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02/18/12 |
                 
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Agave Hill 31°54.782'N 106°30.418'W 5,335' MSL 600' AGL Rated H/P3 or H/P2 with an instructor present We strongly suggest that visiting pilots fly the site with a guide because of potential hazards soaring the Franklin Mountains. Contact us or the RGSA. Introduction: The Franklin Mountains present some of the most exciting and challenging flying in the United States. Because of direct exposure to the west and with no other mountain ranges out front, the range has unparalleled ridge soaring. On average days, an experienced pilot can soar over 1,500' higher than the highest peak. The ridge soaring here is incomparable to most other North American sites as no one really knows the limits of ridge lift above the range. Pilots here routinely set records in finding areas of even greater lift. Significant skill is required to successfully fly Agave. You will perfect your benching abilities as getting up and out is not not easily done (see below for notes on how to do it). The shopping centers, parking lots, and industrial buildings west of the Park are a constant source of thermals that drift into the mountains. These thermals, combined with ridge lift, make this the amazing site that it is. Make sure you have a GPS -- you must always know your speed over the ground. At slow speeds you may be going forward or backward -- make sure you know which. Launch is near the top of the daily inversion which covers the Rio Grande valley and can make the air at launch variable. Pilots need to time their launch carefully at the beginning of the cycle in order to get up and out.
It is flyable with winds from 240° to 330°. Conditions fade an hour before sunset and you will not likely be able to bench up. If conditions are weak or it is late in the day, go to Lee's Lookout instead. Best launch are winds from 250° - 270° at 8 - 12 mph for PG. The same air is barely adequate for HG and requires tighter turns in front of launch. With the Jet Stream overhead, pilots may encounter higher winds above launch and substantial turbulence (see below). Penetrating forward can be an issue in these conditions.
Jet Stream Info: It is important to note that the jet stream affects our flying in the Franklins by causing turbulence and gusting in the lower atmosphere. Our experience is: Stay on the ground if the jet stream is overhead -- unless you want to rock and roll. Directions:
Please contact us or the RGSA for
directions. Launch: If the winds are southwest, there is some turbulence at the launch face caused by the Triangle and the canyons in front but it is benign. There are no cliffs or major obstacles either in front or behind launch which means it's easy to bail in case you need to. If the winds are straight in from the west, the launch site is a dream for all pilots = unless you are a H/P1, you will get up and out. The area in front of launch has good lift if the winds are coming in over 6+ mph. Soaring is possible with as little 5-6 mph if you launch at just the right part of the cycle (at the beginning). To get to the top of the mountains, see Benching up from the Triangle below. Stay away from the vortex at Mundy's Gap (the saddle northeast and behind launch). The house ridge lift/thermal is at the north end of the launch area (see image below). Do NOT fly behind launch unless you are certain the winds aloft (6K') are less than 15 (PG only). Top landing at Agave is possible. Be patient getting up and out! You MUST utilize the house thermal/sweet spot that is about 100m north of launch unless the winds are over 12+. In that case, you will need to worry about being blown over the back from the higher winds aloft. Winds Aloft: Be certain to check winds aloft before arriving at launch. If it's over 20 mph at 9K', do not fly (PG) as you can get blown over the top of the range which would be an adventure. The presence of the Triangle to the south and the vortex at Mundy's Gap to the northeast always affect the winds at launch. Winds will always tend to be southwesterly regardless of whether winds aloft are much more west and even northwest. If winds aloft are too southerly (less than 245°) you will notice much more turbulence at launch, no lift out front, quirky air, and, especially, the presence of sink out in front. Nonetheless, none of these conditions are particularly hazardous = sled ride to the bottom but you may not reach the LZ. Landing somewhere out front means a hike to the road and, perhaps, picking your glider out of the bushes. Stay out of the arroyos because of rotor/turbulence when landing short. Pilots have landed everywhere out front and have not experienced any particularly hazardous conditions. Stay to the south of launch as much as possible if you have to land short. It will be a pleasant and easy sled ride. More