1. Conditions
   • Picking your Conditions.
   • Microclimate.
2. The club supporting the site / Le club supportant le site: Crestline Soaring Society.
3. Events / Evénement: CSS-Events/Projects.
4. Bulletin board / Tableau d'affichage: CSS-Forum + Facebook: Marshall/Crestline Free Flight Page + Facebook: Crestline Soaring Society.
5. Articles
6. Schools / Ecoles
7. Lost and Found / Object perdu ou retrouvé: CSS-Forum-Lost&Found.
8. How to get there / Comment s'y rendre:
   • Andy Jackson Airpark. Club + Landing zone / Atterrissage.
9. Maps / Cartes
10. GPS coordinates / Coordonnées GPS
11. Shuttles / Navettes
12. Site frequency / Fréquence du site: 145.555 .
    Telephone at the LZ: 909-440-8543.
13. Insurance / Assurances
14. Lodging / Hébergement
15. Restaurant
16. Car rental / Location d'auto: No info.
17. Image
18. Video or Animation / Vidéo ou Animation
19. Cross Country / Vol Voyage
20. Hazards / Dangers

Conditions

Ideal is light South wind, but SE to W is acceptable. Bad if 5+ mph North at Crestline. By order of interest:

• Forecast:
  • CSS weather stations at launches (Crestline + Marshall) and LZ. See the predicted wind by changing dates above each graph.
    A Mobile version by David Webb, with same-day NWS wind forecast.
  • Windgram, for wind direction and altitude ceilings: Soaring Predictor (Archive). Understanding "Wind Barbs". Alternate website(s): FlyMarshall (All days).
  • RASP (Regional Atmospheric Soaring Predictor) for Southern California: Soaring Predictor (Older version). Typical sequence:
    • Select day and time.
    • Select a parameter like "Sfc.Wind (10m)".
    • To change the opacity of the data layer: Click the "+" or "-" icons in lower right (Old version: Use slider in the upper right, or mouse's center wheel).
    • Finding flying sites: Click the layer icon in the upper right, enable the "Sounding/SkewT". Hover your mouse pointer over the markers, names appear.
    Alternate website(s): FlyMarshall.
  • Crestline forecast:
    • Weather Underground: Hourly, 10 days.
    • Weather.com: Hourly, 15 days.
  • San Bernardino forecast:
    • Weather Underground: Hourly, 10 days.
    • Weather.com: Hourly, 15 days.
  • Soaring Predictor: Detailed Predictions (updated daily at 7:30 AM).
    • Typical optimistic altitude ceilings, Windgram closer to reality.
  • Look for a fire nearby (associated air traffic):
    • Watch Duty.
    • InciWeb.
  • Look for a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction):
    • SkyVector.
    • SoaringData. Transforms local TFRs into a KML file for visualization in Google Earth:
      • Center airport identifier: sbd (San Bernardino International)
      • Bounding radius (stat. miles): 100
      • Airspace in Google Earth KML format
      • Append special use and ATC-controlled airspace uncheked
      • Type "Soar" into this box: Soar and press Submit
    • SoarCal / TFR. Click the map icon to visualize the TFR over a map.
    • FAA / TFR. Set "State" to "California", then click "GO" next to it.
  • XC Skies (subscription required). How to use it for Marshall/Crestline.
  • Surface wind speed and direction - NOAA. Definition: Wind Barbs.
  • Soaring forecast (NOAA) gives thermal tops and lift rate.
    • When looking at forecasted maximum soaring altitude, consider the visibility: Max altitude is only 20% likely to happen if hazy, and 80% chance if the air is clear.
