1. Conditions
2. The park supporting the site / Le parc supportant le site: Soboba Flight Park + on Facebook.
3. Events / Evénement: Soboba Flight Park + on Facebook.
4. Bulletin board / Tableau d'affichage: None.
5. Articles
6. Schools / Ecoles
7. Lost and Found / Object perdu ou retrouvé: No info.
8. How to get there / Comment s'y rendre: Google Maps.
   From the LZ to top-of-the-mountain launch: Short way, Long way, Long way (real path), Long way (schematic).
9. Maps / Cartes
10. GPS coordinates / Coordonnées GPS
11. Paraglider Kiting Places / Zones de Gonglage Parapente
12. Shuttles / Navettes: Continuous rides on demand.
13. Site frequency / Fréquence du site: 144.925 .
14. Insurance / Assurances
15. Lodging / Hébergement
16. Restaurant: Google Maps: Local restaurants.
17. Car rental / Location d'auto: No info.
18. Image
19. Video or Animation / Vidéo ou Animation
20. Cross Country / Vol Voyage
21. Hazards / Dangers

Conditions

By order of interest:

• Forecast:
  • Choosing a good day, by Jérôme Daoust...
    • Must-have: Multiple forecasting tools (below) predicting a 8-15 mph South West (225°) wind at the "city" (LZ height in unobstructed upstream flow), from 3 hours to 1 hour before sunset. Expect the base wind at the Mid Spine (800') launch to only be about 50% of the "city" wind, with gusts matching the "city" wind, thanks to launching low on the mountain profile. With less "city" wind (5-7 mph SW) use a higher launch (1450') to avoid sinking out from the Mid Spine (800') launch. Some SSW or WSW wind direction can work, but any 45° (South or West) or greater departure will ruin your flight. Sunny is best, but not necessary if there is enough wind to offer altitude gains from ridge soaring alone, sometimes all the way up to a solid cloud base.
    • Valuable: Have soaring altitudes above 4500' around 3 hours before sunset (even if you launch later), as predicted by Windgram (see below), to avoid a low inversion day. Counter example: Windgram for May 23 2023 and it was rougher than normal. If the forecasted wind is good for Soboba, it makes sense to go there instead of Marshall if there is a low inversion at Marshall confirmed by either: Visible on web cams from Marshall/Crestline as a low smog layer (below Crestline height), or limited altitude (around 5000') predicted for Marshall from Windgram (see below). It is possible to fly under a light Santa Ana wind conditions, relying on "thermal block", see section below. Beware of a significant wind strength/direction change just above your achievable max altitude, as that can mix into your flying level in the form of turbulence.
    • Before heading out: Do a final check for a desirable SW wind direction at the start of the afternoon you plan to fly, using one of the hourly prediction tools below. Once at the site, or on launch, don't get discouraged if the wind is late to switch from WNW to a favorable SW, the change can happen quickly (within 10-15 min) as the snaking convergence line shifts towards the NW and often marked by dust devils in the valley.
    • Soboba does not offer as many flyable afternoons as Marshall which benefits from having the wind funneled towards it by nearby larger mountains, but choose the right day and get a ton of fun. The late afternoon before a rain day (cold front) can offer widespread lift.
    • I do NOT recommend hoping for duration flights in the late morning: Expect light/variable wind until a rapid switch around 11 am to dust devils in the LZ. Unlike Marshall that has a usable thermalling window for 30-60 minutes before being too rough for new pilots.
  • Windgram, for wind direction and altitude ceilings: Soaring Predictor (click "Soboba", Archive). Understanding "Wind Barbs". Alternate website(s): FlyMarshall.
  • 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.
  • San Jacinto forecast:
    • Weather Underground > KCASANJA10 (Mountain View High School): Hourly, 10 days. 1st choice for wind direction, records hotter temperature.
    • Weather Underground > KCASANJA17 (San Jacinto): Hourly, 10 days. 2nd choice for wind direction, records correct temperature.
    • Weather.com: Hourly, 15 days.
  • Soaring Predictor (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.
  • Discontinued: Jérôme's late afternoon soaring forecast.
• Current:
  • Club weather stations: Graphs for all stations. A Mobile version by David Webb, with same-day NWS wind forecast (closest GPS location).
    • LZ: Weather Underground > KCASANJA31.
    • 800': Weather Underground > KCASANJA27. It is located at the Cone launch.
    • 1400': Weather Underground > KCASANJA30.
    But launchable does not mean flyable since the LZ, 800' and 1400' weather stations are sheltered from over-the-back (NE) wind. 2013/9/7 example of Cone launch in rotor. You can use the following weather station to check that wind does not have a North or East component:
    • Weather Underground > KCASANJA21.
    • Map of local stations: Weather Underground > WUnderMap.
  • Synoptic Data.
  • Live camera:
    • ALERTCalifornia > Ranger Peak 2 (bottom center image) and other local stations.
  • XC Skies.
  • Visible Satellite Loop + InfraRed Satellite Loop by Weather Underground.
  • Radar animation - San Jacinto (Weather.com).
  • Radar animation - Bakersfield (Weather Underground).
• Averages / Statistics:
  • Monthly averages: Temperature & Precipitation (Weather.com) .
  • Soarable days per month in: 2014 (source). 2013 (source).
• Santa Ana winds. This happens mostly in autumn and winter, and we experience it at Soboba as ENE wind, and it is usually sunny then. Scenarios based on predicted ENE wind strength at mountain top height:
  • Light: ENE 7 mph or less at mountain top.
    Expect to see very light (1-4 mph) favorable (SW) wind at the Nose launch. Chance of soaring above mountain in convergence from anabatic flow (thermal breeze) and wind from behind. Expect a light horizontal wind shear layer near mountain top height. Best to use a higher launch (Mid Spine or Cone). Should be OK for speed flying all day (but LZ can be very thermic/rough at times).
  • Moderate: ENE 8-24 mph at mountain top.
    Expect to see a light (5-7 mph) favorable (SW) wind at the Nose launch, due to a combination of rotor and thermal breeze, until an abrupt change around 1-2 hours before sunset. Expect a moderate to strong horizontal wind shear layer near mountain top height. I would personally avoid these conditions. Should be OK for speed flying in early morning (up to 11:00 am).
  • Strong: ENE 25 mph and over at mountain top.
    Expect to see unstable wind directions at the Nose launch. Expect a very strong horizontal wind shear layer near mountain top height. Conditions can become bad at any time during the day. Flying in these conditions is "asking for it". Visualization: YouTube > Wind tunnel experiment of airflow past a 3D-hill.