experienced pilots can land in the parking lot at the base of the trail going up to Agave and thus save themselves a long hike back to their vehicles. Launching with winds coming in less than 245° will just be a bumpy sled ride to the LZ or somewhere in the bushes. Remember: This is the desert and air during mid day, especially during the summer months, can be challenging. Less experienced pilots should stick to the early AM or late PM outside the late fall and winter months. Laminar air is almost always present late in the day and dreamboat soaring in the Franklins occurs at that time. Thermals are gigantic here, as in the Owens Valley. Always check the weather or with us before flying. LZ: The Park authorities have graciously permitted us to land on Park roads. A sled ride from launch will provide adequate altitude to land just beyond (SE of) the check-in cabana or, better, to land on the road just southwest of the parking area at the base of the trail that goes to Agave Hill. That way, you can hike back up to launch if you failed to bench up the first time. It is advisable to put up a streamer on the side of the road as wind direction can change often. If you land near sunset, be cautious of the katabatic flow that comes down the mountains. It can be just 20' thick going west and the air just above it can be moving east = do NOT land near the mountains if it is late in the day but land on a high spot out in front of the Park. While pilots can land safely anywhere in the flats in an emergency, it is best to stick to established roads, cleared areas, and trails. The location of the best LZ for PG is here. The green lines provide more than adequate areas to land. Be sure to personally check out the LZ's before using them. For HG, please see here. The HG LZ area has many low bushes but nothing to snag any lines. If you land outside the Park, you must have permission from the land owner. Going over the Back: If you go over the back of the range, head northeast or you will fly into the controlled airspace ("C") of El Paso International Airport that begins at the north/south Patriot Freeway (Hwy 54). The moment you sense you are going backwards, get as high in lift as you can and then once you start descending again (after you are downwind of the range), turn tail with full speed bar away from the mountains. If you can stay out of controlled airspace, do so. Land anywhere safe as far away as possible from the mountains. Your ground crew or other pilots will call the airport if you must land in controlled airspace and notify them of the emergency so don't worry about that -- just land safely. Benching up from The Triangle: With a minimum of 150' (300' is best) over launch, it is possible to fly south over Deep Sink Canyon and get to The Triangle where there is ridge lift and thermals going right to the top of the mountains (see the image below). Thermals here have a period of about 5 minutes so you must be patient once you are aloft. Wind velocity periods are about 2+ minutes. If you don't have the necessary height over launch, head for the LZ. If the winds are not northwest, you can head for the road leading to the parking area from which you hiked. The Triangle is bisected by two smaller triangles at the bottom. If you are near or above the top of the smaller triangle to the north, you will be at a sufficient altitude to bench up. In other words, if you are above launch and can look straight across to the top of this smaller triangle, head across Deep Sink Canyon. You may have to soar the Triangle a while as you wait for a thermal to blow in from the valley. If winds are weak, be patient! If you do not know how to turn flat and conditions are weak, you will probably sink out. Watch your forward speed at all times when getting high at the Triangle! If you think you are being blown backwards, apply full speed bar immediately and head straight out or south into the sinky area directly in front of N. Mount Franklin (between the ridges). You may have to juggle this maneuver with big ears. The gradients in the Franklins are substantial and going out and down will quickly get you out of the fast air. Lift is everywhere upwind of the range and you will find it a mile or more out in front 1+ hours either side of sunrise/sunset. Do NOT fly PG in the summer between 10:30AM and 4:30PM -- the thermals are crazy. Launching in the late afternoon pretty much guarantees a smooth ride to the top but things die at launch an hour before sunset. Stay within The Triangle as much as possible as there is bad sink/rotor in the canyons on either side. Once you are a few hundred feet above the top of The Triangle, you can drift back towards N. Mt. Franklin. If you find yourself going down, head back to The Triangle and try again. Again, be patient. Not more than a dozen pilots have ever benched up from the Triangle and the reward is great if you can DO it.
