We are very fortunate to have Phil Marion kindly and genrously allow allow us the privilege of using his land as a designated LZ contingent upon us adhering the rules listed below. This field is not a replacement for the LongSword LZ but supplements it. This is particularly true on days and hours when the LongSword Tasting room is not open.
General rules:
- All pilots landing at Phil’s LZ must be current USHPA and RVHPA club members.
- Absolutely NO SMOKING or vaping on the property.
- Be courteous, polite, and do not swear, curse.
- No dogs allowed off leash.
- Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is allowed. A beer or a glass of wine is fine after landing but do not over-indulge or permission will be withdrawn.
- The shaded pack-up area is intended only for packing up and waiting on retrieve. Do not use the pack-up area for any other purpose without Phil’s approval. Do not engage in loud conversations, boisterous behavior, or lengthy socialization.
- No littering. Please pick up any litter that you see and take it with you when you leave. If that is impractical, then put it in the trash can that RVHPA has placed in the parking area.
- There are currently no restroom facilities for pilot use at this LZ, but you can discretely use the bushes to urinate.
- If you inadvertently damage an object on the property, please notify Phil or one of the club officers when it happens. Don’t just drive off.
- Be especially kind to Phil’s dog Max. He’s very friendly and may run to greet you when you land. It is unlikely he will be interested in your wing once it is on the ground.
- Be courteous! If you see Phil, be sure to thank him for letting us land and park vehicles on his property.
Accessing the property:
The street address is 8300 Hwy 238. It is the first driveway east of the LongSword tasting room drive. The driveway is directly across from the big blue “LongSword 1/4 mile sign and easy to see when driving west on Hwy 238 from the Hunters parking area.
- The parking area opens at 11:00 AM. All pilots must be off the property by sunset unless otherwise posted.. No overnight parking!
- There are two gates to go through to get to the LZ, pack-up, and parking areas.
- The pack-up area is under the trees to your right just after you pull through the inner gate.
- The parking area is on the left side of the lane opposite the pack-up area.
- Limit your speed to 10 mph on the gravel drive! Be especially mindful of where Phil’s dog Max is relative to your vehicle.
- As a general rule leave the gates as you find them. If a gate is closed be sure to close it after you drive through. If the gate is open, leave it open after you drive through.
- The gate closest to the road is often closed usually and not locked, but it appears as if it is locked. Open the gate, drive past it, and close the gate behind you wrapping the chain and lock as you found it. Important! Make sure the chain is wound around twice and tightly secures the gate to the post. Otherwise a small goat or Max, the dog, can squeeze through.
- Phil locks the inner gate with his lock overnight and unlocks it in the mornings. The inner gate may or may not be locked with an ORANGE combination lock. If its open, just drive on through. If it’s locked, get the combination from one of our club members or a club officer. Just arrange the digits to line up with “Master” on the lock. If it is locked make sure when exiting that it is locked again after you drive through.
Landing cautions:
The landing zone is approximately 110 yards long. Its east end starts at the blackberry pond and on the west end even with the LongSword vineyard. Most times landings will be to the west with a brisk wind and thermals coming off the field. It is ok if you overshoot and land on LongSword Property. Just walk out through Phil’s. It’s a good idea to descend well upwind of the LZ to get a feel for the wind strength. In west winds do not set up downwind of the blackberry pond. You might find yourself descending with no forward progress. You definitely do not want to land in the blackberries.
There is a fenced field east of the blackberry pond that belongs to Phil. If you screw up you can land in it and exit through the gate. But be aware there could be rotor coming off the pond. Also beware of the power lines further east.
Note we have lots of experience landing at LongSword but there may be more issues that need to be addressed with landing further east at Phil’s. Please let us know your experiences.
Updated:
June 21, 2024
Dan Wells