Articles

• Path to the Sky, by Kenny Klein, 2006/7/1.

Schools / Ecoles for paragliding operating at this site.

Mine + Others ordered alphabetically / La mienne + Autres ordonnées alphabétiquement:

• Jérôme Daoust Paragliding.
• Soboba Flight Park.

Maps / Cartes

• Google Earth: Local points of interest. A great way to explore this flying site in 3D.
• Photo: Launches on 2020/1/8, by Jérôme Daoust.
• Google Maps: Satellite. Road entrance.

GPS coordinates / Coordonnées GPS

Description	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude (ASL)		Alt over LZ		Comment
Landing Zone	N 33° 49.087'	W 116° 57.698'	473 m	1552'	0 m	0'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. SW of clubhouse middle of LZ width.
Top of training hill			507 m	1663'	34 m	111'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Highest area where a wing can be laid out.
Tooth launch					82 m	270'	Estimated altitude.
Nose launch					168 m	550'	Estimated altitude.
Mid Spine launch					244 m	800'	Estimated altitude. See Video section.
Cone launch					244 m	800'	Estimated altitude.
1000' launch					305 m	1000'	Estimated altitude.
1450' launch					442 m	1450'	Estimated altitude. Better for paraglider pilots than 1450' launch. See Video section.
1500' launch					457 m	1500'	Estimated altitude. Steeper than 1450' to help speedwing pilots.
Top drive-up launch	N 33° 49.159'	W 116° 56.336'	1128 m	3700'	655 m	2148'	Altitude obtained by Google Earth

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

Time to hike:

• From LZ, to Mid Spine launch:
  • 36 (33 to vehicle drop-off, +3) minutes with 70°F in LZ, 40 lb gear, Jérôme age 61.5.
• From Mid Spine launch, to 1450' launch:
  • 23 minutes with 73°F in LZ, 40 lb gear, Jérôme age 59.9. After hiking from LZ and taking 20 min break at Mid Spine launch.

Obsolete locations...

Description	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude (ASL)		Alt over LZ		Comment
250' launch			551 m	1807'	78 m	255'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of area before slope steepens.
500' launch			618 m	2027'	145 m	475'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
650' launch			675 m	2214'	202 m	662'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
800' launch			722 m	2368'	249 m	816'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
1000' launch			777 m	2550'	304 m	998'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
1300' launch			867 m	2844'	394 m	1292'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
"High Tension" launch			892 m	2926'	419 m	1374'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.
1500' launch			934 m	3064'	461 m	1512'	Altitude measured by GPS in ft on 2013/2/15. Middle of launch area.