  • Forecast Discussion - San Diego area (NOAA).
  • Skew T plots.
    • Initial data source: Bak40 is most accurate, but limited to 24 hours. GFS for longer range.
    • Start Valid Time: Latest.
    • Number of hours: 12 (up to 24 for Bak40).
    • Name(s) / Site(s): SBD San Bernardino, ONT Ontario, RIV March AFB, BUO Beaumont, PSP Palm Springs, VCV Adelanto Victorville, DAG Daggett Barstow, L94 Tehachapi, NXP 29 Palms, WJF Lancaster, IYK Inyokern, BIH Bishop.
    • Choose "Interactive plot".
  • Windyty. Use bottom of screen to change forecast date/time.
  • 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour Wind forecast - Ontario (Airsports Network).
  • BlipMap:
    • CA/NV BlipMap.
• Current:
  • Weather station:
    • Crestline:
      • CSS: Launches and LZ. A Mobile version by David Webb, with same-day NWS wind forecast.
      • CSS: Holfuy.
      • GEI: Current + Graphs, Current only. Mounted lower than "Simba" (CSS) on the tower at Crestline, it indicates lower wind speed by 5-7 mph.
      • Synoptic Data.
      • Windtalker: 909-338-3362 (Wendy). Only accurate for North winds.
      • FlyMarshall
    • Marshall Peak:
      • CSS: Launches and LZ. A Mobile version by David Webb, with same-day NWS wind forecast.
      • CSS: Holfuy. Viewer: Synoptic Data.
      • FlyMarshall. Down since 2021/10/21.
    • LZ (Andy Jackson Airpark):
      • CSS: Launches and LZ. A Mobile version by David Webb, with same-day NWS wind forecast.
      • CSS: Holfuy. Viewer: Synoptic Data.
    • Devore (near 215 North end): CDWR (graphs) + CDWR (text).
  • Live camera:
    • From Crestline:
      • AirSites2000 (scroll down the page).
      • ALERTCalifornia / Panorama.
      • Dan's PTZ.
      • ALERTWildfire facing Marshall Peak (current or timelapse). Down since 2023/6/4.
    • From Marshall Peak:
      • South. Down since 2021/10/21.
      • North. Down since 2021/10/21.
    • From the LZ:
      • South (future project).
    • From the valley:
      • ALERTCalifornia / QuailCanyon2 / Panorama.
      • ALERTCalifornia / LittleMountain2 / Panorama. Down since 2024/2/3.
      • Jeff Lengyel. No longer current.
      • California State University San Bernardino. Down since 2023/6/4. User-controlled, to look at Marshall peak: Pan far left, tilt the camera up one click, then go to the middle of the zoom range.
    • CSS collection. Down since 2021/10/21.
  • Visible Satellite Loop + InfraRed Satellite Loop by Weather Underground.
  • Radar animation - San Bernardino (Weather.com).
  • Radar animation - Bakersfield (Weather Underground).
  • XC Skies.
• Pilot Reports:
  • CSS Forum.
• Notes:
  • Expect Crestline to be in the clouds if the relative humidity is above 95%, or the temperature is within 1°F of the dewpoint (not shown anymore).
  • If there is North wind (up to 25 mph) at Crestline, it may be possible to have sledders from the 750' launch up to about 4 hours after sunrise, if there is smog in the city (no mixing of air layers), use web cam to verify.
• Averages / Statistics:
  • Flyable days per month.
  • Frank Hamann, 2004/9/7: Speaking about statistics... I have been plotting what I consider "epic days" for the past 6 years. I classify an epic day, as one where someone reports an altitude of 9000' or greater when launching from Crestline, Marshall or Elsinore. I have recorded a total of 72 epic days. Here are the statistics:
    