The track and image below shows a pilot who did not get high enough
over launch and then crossed Deep Sink Canyon in order to bench the
Triangle . In weak conditions, you sink out, as
he did.
The track and image below shows a pilot who used the house thermal (also
strong ridge lift here) to get well over launch in weakening conditions.
He got right up and crossed Deep Sink Canyon with little loss of
altitude. He arrived at a good point in the Triangle (at the top
of one of the two smaller triangles that bisect the base of the
Triangle. From here, the pilot went right up but it took a while.
Do not give up! The thermals drift in every 5 minutes or so and
one will take you right on up. Rather than go above the peak in
the background, the pilot here went on a cross country trip, south, and
landed at the Coronado Country Club.
In the image below the pilot had the right altitude to bench the Triangle and
went right on up. On his way up, notice that he drifted out of the
Triangle into a canyon to the south. The sink/rotor was severe and
he barely was able to get back in front of the Triangle with enough
altitude to bench back up again. He was about 400' below the easy
bench point. He was lucky!
Coming north is usually harder. In the image above and below there is a little hill just to the upper left of the red circle called Secret Hill. If you are coming from the south, you want to be sure your starting altitude is at least 7,000' and then crab north directly over the ridge. If you can get to Secret Hill and be level with it, you are home free. Then, just follow the ridge right back up to the top of N. Mt. Franklin. The lift is superb north and above Secret Hill. Always watch your ground speed carefully! Come down immediately and land anywhere if you start going backwards. Unlike flying through gradients, you will not easily know that your airspeed over the ground is decreasing. The change starts slowly and then increases rapidly as you get near DM. Mundy's Gap should also be avoided but is nothing like the Pass at Transmountain. Make sure your speed bar is attached and working properly before launching. This is the most hazardous area of the Franklins but is easily avoided. Below is the view a pilot should have before crossing Transmountain. He is well above the peak of N. Mt. Franklin (>7,200'). You will lose over 1K' crossing the gap. Stay west of the ridge by crabbing as you go north. As long as you can stay west of the ridge and move north, you will cross the gap. However, if you stop moving north it means that the wind velocity at the gap is the same as your forward speed! You can use some speed bar to continue but be careful. If you do not think you can reach Secret Hill, turn south immediately and land at the country club (easily visible with its fairways and greens). The DM is a giant sucking machine and gets worse the lower and east you go. If you get sucked into the DM, don't panic -- turn east, hit the speed bar, and stay as high as you can. Follow the strong air out of the mountains which means follow the highway. It will be an adventure but probably harmless. Sometime, we will launch an RC model airplane or a helium balloon and watch it go through the DM and let the world know what happens.
Below is a track (lower) of a pilot crossing the Dragon's Mouth. He started at 7,000' and just made Secret Hill where, as the image shows, he started going up again.
In the flight below, the pilot got over 1,500' above the summit of N. Mt. Franklin. There were no thermals for that day (overcast) and conditions were not more than 10-12 at launch. The pilot flew almost to the end of the Franklins and back. To safely fly the range, you must study the below track carefully and have the same flight path or higher. Remember: The canyons south of The Triangle have very deep sink -- stay out of them, unless you want to land in the bushes. Head for the The Triangle when coming from the south and then descend as the air there is smooth and safe out in front. It takes about 20 minutes to come down from the mountains so plan your flight accordingly. Landing in the dark is no fun, especially when the katabatic flow begins.
The image below is of S. Mt. Franklin (Radio Peak) and the pilot is coming from the south - an area of lower altitudes and poorer lift. As the pilot moves from right to left, notice the strong ridge lift he encounters at The Elephant. The area is very similar to The Triangle below N. Mt. Franklin. We call this one, "The South Triangle" as the lift here is as dramatic as its northern cousin. Note that the area in front of the peak has weak lift. Generally, lift is better above the ridges.
