this site is about Soaring in the Great Basin, Northern Arizona, and the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The Western USA has great soaring conditions making for many long flights over 1000 km every year by numerous pilots. 

Most of my flying is out of Triangle Airpark in White Hills, Arizona, just South of Hoover Dam and Jean, Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Valley Soaring Association. Regular trips are also made to Tonopah, Ely, and Parowan.

In Northern Nevada there is Airsailing and Minden. At Minden you can rent high performance gliders for soaring cross country in the Great Basin and Sierra wave.

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Carl Herold in his Nimbus 3DM near Ely, Nevada


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LS-6 in a field North of Ely


Soaring in California

Eastern California has great flying as well with many long flights starting at gliderports such as Crystal, Tehachapi, California City, Inyokern, Lone Pine, Bishop, and Warner Springs. Up North, Williams and Montague and Truckee are known for many long flights.

All of my soaring in Utah has been out of Parowan with regular flights to the edge of the Salt Lake class B airspace and back. The soaring on the Wasatch is spectacular. Logan, and Heber Valley are known to be great soaring sites as well. Rumor has it that a towplane will be available at Nephi, Utah also an area known for strong lift and early starts.

Travel and Kayaking

For information about kayaking near Las Vegas, Nevada, Black Canyon, Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River:

www.kayaklasvegas.com



w© James Dingess 2013