    Month	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
    Epic days	0	2	6	10	7	3	1	5	26	9	3	0

    Conclusion: September is by far the best month for high altitude days. It is almost three times better than the next highest month, April.

Gathered knowledge:

• Picking your Conditions, by Jerome Daoust, 2016/4/15.
  • Under sunny skies (cloudiness will reduce thermals/turbulence)...
    
    Roughest air is when you have at the same time, strong wind and strong thermals (obstacles to the wind).
  • Sunrise and Sunset times: Time and Date.
  • Morning:
    • 3 hours after sunrise: Typical start time for flights. Expect calm and smooth air. Long running distance for launching as anabatic wind is just starting.
    • 5 hours after sunrise: Stop time for beginners. Expect rapidly increasing thermal strength, start of dust devils. About 30 minutes between "easy to stay up" and "rough air".
  • Afternoon:
    • Before 3 hours to sunset: For pilots seeking maximum altitude for big flights. Expect maximum strength thermals and turbulence.
    • 3 hours before sunset: Start time of "sweet spot" for regular pilots. Expect strong thermals, turbulence, good (near maximum) climb altitudes.
    • 2 hours before sunset: Start time for pilots wanting gentler air. Expect softer thermals, mild/moderate turbulence, reducing climb altitudes.
    • 1 hour before sunset: Start time for calm flights (independent of wind strength). Expect mostly smooth air, challenge to gain significant altitude.
• Microclimate, by Rob McKenzie, 2006/11/20:
  • Shape. We are a bit of a microclimate here based on the shape of the local mountains and our proximity to the Cajon pass. When wind at the surface thru 15K heights come from the W thru N directions we get a wrapping of the winds around the tall terrain to our NW. These are the San Gabriel Mts. We almost never actually get a true NW wind here. It either wraps around the S side and our winds are SW or it wraps the N side and we get a N wind (often NE). When we get wind strong and directly down the Mountain range (from NW or SE) it's often related to thunder storm gust fronts. I visualize the San Gabriels being like a rock in a stream. The water can't quite go over the top so it deflects around both sides and there is a convergence on the lee side. Sometimes the convergence is N of the Marshall launch and we get the SW wind and sometimes it's S of us and we get the N wind.
  • Air temp and humidity. This is another huge factor. The ocean brings a moist cool "marine layer" in and often permeates the entire inland empire splashing like a wave against the ring of our surrounding mountains held in place like the banks of a pond of water. This inversion is usually not taken into account by the FSL and blip maps (Dr. Jack info). Or they know it's there, but not exactly how far inland it has gone. I have to read between the lines to determine whether what they are saying will actually happen. Example: The FSL says it's a good lapse rate up to 9K. This would be great except when I look outside (and looking at the web cam) it shows a very weak but noticeable marine layer up to 3K (half way up Marshall) at sunrise. What this does is make it not heat up to the trigger temp and we could very likely only get heights to what the marine layer gets up to which could be only 4800' msl for example. It's a bit of an art (sometimes roll of a dice) deciding whether the temps aloft will actually play a part in how high our thermals actually go.
  • Thermal block. Another art is deciding whether a thermal block happens. During weak Santa Anas if the lapse rate is good enough, the Marshall area will switch upslope and have fantastic thermals up to maybe 9K or 10K even though it blows over the back at Crestline. Climbing and drifting out over the city, yet still cycling up at Marshall. Nice.

Articles

• History of the CSS.
• Andy Jackson Airpark. 2018.
• Likelihood of Dust Devils, by Mike Masterson. 2000.
• Andy Jackson Airpark Sign. 2001.
• Should the club accept ratings from the AUA (American Ultralight Association)? 2022.
• Top Landing a Paraglider on Marshall Peak. 2022.
• Cost-Effective Surfacing of the LZ. 2023.

Schools / Ecoles for paragliding operating at this site.

Mine + Recommendations:

• Jérôme Daoust Paragliding.
• FlyWithJordan.
• Never Land Paragliding.

Maps / Cartes

• Google Earth: Local points of interest. A great way to explore this flying site in 3D.
• XC recovery road map (625 kB). Printing on 11"x17" sheets, will produce fine print but will still have readable street names.
• Google - Satellite: Marshall Launch, Crestline Launch, LZ. You can drag the map with your mouse.

GPS coordinates / Coordonnées GPS

Description	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude (ASL)		Orientation
Andy Jackson (Main) LZ	N 34.1934°	W 117.3234°	519 m	1702' (NE corner. Ken Howells, 2016/10/9)	Any
Top of training hill at NE corner of LZ	N 34.1949°	W 117.3214°	542 m	1777' (Rob McKenzie, 2018/5/30: 75' over NE corner of LZ)	SW
350' launch	N 34.1972°	W 117.3205°	625 m	2052' (About 350' over LZ)	SSW
400' launch	N 34.1972°	W 117.3196°	641 m	2102' (About 400' over LZ)	SSW
750' launch	N 34.1998°	W 117.3170°	756 m	2480' (Ken Howells, 2016/10/9)	SSW
1100' launch	N 34.2032°	W 117.3174°	854 m	2802' (About 1100' over LZ)	SW
Regionals launch	N 34.2095°	W 117.3200°	1034 m	3391' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	SE
Marshall launch (PG, center of slope top)	N 34.2100°	W 117.3029°	1211 m (GPS*)	3973' (GPS*)	SSW, SW
Crestline launch	N 34.2360°	W 117.3130°	1604 m (GPS**)	5262' (GPS**)	S
Devil Canyon bail-out LZ (Coming from Crestline)	N 34.2117°	W 117.3295°	706 m	2315' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	Any
Mount McKinley (1st decent mountain East of Marshall)	N 34.1659°	W 117.2035°	1158 m	3800' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	N/A
Mount Harrison (has a flat top ridge, 2nd decent mountain East of Marshall and before the Santa Ana river dam)	N 34.1649°	W 117.1601°	1445 m	4741' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	N/A
Santa Ana river dam LZ area	N 34.1025°	W 117.1073°	570 m	1869' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	Any
Hangar 24, Redland Municipal Airport	N 34.0824°	W 117.1427°	477 m	1563' (Approximate, from Google Earth)	Any

* GPS = Bräuniger / Competino, using WGS84. WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) is the Standard Geodetic Datum & the common reference datum used for civilian aviation world wide. More info: Mean Sea Level, GPS, and the Geoid.
** Reported GPS altitude, to be verified.

