Anyone slope soaring in Toronto?

[rkhoo]

Or HLG for that matter?

[Mark DiMonte]

I would like to konw too.

[P-38J-Lightning]

uhh if you both want to know. then dont you both live near eachother?

[rkhoo]

Horay, Mark, where about you fly?

[Cass]

lol, is there a slope in Toronto? :)

(sorry just being a PITA)

[The Enemy]

So, did you guys get together yet? I'm almost close enough to go too... Never seen slope soaring before...

Cass,
Yeah, funny guy... The Niagra Peninsula is right here. :D

I was thinking right off of the ski slopes at Glen Eden would be cool, and heck, they face West. (That is what is needed right? lol Prevaling winds...)

Corey

[Mark DiMonte]

Sorry for the late reply, I fly off the shores of Geogian Bay at my cottage. I need some pretty heavy winds as I have a sig ninja ballasted down to take on 40 to 50 mph winds off the watter. The only updraft I get is off the cottages on the water and it is pretty rough. I am able to do some rolls and loops and stay up as long as I want with these conditions. I heard that some fly at Etobicoke Centenial Off the man made ski hill. Is that still happening ? I live in Richmond hill close to the Maple dump site which would be Ideal if one could fly there.

[The Enemy]

That's cool, Mark. My parents have a cottage on Georgian as well. Theirs is just North of Penetang/Midland.

I had no clue that you could soar off a cottage updraft! Are they big cottages?

Corey

[Mark DiMonte]

Yes you could. There is about a 15 ft natural slope up from the water to the cottages which gets the air moving up a little, but the lift seems to be just ahead of the cottage line allong the beach. I have tried less windy days without ballast but you do not get the lift. My Parents cottage is on tiny beaches rd at conession 5 and the water about 15 mins from Penetang. The cottages are pretty big. Some two storie and some bungalos. There are natural dunes about a 10 min walk down the beach but I have had no luck there for some reason.

[Cass]

The Niagra Peninsula is right here.

That is hardly 'Toronto' ;) .

I lived in Milton for years before i moved, Glen Eden would be an excellent site, but you would want to make sure you had some wind before you drove up there, its a bit of a trip for you :) . There used to be a back enterence to Glen eden that put you at the top of the hill so you wouldnt have to walk to the top to start flying. i think it puts you at the top of Sunset (if they still call the run that). If i recall you take 25 to steels ave and go up the hill. at the top there is a kinda of 'S' bend then there is a dirt road on the right. it dead ended in a forest years ago and had a path the lead to the top of the hill. That was when i was 19, im 40 now so things may have changed a bit :D.

Here in Sudbury i have seriously considered trying to fly over the slag piles at Inco or Falconbridge. The heat and thermals get so hot that they create inversions around the stack and make the smoke actually fall down the side of the stack in the summer because the smoke is colder than the air around it.

Years ago, when i first started out, i was giving helicopter rides at the Big Nickel. To land i had to approach over the slag piles at Inco, the thermals where so strong i would be flat pitched on approach and would still get hung up, very exciting for a low time guy :D .

[The Enemy]

That is hardly 'Toronto' ;) .

Hehe, I detest huge sprawling cities... So I guess to me it's all just the Greater Toronto Area. (From Oshawa to Hamilton...) I see my Oma at least once a month North of Cobourg, so an hours' drive is nothing. Plus, I have a Civic. :D

That's really cool about the heli thing. Wish I could fly... Must have been a real treat to do that all the time!

Corey

[pmackenzie]

There are two places in TO that I have seen slope flying.

One is "Garbage Hill" in Centennial Park. One big problem with this site is that it is almost directly on the approach to Pearson, and less than a mile south.
They rarely use the N-S runways, so it is not uncommon to see guys there with floater type planes. ( I fly control line at the Balsa Beavers site just west of the hill)

The second is East Riverdale park. I have seen gliders being flown there, but not lately. Again better suited for the GL type of planes.

I suspect that in both places if the "wannabe" Parks guys come around you will get "the boot".

If you want to fly HLG, consider driving out to the COGG (http://www.thermalmusic.com/cogg/) field near Cookstown.
Doug Pike is a keen DLG flyer and is out there quite regularly on the weekends in the summer. He makes his own planes for both DLG and F3J.

Pat MacKenzie

[Cass]

Its certainly a fun job. I always look forward to going to work :) . Still gets in the way of my hobby though..... :p

[The Enemy]

I don't look forward to work. It is a brewery though... (Sleemans) And beer happens to be cheap. But heck, it isn't FLYING!!!! I'm so jealous!

Corey

[Cass]

Sleemans is my beer of choice now, i really like the original draft. Not cheap for me though :( .

[The Enemy]

I'll make you a deal. Come near Guelph and I'll trade a case of Draught for a soaring demo... LOL J/K, but bring a plane... Hehe ;)

Corey

[rkhoo]

Hey guys, did not expect this thread row over to the second page. LOL

The feeling of able to fly without power is very interesting. One Rcer in the forum stated: "I am tired of boring holes in the sky with motors."

Last week, I visited the Keele dumpsite to look for a possible spot. There are some good dune there. I could not get the top of the hill, but it looks good. There are some sections of the hill is off-limits to cars but I can walk in.

Since this dump site is closed (or will be closed in the near future) I can see the facility will turn into matinance mode. When the weather gets betters, I will go again and ask the field manager for permittion to fly non-powered plane there.

Hope this is not wishful thinking ;)

[Mark DiMonte]

That would be awesome. I am in.

[The Enemy]

Hey Mark,
You in for the dump site, or for showing me some soaring? If you guys are making a day of it, I'd love to tag along to watch! I can't wait for warmer weather!!!!
Corey

[Mark DiMonte]

Sure, but my plane is at the cottage right now. I will be going there this week end so I will pick it up.

[Cass]

Hope it isnt in the muskoka region Mark, You may want to bring a plow :)

[Straight Up]

So how is the Toronto slope-soaring movement going? I've just moved to Mississauga and am keen to get into sloping. I'm also into thermalling - is this even possible when the ground is covered in snow? I've never lived in a snowy place before.
Thanks to any respondents,
Straight Up