Visiting Pilots

Welcome! 

The RVHPA welcomes you and we hope you will come and fly with us.  But first there are a few things you need to know.

Landowners, insurance, and site maintenance requirements dictate some rules that you need to follow in order for us to maintain the site.

Please be sure to read the site guide thoroughly, check the links on weather and get a site briefing before flying.  Our club members are happy to answer questions when you are up on launch.  The mountains and the valley systems we fly in are subject with valley flows setting up as well as dangerous rotor flying lee side of ridges.  Some cross country routes flown have limited landing options and can trap pilots who are not prepared.

It is very important that you treat the landowners with the utmost respect.  If you are flying cross country and you have to land out please be as courteous as possible.  You are an uninvited guest on someone else’s property.  Your actions may only mean one bad day for you but can impact the flying of local pilots  if we lose a landing field for years to come. Before you fly have a look at this site that shows the known landing and “no landing” fields.

Pilots flying cross country often are forced to land in farm fields.  Some general rules when you land away from one of the marked landing fields:

  • When you land, sincerely apologize for landing on the property. Pack up and leave as expeditiously as possible.
  • Do not land near animals (especially horses) except in an extreme emergency
  • Do not land on crops.  Offer to pay for damage if you do.
  • Do not climb over fences
  • Exit fields at gates. If gates are locked climb over at the hinge end.

If you are involved in an incident with a landowner or think you might have caused a problem please report it to one of the club officers.  Often we can smooth things over if we respond quickly.

Membership requirements needed to fly the site.

In order to use the landing zones near the Woodrat Mountain  launch pilots need to be current members of the U.S. Hang Gliding and  Paragliding Association ( USHPA) as well  as the Rogue Valley Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (RVHPA). Foreign pilots who are not USHPA members can  obtain a temporary USHPA membership.

Whaleback and Herd Peak sites are insured sites and the insurer requires USHPA membership to fly these sites. RVHPA membership is optional for these sites.

All commercial tandem instructional flight operations at Woodrat Mountain require approval by the Woodrat Mountain Instructors Committee (WMIC).  The same is true for visiting instructors wanting to do clinics at Woodrat Mountain.

You can find membership and site information as well as other useful links below.

      How to get a temporary USHPA membership

      Joining RVHPA

      Link to our Google group site

     Tandem and instructor requirements

     Google maps view of landing and NO landing areas

     Download link for site Waypoints and OpenAir format airspace files for NO Landing areas

Dan Wells
Updated: June 9, 2019