For a great way to explore this flying site in 3D, see Google Earth's Local points of interest in the Maps section.

Shuttles / Navettes

• Hike:
  • Path from LZ to 750' launch: YouTube > Hike & Fly: The 750 Launch.
  • Time it takes:
    • LZ to 750' launch: 29 minutes by Jérôme on 2016/10/26. Moderate pace, 54 years old, 84°F in LZ, full PG gear (40 lb).
    • 750' to 1100' launch: 22 minutes by Jérôme on 2016/10/9. Moderate pace, 54 years old, 94°F in LZ, full PG gear (40 lb).
    • 1100' to Marshall launch: 68 minutes by Jérôme on 2016/10/1. Moderate pace, 54 years old, 88°F in LZ, full PG gear (40 lb).
• Vehicle:
  • Sandy Van shuttle + Side-by-side (call for this). Sandy Noyes 574-596-3100. For PG or HG. To cancel within 3 hours of your ride, you must call.
  • Gene Embree. 909-260-0131. Rides for PG pilots, 2 passenger minimum. Advertisement Image.
  • Marcello DeBarros of Atmosphere may provide an afternoon PG shuttle.

Insurance / Assurances

• You will need to become a USHPA member and it's not expensive for the 1 month membership. Just contact one of the Schools so you can take the one month membership for 10$. It is good all over the US for the 30 day period.
• Tu devras devenir un membre de l'USHPA et ce n'est pas cher pour être membre pour un mois. Tu as juste à contacter une des Ecoles afin de prendre le membersip d'un mois pour 10$. Ce sera bon pour tous les sites aux Etats-Unis pour une période de 30 jours.

Lodging / Hébergement

• Motels:
  • A 4 minute drive from the LZ, less expensive but complaints about noise and unknown persons wandering around at all hours. If there are impressionable non-pilots with you, best to look elsewhere. If your goal is to minimize cost and those with you are focused on flying, leave nothing of value in your vehicle and get the rest you need.
    • Motel 6. Website.
    • San Bernardino Inn & Suites (Website), formerly known as "Rodeway Inn" and "Days Inn San Bernardino-University Parkway".
      Located on a hilltop near the Motel 6. Has pool and Jaccuzi. Discount if you show your USHPA card.
  • A 15 minute drive from the LZ. Close to many good restaurants within walking distance.
    • Super 8. Website.
    • Quality Inn. Website.
    • Days Inn by Wyndham San Bernardino/Redlands. Website.
• Lodges / Bed & Breakfasts / Airbnb / Room:
  • WaitingHouse (website pending) in Devore Heights. Contact owner Dusty (Email) for more info.
  • Small cabin in Crestline: Bo Frazier, Email, 505-280-8654.
  • 2 bedrooms in private home of Darren Dix, exclusively for pilots. 1/3 mile from Crestline launch. About $30/room/night, call for updates: 909-265-2792.
  • Crest Lodge. Great Cabins. Located just west of Lake Gregory. Website.
  • The North Shore Inn, talk to Bob. Website.
  • Sleepy Hollow Cabins.
• Camping: Tent or RV (Recreational Vehicle) without hookups (electricity, sewer), ordered by drive time to the LZ:
  • Camping is available (as of 2022/4/16) next to the LZ. Pricing is TBD.
  • Tent only (no RV): Applewhite Campground. 28 min drive time to LZ. Scenic (outside city). 3300' altitude. 909-382-2851 (Lytle Creek Ranger Station).
  • Dogwood Campground. 36 min drive time to LZ. Scenic (outside city). 5600' altitude (cooler in summer). 909-336-6717.
  • More (Google Maps).
• RV (Recreational Vehicle) with hookups (electricity, sewer), ordered by drive time to the LZ:
  • Glen Helen Regional Park. 16 min drive time to LZ. Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $30/day, $210/week, $915/month. 909-887-7540. If not staying there, they accept (for a fee) dumping of waste water.
  • Terrace Village RV Park. 20 min drive time to LZ. Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $50/day, $270/week, $600/month. 909-783-4580.
  • San Bernardino RV Park. 22 min drive time to LZ. Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $35/day, $220/week, $550/month. 909-381-2276.
  • Mission R.V. Park. 23 min drive time to LZ. Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $36/day, $240/week, $640/month. 909-796-7570.
  • Reche Canyon Mobile Estates. 25 min drive time to LZ. Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $45/day, $200/week, $539/month. 909-825-4824.
  • Bonita Ranch. 26 min drive time to LZ. Scenic (outside city). Price (2015/5/26) for 2 people: $36/day, $216/week, $640/month. 909-887-3643.
  • More (Google Maps).