Paraglider Kiting Places / Zones de Gonflage Parapente

By distance from the LZ...

• 0.0 miles: Kiting hill at Soboba Flight Park. Location. 95% score: Grass, 10% turbulent, 10' raised terrain, 80'x60' size. Pictures: Close-up on 2013/2/17 + From above on 2013/2/17.
• 1.0 miles: Mount San Jacinto College, East field (East of main football field). Location. 90% score: 10% turbulent, 1' raised terrain, football field size. Dry at 1 pm. Football practice: Wednesday at 4 pm.
• 1.2 miles: Sagecrest Park. Location. 30% score: 40% turbulent (W wall), 2' sunk terrain.
• 2.0 miles: Granite Park. Location. 50% score: 30% turbulent, 5' sunk terrain.
• 2.1 miles: Col Lewis Millett Park. Location. 20% score: 50% turbulent (trees around park), 6' sunk terrain.
• 2.2 miles: Warneke Park. Location. 75% score: 15% turbulent, 1' raised terrain, 300'x500' size. Dry at 1 pm, water ON around 10:45 pm.
• 2.8 miles: Aaron J. Ward Park. Location. 25% score: 70% turbulent (bad for SW wind), 8' sunk terrain. Dry at 1 pm.
• 3.1 miles: Lynden Trail Park. Location. 10% score: 50% turbulent (N wall), 1' raised terrain. Wet & muddy at 1 pm.
• 4.0 miles: Tamarisk Park. Location. 10% score: 80% turbulent (W wall and moutain, N wall, E & S houses), 3' sunk terrain.
• 8.2 miles: Just East of: Diamond Valley Lake Community Park. Location. TBD% score: TBD% turbulent, TBD' raised/sunk terrain.
• 12.0 miles (by road): Beaumont Sports Park. Location. TBD% score: TBD% turbulent.
• 12.6 miles (by road): Noble Creek Park. Location. 75% score: 15% turbulent. NE baseball fields.

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

• Camping at the site, as of 2017/5/1: $8/day for single person, $15/day for couples, free for children under 12 with parents.
• Google Maps: Local motels.

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)

	2002/10/19	The "S" launch. Requires hiking.
		Le décollage "S". Requiert de la marche à pied.
	2002/10/19	The drive-up top launch.
		Le décollage au sommet accessible par voiture.
	2002/10/19	The towers and the launches.
		Les tours et les décollages.
	2002/10/19	The towers.
		Les tours.
	2002/10/19	The landing zone.
		La zone d'atterrissage.
	2006/5/20	Views of each direction.
		Vues dans chaque direction.
	2006/7/1	Arriving at Soboba from Elsinore.
		Arrivée à Soboba depuis Elsinore.
	2008/10/18	Flying to the casino. Flight details.
		Volant vers le casino. Détails du vol.
	2008/10/18	Convergence over the valley. Flight details.
		Convergence au-dessus de la vallée. Détails du vol.
	2008/10/18	Out-thermalling a sailplane. Flight details.
		Grimper plus vite qu'un planeur dans un thermique. Détails du vol.
	2013/2/17	New grass areas: Packing & Social, Kiting (not for landing). Jeff Sanchez flying. Jérôme folding on the kiting area after a good flight.
		Nouvelles zones en gazon: Repliage & Social, Gonflage (pas pour atterrir). Jeff Sanchez en vol. Jérôme replie sur l'aire de gonflage après un bon vol.
	2013/2/17	The mountain, far and close.
		La montagne, loin et proche.
	2013/2/17	The golf course to the SE.
		Le terrain de golf au SE.
	2013/2/17	The casino to the SE.
		Le casino au SE.
	2013/2/17	Jean-Noël Michel with his new wing.
		Jean-Noël Michel avec sa nouvelle aile.
	2013/3/2	650' launch, shade structure and bench. Over the ridge, facing NW.
		Décollage 650', structure pour ombre et banc. Au-dessus de la montagne, faisant face au NW.
	2013/4/16	Big convergence. The mountain, from far and Jean-Noël Michel.
		Grosse convergence. La montagne, de loin et Jean-Noël Michel.
	2013/4/30	All hike & fly: I hiked from my house (45 min to LZ) to launch, then flew back home.
		Tout par marche ou vol: J'ai marché depuis ma maison jusqu'au décollage, puis revenu en vol à la maison.
	2013/5/15	Massacre Canyon and Hwy 79 (Lamb Canyon). Over the ridge, facing SE, with Gold Base at bottom right.
		Massacre Canyon et Hwy 79 (Lamb Canyon). Au-dessus de la montagne, faisant face au SE, avec Gold Base en bas à droite.
	2013/5/30	People and cars at the "S". They installed flood lights to support a game in town.
		Des gens et des véhicules au "S". Ils ont installé des lumières en support d'un match sportif en ville.
	2013/11/24	Thanks to a light Nord wind, visibility allows to see the ocean. Taken from cloudbase at 6500' MSL.
		Grâce à un léger vent du Nord, la visibilité permet de voir l'océan. Prise depuis la base des nuages à 1980 m MSL.
	2020/1/8	New launches.
		Nouveaux décollages.
	2020/5/10	"Mid Spine" launch.
		Décollage "Mid Spine".
	2022/5/29	Out-and-rteurn to Juniper Flats: Convergence clouds, arrival at cloudbase, and looking back.
		Allez-retour à Juniper Flats: Nuages de convergence, arrivée à la base des nuages, et regard du retour.
	2023/11/23	Plenty of lift above and upwind of the clouds. Cory Young under the green wing.
		Ascendance généreuses au dessus et en amont des nuages. Cory Young sous l'aile verte.