Below is an image of the first PG flight ever flown to the southern end of the Franklins. The pilot (Had Robinson) almost sank out but he was able to bench back up at still another "triangle" just east of N. Stanton Street. All pilots should keep a lookout for these triangles of lift in the Franklins.
The image below shows a pilot's flight (2/1/2010) that was 1,500' above the top of the Franklins on ridge lift alone. There is not likely any other site in North America that has this kind of ridge lift -- we still haven't found the top of it. The area of greatest lift - thermals or ridge - is south and in 1,000' in front of N. Mt. Franklin. There is a dramatic difference between the north and south sides of the peak as is clearly evident in the image. When you really get high here, always be on the lookout for small airplanes being flown by pilots who are not expecting ultralights over the Franklins. Air Traffic Control of El Paso International will divert commercial aircraft if pilots or flight crew let them know (915-774-9407). We are flying in "E" airspace and are allowed to go right up to "A" airspace but it doesn't hurt to have powered aircraft advised that we are bobbing around up there. Carrying an aircraft radio programmed with the UNICOM frequency 122.725 MHz. (Doņa County Airport) and 119.15 MHz. (El Paso International Airport) approach frequency) could be useful.
Below, it's easy to see where the lift is at launch - the small hill just north of launch. Unless conditions are strong, head north first to get up and then head south. Most pilots head for The Triangle way too soon and sink out. If you head south right off, you will not make it high enough over Deep Sink Canyon. It happens time after time here....
Miscellaneous: It is possible to explore the canyons and ridges
of the Franklin Mountains. You can top land on some of the ridges
and local pilots have set up for landing on them a number of times.
The only reason we can think of for doing this is if you must land
quickly for some reason, like avoiding the Dragon's Mouth. You will probably have to hike out as the
bushes make wing inflation difficult. Top landing on North Mount Franklin
is possible and safe but it is unlikely because
of the presence of strong lift until dusk. If a pilot
wants to wait out in front until near dusk (when conditions subside), he can
top land and then do a sled ride down but then he has to face the
katabatic flow in the LZ. Thanks to World War II, the top
is flat and level, except for a small radio tower (less than 20' high). There are two things all pilots must do to fly in Franklin Mountains State Park: 1. Register with the Park authorities before flying in the Park. Go here for the permit application and print it out using Adobe Reader. Please initial next to each bullet. Before you arrive, complete the permit application and make sure you make copies of these three items: a.) USHPA membership card, b.) proof of medical insurance, and c.) drivers license. You can mail or fax the permit application and copies of the required documents to the Tom Mays Unit (here) or hand them to the Ranger on duty when you enter the Park. If you cannot find a Ranger, it is temporary -- please wait or call the Park HQ. You are not permitted to fly in the Park unless you have medical insurance! Pilots must be currently rated USHPA members with at least an H/P3 rating unless you are present with an USHPA instructor. We recommend that you have the CL (cliff launch) & TUR (turbulence) ratings. Once you have registered, you only need to notify a Park Ranger on duty or call HQ that you will be flying that day if you are alone. Pilots should ask the Ranger for the gate combo when you check in or you may be locked in if you land after the Park closes. If you are flying alone (or if there is an accident) contact the Park police at (915) 319-0589 after you have safely landed. 2. Pay a use fee to enter the Park ($4/person) and, if staying past closing, an $8 fee to get the gate combo so you can drive out. If you park outside the Park, you do not have to pay the $8 fee but it can be a long walk. Pilots must fly in a safe manner, protect the safety of other visitors, and preserve the Park's cultural and ecological resources. For questions/info call Franklin Mountains State Park at 915-566-6441. 3. Be a member of the RGSA (optional). The cost is $ 25/year. The Rio Grande Soaring Association pays for the USHPA site insurance for the launch sites in Franklin Mountains State Park. Donations are greatly appreciated if you do not wish to become a member. It can be given to any RGSA member, mailed to the RGSA, or sent via PayPal to here and we will forward it to the RGSA. |
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This site was last updated 02/18/12