Restaurant

Places I like...

• Sushi Tomo. Good sushi at a reasonable price.
• Pizza Hut. Modern sports bar environment. Website.
• Jersey's. Pizza, sandwiches and Beer. Website.
• d.j. Coffee Shop. Family sit down restaurant. Good food. Fast service. Modest price. Behind the Arco. Website.

Image

Pictures I took (click thumbnail to open full size image in a new window)
Photos que j'ai prises (clique la petite image pour ouvrir la photo pleine grandeur dans une nouvelle fenêtre)

	1998/3/1	Looking back at launch and Crestline in background.
		Regardant par en arrière le décollage et Crestline en arrière-plan.
	1998/11/14	My new Advance/Omega 4.
		Ma nouvelle Advance/Omega 4.
	1999/8/14	Over launch.
		Au dessus du décollage.
	1999/8/14	Over Cloud looking towards LZ.
		Au dessus de Cloud regardant vers l'atterrissage.
Dam Race Pictures	2001	Pictures of the Dam Race.
		Photos du Dam Race.
	2002/9/14	Launch area.
		La zone de décollage.
	2002/9/14	Landing zone.
		La zone d'atterrissage.
	2005/5/21	Marshall launch and LZ, then East view.
		Décollage de Marshall et zone d'atterrissage, puis vue vers l'Est.
	2005/5/21	Crestline launch and ridge.
		Décollage de Crestline et falaise.
	2005/5/21	Pine summit.
		Sommet de Pine.
	2005/9/10	The Seven Oaks dam LZ at the Santa Ana river.
		L'atterrissage du barrage Seven Oaks à la rivière Santa Ana.
	2005/10/1	Wal-Mart LZ, just past the casino and Indian reservation, at the base of McKinley (first big mountain to the East of Marshall).
		L'atterrissage du Wal-Mart, un peu après le casino et la réserve Indienne, à la base de McKinley (première grosse montagne a l'Est de Marshall).
	2005/12/11	Looking East from Crestline at 2300 m (7500').
		Regardant vers l'Est depuis Crestline à 2300 m (7500').
	2005/12/11	Looking at Marshall Launch and LZ, from Crestline at 2300 m (7500').
		Regardant le décollage et atterrissage de Marshall, depuis Crestline à 2300 m (7500').
	2005/12/11	Arriving at Pine from Crestline, then gaining height and looking forward.
		Arrivée a Pine depuis Crestline, puis gain d'altitude et regard vers l'avant.
	2005/12/11	Lake Silverwood, seen from Pine at 2400 m (8000').
		Lac Silverwood, vu depuis Pine à 2400 m (8000').
	2006/7/8	Seven Oaks dam and Mentone Spine launch (lower left).
		Le barrage de Seven Oaks et le décollage Spine de Mentone (en bas à gauche).
	2006/7/8	Marshall seen from the valley.
		Marshall vu depuis la vallée.
	2008/10/17	After going "over-the-back" (flight details): Over the West end of Lake Silverwood, then looking West. Over Hesperia and looking back towards Lake Silverwood and Crestline.
		Après avoir "sauté les montagnes" (détails du vol): Au-dessus l'Ouest de Lake Silverwood, puis regardant vers l'Ouest. Au-dessus de Hesperia et regardant derrière moi vers Lake Silverwood et Crestline.
	2008/10/25	Looking West from Pine.
		Regardant vers l'Ouest depuis Pine.