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)

221 kB	2004/1	Picture by Darrel Wood, taken over "Wild West" paint ball area.
		Photo par Darrel Wood, prise au dessus de "Wild West" paint ball.

Video or Animation / Vidéo ou Animation

• Myself using the Mid Spine (800') launch on 2021/11/16.
• Myself using the 1450' launch on 2022/1/7.
• My own collection.
• Soboba Flight Park introduction, by Alive Sky Footage. Some launches are no longer used: 500', 650' and 800'.
• The Valley Connection: Soboba Flight Park... (2014/4/7).
• Dave Turner, 2013/1/26-29: A Soboba SpeedFlying Weekend! + Discussion. I'm on at 3:40.

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.

• Good altitude and convergence flying over the valley (2008/10/18). Got good altitude over Soboba then glided to the casino in company of Joe and Bob (picture) and returned. Detected convergence over the valley (picture), glided to under a sailplane (picture) and out-thermaled him while drifting back to Soboba (picture). Then enyoyed more convergence flying (picture).

Hazards / Dangers

• Launches are small, so you need good wing control.
• To be able to start gaining altitude, you need to stay fairly close to terrain until you gain a few 100 feet, so previous asymmetric collapse training is favorable to avoid inappropriate reactions.
• Power lines:
  • On far side of Soboba road at base of mountain.
  • Going up the mountain ridge to the right of launch (as if launching) going to the summit's towers.
  • At the far NW end of the LZ (which is very long).
• Rough air due to a shear layer (or sharp wind gradient) about 60 m (200') above the LZ. Because the LZ is close to the base of a steep montain side, LZ can be in katabatic flow, while above is still favorable for soaring. The earlier you land, the more you can expect this, as the general wind typically reduces in the last hour of daylight. Must look at the LZ windsock (or flags at entrance) for the direction of final glide, otherwise you will provide the entertainment.
• If it is windy, beware of the lowering top ridgeline to the NW, as wind accelerates over it.
• About going over-the-back (OTB):
  • Alan "alDpal" writes on 2003/11/10: The area behind Soboba that you thought about going over the (OTB) to sounds like Silent valley which can be distinguished by the large RV storage and campsites. This is the route that has often worked for me to get over the top of San Jacinto (in a sailplane), and or to make the crossing of the Banning pass to or from Gorgonio. The windmill farm you saw starts at the eastern side of the Banning pass. I would highly recommend that both HG and PG show extreme caution on entering this end of the Banning pass or working the North face of San Jac, because you are right, those windmills are there for a reason. Winds there can make for some hairy landings. It is advisable to have a chase crew leading and reporting ground conditions if you are going OTB.
  • "stebbins" writes on 2003/11/11: Please be careful when going over the back at Soboba. The Banning pass has killed at least one hang glider pilot due to winds, and I am told that there was at least one other death from the same cause. I have driven through it before, and I can vouch for the fact that 10 mph winds at the mouth become 40-50 sometimes inside the pass.