I made a trip to San Diego and took Sunday morning to visit Torrey Pines Gliderport! There was an outside chance to catch Floyd Fronius and his newest Goat X at the cliff. No such luck, but it is awesome to now understand the home of the Goat.
Torrey Pines is a massive 300ft cliff right along the Pacific Ocean. On arrival at 10:00, the grass was quiet. After an hour or so to hike on the beach below (beware the sunbathers) the grass above was starting to come to life as the wind slowly picked up.
The RC sailplane area was a wonderful sitting spot to watch the paragliders kiting and then steadily launching off the cliff. It started with a couple of guinea pigs in the light air, and then more followed as the wind filled in. There were over a dozen gliders aloft at the same time.
Relocating to the Cliff Hanger Cafe for lunch was a short walk and gave a different view. The tandem pilots would meet their fare in front of the cafe, clip them in, and launch within minutes. It looked like a blast.
Torrey was amazing. I am inspired (and slightly sunburned).
My Goat really needs to get some air beneath the wings. First cuts were literally 18 years ago...
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