Pictures/Images from others (click thumbnail to open full size image in a new window)
Photos/Images des autres (clique la petite image pour ouvrir la photo pleine grandeur dans une nouvelle fenêtre)

104 kB	1995	The old shade structure in the LZ.
		L'ancien abri-soleil dans l'atterrissage.
223 kB	2000/10/17	Picture by Stan Koszelak, who went up to 9200', then went for a tour and looked back at Marshall to take this picture. I added a few labels.
		Photo par Stan Koszelak, qui a monté jusqu'à 9200', puis partit faire un tour et se retourna vers Marshall pour prendre cette photo. J'ai ajouté quelques identificateurs.
72 kB	2001/1	Stan Koszelak has superimposed a GPS track of a sledder to a topological map (154 kB) and rendered it into 3D.
		Stan Koszelak a superimposé un trajet GPS d'un court vol sur une carte topographique (154 kB) et lui a donné un renderement 3D.
171 kB	2001/2/16	Picture by Stan Koszelak, taken near 7000'. Strawberry Peak at the bottom, and Lake Arrowhead in the middle.
		Photo par Stan Koszelak, prise à près de 7000'. Strawberry Peak en bas, et Lake Arrowhead au milieu.
Launch 360° 1.13 MB	2002/2	360° panorama of launch. QuickTime required. Click and drag the left mouse button to change the view. Thanks to Thermal Dynamics.
		Panorama 360° du décollage. QuickTime requis. Clique et traîne le bouton gauche de la souris pour changer le point de vue. Merci à Thermal Dynamics.
LZ 360° 1.40 MB	2002/2	360° panorama of the landing zone. QuickTime required. Click and drag the left mouse button to change the view. Thanks to Thermal Dynamics.
		Panorama 360° de l'atterrissage. QuickTime requis. Clique et traîne le bouton gauche de la souris pour changer le point de vue. Merci à Thermal Dynamics.
426 kB 258 kB	2004/3/20	Picture by Rod Clark, taken at 10260' MSL. I added a few labels. Related: I fly from Crestline to the Dam, and top-land Marshall (2004/3/20): 45 km (28 miles).
		Photo par Rod Clark, prise à 10260' MSL. J'ai ajouté quelques identificateurs.
358 kB	2004/3/20	Picture by Stan Koszelak. I added a few labels. Related: I fly from Crestline to the Dam, and top-land Marshall (2004/3/20): 45 km (28 miles).
		Photo par Stan Koszelak. J'ai ajouté quelques identificateurs.
	2004/3/20	Pictures by Bob Barry during a flight from Marshall, taken at 5000' MSL. I'm the guy with the yellow wing. This is the Santa Ana river dam area, about 13 miles East of Marshall. Mentone launch is the short dirt strip at the road bend.
		Photos par Bob Barry durant un vol depuis Marshall, prise à 5000' MSL. Je suis le gars avec l'aile jaune. C'est le barrage de la rivière Santa Ana, 13 miles à l'Est de Marshall. Le décollage de Mentone, c'est la courte piste de terre dans le virage de la route.

Personal pages:

• No info.

Video or Animation / Vidéo ou Animation

• Club's YouTube channel.
• My own collection.
• Russel Metlitzky:
  • Nothing But SKY (24.2 MB, MPEG), 2002/4/20. Fun flying. Nice camera angles.
  • Pilots of Marshall (57.8 MB, MPEG), 2002/6/1. Shows many of the pilots at Marshall.

Cross Country / Vol Voyage

Before you go, know your airspace. For Google Earth: California 3D overlay for classes B/C/D and restricted military airspace.

Recovery road map (625 kB). Printing on 11"x17" sheets, will produce fine print but will still have readable street names.

