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Kagel Mountain — Site Dangers *WARNING* THERE ARE DANGERS NOT LISTED BELOW — CONDITIONS CHANGE DAY TO DAY EVERY PILOT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OR HER OWN SAFETY.
Alternate and Emergency LZs For many reasons, landing at any one of these LZs is more dangerous than returning home at a comfortable altitude to the SHGA flight park. In addition to being unfamiliar, most are relatively small, surrounded by obstacles, and require cross-wind landings. For those who choose a flying style that involves a perceptible risk of landing out, it is valuable to walk these LZs and understand their complexities from the ground. Open land near Sylmar is in high demand and and is likely to be put to use, so it is best to visit these areas regularly. In short: stupid hurts. The following are listed from west to east. Suggestions and updates are welcome(). Olive View Hospital — 34°19.55N x 118°26.52W x 1440 ft A large square field just east of Olive View Hospital, filled with bushes until November, 2008, when a forest fire burned it to bare dirt. Landing here is discouraged since the landowner has objected to hang gliders in the past. Almetz Avenue — 34°19.65N x 118°26.28W x 1520 ft or 34°19.69N x 118°25.96W x 1580 ft This is an east-west strip of dirt used for flood control and construction staging. There are wires on both sides, and one must land to the east given the slope of the land. Two houses were built at the west end of this area in 2004. The terrain is extremely irregular, so walk this area carefully before using it. Retrieval is on Almetz Street, at the intersection with Barner Ave. or Leedy Ave. Base of the dam — 34°19.66N x 118°24.16W x 1460 ft Large dirt area in the Pacoima wash, between the Forest Service residences near the dam and the Gavina Street bridge. A large dirt hill was built on the north half of this area in 2005, but there is a narrow flat area west of this new hill, and the south area is still clear. A right hand approach is suggested. Watch for powerlines on the north and east sides. Glen Haven Cemetery — 34°18.90N x 118°22.39W x 2050 ft An empty lot in a subdivision east of Trash. This landing site is appealing if returning low from "Lance's Ridge", properly called Limekiln Peak, but dangerous, because one may be in the line of fire of the rifle ranges (see Danger #9 above). Suggested landing direction is to the east, typically cross-wind. Beehives — 34°18.49N x 118°20.93W x 1580 ft This small dirt clearing often has beehive boxes in it. Because the terrain slopes steeply upwards to the northwest, one must land uphill, typically down-wind. Retrieve is via a dirt road on the west side of Little Tujunga Road, opposite the entrance to Padilla Ranch. Dino's Plateau — 34°18.01N x 118°20.63W x 1560 ft This is a modest-sized field perched above the Little Tujunga Wash on the east side. It is usually tall grass, sometimes with beehives along the north side, and possibly with cattle. There are big scary powerlines just west of the field, even with the field's ground level. Because the field slopes up to the northeast, the suggested landing direction is uphill to the east, typically cross-wind. Retrieve is on Little Tujunga Road, after a somewhat difficult hike out. Big Tujunga Wash — 34°16.91N x 118°17.75W x 1400 ft The Big Tujunga wash area is huge, but much of it is rough. The best landing area is across the street from the baseball diamonds, on a long narrow runway marked by a large isolated tree at each end. Wind direction is usually up the wash. Retrieve is via Oro Vista Ave. in Sunland. Deukmejian Park — 34°14.89N x 118°15.33W x 2220 ft The Dunsmore Debris basin is adjacent to Deukmejian Park at the foot of Mount Lukens in La Crescenta. There is a clear plateau here, very uneven and the scene of much earth-moving activity, but it is reasonably large. It is best to land to the east. Over-shooting the plateau in any direction spells disaster. Retrieve is via the Deukmejian park entrance road, after a little cleverness to escape from the surrounding chain-link fence. La Canada Flintridge Golf Course — 34°13.00N x 118°11.35W x 1760 ft At the intersection of the Angeles Crest Highway and Starlight Crest Drive (the entrance road to the golf course) is a fairway that runs uphill to the southwest. I am told that this is the best landing option here. You are duty-bound, of course, to buy drinks for any golfers whose games you interrupt! JPL — 34°11.98N x 118°09.98W x 1100 ft The East Parking Lot at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is dependably free of cars on weekends. There is a dirt path across the middle of the parking lot, and one MUST land south of this. There is a set of power lines high above the path, and there is a web of wires over the north half of the lot. On weekdays, one must land somewhere in the Arroyo Seco instead, but the whole works is bad news, and there are many nearly invisible power lines in the area. Good luck; you'll need it. Eaton Canyon — 34°10.28N x 118°05.65W x 890 ft The Eaton Canyon Reservoir, just south of New York Drive in Pasadena, is huge, open, and nearly level. Retrieve is on New York Drive, from the Sierra Madre exit of the 210 freeway. ^ top |
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