The soaring conditions at Owl Canyon Gliderport are primarily thermal and convergence lift over the high plains, although excellent wave soaring is also accessible in our wave window. Ridge lift is possible, but requires a transition to the mountains about 40 miles away. We fly 12 months a year, with the prime thermal season being April to September. April through June are characterized by unstable air and frontal passages -- sometimes too much of a good thing. July and August are usually dry months, but good soaring is sometimes shut down by monsoon flow or stagnant high pressure.
Cross-country soaring opportunities are excellent, since the surrounding countryside is prairie and dryland farming, with plenty of fallow fields. Field elevation is 5,540 feet MSL.
Duration flights of over five hours, altitudes over 17,000 feet, and distances over 300 km are all common in thermal conditions. In our wave window, one pilot has been over 40,000 feet. Even the gliderport cat has achieved great altitudes, but this usually after consuming a member's lunch.
11/24/2002