• North:
  • I fly to the end of Summit Valley (1999/10/9): 14 km (straight red line). Launched from Marshall, was 8000' at Crestline, aimed for lake Arrowhead, caught lift at the end of the pass leading into Summit Valley, made a few 2000' climbs on the South side of the valley.
  • I fly straight to Deep Creek Spillway (1999/11/13): 16 km. Launched from Crestline and climbed rapidly to 10000' in light winds. I never found significant lift during the rest of my trip and winds switched to come from the North with increasing strength near the end.
  • I reach Victorville (2002/9/21): 32 km. Launched from Crestline and found a smooth climb at Billboard to 9000'. Once over the back, I face a headwind for the rest of the fight. Over the desert I had to leave lift at 12300' because my hands are too cold (no gloves). Landing at the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, at the edge of the airport airspace (red dot is my LZ). Flight time of 3.5 hours.
  • From Marshall to Hwy 395 (2008/10/17): 28 km. Got good altitude over Marshall, but with the SE wind decided to try for the desert if I can get high over Pine. Got high over Pine and flew to the West end of Lake Silerwood, then found more lift and extended to West of Hesperia.
• North-East:
  • Matthew Carter reaches Ludlow (2001/5/23): 112 km.
• East:
  • XC flights should only be over the hills/mountains when near mount McKinley (next to San Manuel indian reservation & casino). More info (expand "Local Airspace").
    Rob McKenzie summarizes as: Don't fly south of Highland Ave until you have gone east of Church St in Highland. After passing Church St you are allowed to head South.
  • The Dam Race.
  • Route to Yucaipa recommended by Rob McKenzie. More info from Rob McKenzie.
  • I fly to North Yucaipa (2000/5/13): 32 km (20 miles). Launched from Marshall at 11:30, landed 14:00 to the East of the Crafton Hills, in Yucaipa (corner of Ivy Blv and Freemont). Max altitude was 2000 m (6500'). I should have turned to the South to go to point number 7 in Route to Yucaipa recommended by Rob McKenzie but passed between points 6 and 7 and kept going East.
  • I fly from Crestline to the Dam, and top-land Marshall (2004/3/20): 45 km (28 miles).
  • I fly from Marshall to the R (behind Dam), and back (2015/3/27): 50 km (31 miles).
  • I fly from Marshall to Crestline, to the Dam, back half-way, to the Dam again, land in Yucaipa (2005/4/16). Google Earth KMZ file.
  • Avoid the Banning pass: Rob McKenzie comments.
  • I fly from Marshall to the Dam, to Yucaipa, then Beaumont (2006/7/8): 48 km (29 miles). Google Earth KMZ file. Google Earth Snapshot image.
  • Landing at Hangar 24 (brewery). Communicating with Redlands Municipal Airport. My 2011/10/2 flight.
• South-East:
  • I fly from Marshall to Soboba (2017/9/29): 60 km (37 miles).
  • Alex Gagarin: Marshall -> Soboba -> Marshall (2014/9/14): 105 km (65 miles).
  • Andre Dreyer: Crestline -> Dam -> Soboba -> Anza (2004/5/1): 95 km (59 miles).
• West:
  • Matthew Carter crosses the Cajon pass and flies to Azusa (2000/2/20): 50 km. Great pictures and article.
  • I fly into the Cajon pass (2000/4/15): 18 km. Not recommended (Rob McKenzie comments) due to potential strong winds in the pass, few LZ and many high tension wires.
• North-West:
  • Alex Gagarin: Marshall -> Antelope Valley (2014/9/12): 117 km (72 miles).
  • Alex Gagarin: Marshall -> Palmdale (2009/4/20): 100 km. Pictures.
  • Andre Dreyer: Crestline -> Littlerock (2004/5/2): 68 km (42 miles).
  • Cary Mendes reaches El Mirage Dry Lake (1994/10/10): 56 km.

Hazards / Dangers

• Danger zone at front of Marshall Peak launch. Keep 20% braking through it and perform active flying, get comfortable later.
• Top Landing a Paraglider on Marshall Peak.
• Airliners overhead:
  • ONTario approach paths, by Dan DeWesse, 2018/3/3.
    Airliners descending on approach to ONT and LAX come through at about 8000' (2440 m) to 9000' (2740 m) MSL. Light planes go through Cajon pass area (5 miles / 8 km East of Launch) at about 6500' (1980 m) MSL. Some helicopter activity. Keep your eyes open when you are at altitude.
  • Ontario airliner arrival altitudes, by John Benario, 2018/7/7.
    Possible conclusion: Don't spend time between 8 and 10 k in the vicinity of Crestline Launch.
• Land now, if there is a fire IN THE MOUNTAINS within 5 miles of the LZ, or if there is emergency helicopter activity, or a white "X" in the landing zone.
• No low aerobatics... Local homeowner often call for emergency rescue when they see a pilot spiral down low, as they think they are witnessing a crash. Please remember the rule to keep all spirals (or anything that looks like loss of control to the folks in town) to finish the maneuver at or above the height of the 750 launch.
• Wrightwood Laser Research Activity.
• Accident Summary by Rob McKenzie and CSS.