The Gathering at Monument Valley 2011

Welcome to the Holy Grail of PPG

2011-10-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome
The 2011 Gathering is in the bag. the write up will be up in a couple of weeks.
Here is a link to some photos.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2425167995819.133691.1450086143&type=1&l=878b9aadcc

This is a video from Ryan Shaw
http://youtu.be/MjItLXRIssc

If you would like to add yours ... feel free to send them to me at
onofrio@onofriopiano.com

Franck Simonnet

Join us for

The Gathering at

Monument Valley 2011

Oct. 14,15,16

The gathering has been moved forward one week to fall between the
PPG Masters Series sessions with
Eric Dufour and Jeff Goin

http://www.bajappg.com/paramotor-masters-series.html

Three Bucket List Events in Three Weeks !

Below you will find information for this years event and links to photos and write-ups from previous years.

This is a non-sponsored event. There are no registration fees, all that is required is a good attitude and willingness to pitch-in. Most of the pilots will be staying at Gouldings Campground either RV or Tent Camping.

Camping/RV/Hotel rooms close to the LZ:

Gouldings Lodge and Campground,

http://www.gouldings.com/english/index.htm

Julie Viramontes

Front Desk/Group Sales Manager

Goulding's Lodge & Camp; Tour

(P)435-727-3231x411

(F)435-727-3344

The View Hotel,

http://www.monumentvalleyview.com/index2.html

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Here is a rough schedule...

Friday Oct.14th

6:30am Pilot Briefing

6:45am AM flights begin
4:00pm PM flights begin
8:00pm Campfire at Pavilion

Saturday Oct 15th
6:30am Pilot Briefing

6:45am AM flights begin

4:00pm PM flights begin

7:30pm Dinner at Gouldings

Sunday Oct 16th

6:30am Pilot Briefing

6:45am AM flights begin

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To Register.... Send E-Mail to:

onofrio@onofriopiano.com

Contact Joe O 303-594-6319

2010 Wrap-up

http://flyingtheholygrail.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-wrap-up.html

2009 Wrap-up

http://poweredparaglidingcolorado.blogspot.com/search/label/Monument%20Valley%20Gathering%202009

2008 Wrap-up

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?logID=150547635857651623&postID=5363834701307467887

Pictures from 09

Thanks to:
Faith Wesstrom

http://s835.photobucket.com/albums/zz280/Musegrrl25/?start=all

Beery Miller

http://www.uswingnuts.com/Texas/PPG/Pictures0069/myalbum_frame.htm

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Pictures from 08...

Thanks to:

Texas Wingnuts

http://www.uswingnuts.com/Texas/PPG/Pictures0064/myalbum_frame.htm

Pikes Peak Poweredparagliding Club

http://www.poweredparaglidingcolorado.com/gallery.php?year=2008

_______________________________

There is no individual or company charged

with monitoring our activities....

So protect yourself and our sport by using common sense. When flying in or near the Navajo Tribal Park border stay 1500 ft above the desert floor. Always fly at an altitude that will allow you to glide to a pick-up point.

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Below are the Ultra Lite procedures for Gouldings Lodge and Trading Post, please print, sign and turn it in at the campground office. Be advised, the management expects General Aviation traffic over the weekend, fortunately during the first and last hours of daylight the airstrip will be clear.
__________________________________

[1]GOULDING’S LODGE MONUMENT VALLEY FLIGHT OPERATING PROCEDURES
The following are procedures to be used at the Goulding’s airstrip in Monument Valley.-Overnight camping is allowed only at the campground.

-Please sign foot note below agreeing that the airstrip is “fly at your own risk”.

-Ground equipment(trailers, etc.)should be parked on the west side of the airstrip in the big gravel area south of the windsock. Do not park near the hangar or on the paved areas.

-No overflights in the areas south and west of the runway between the runway and the cliffs(mesas?). Do not “buzz” any of the Goulding’s Lodge buildings.-Any ground equipment or aircraft that is to be left at Goulding’s airstrip after you leave must be cleared with management.
-The asphalt parking area at the south end of the airstrip is reserved for commuter aircraft and short-term parking. Other aircraft should use the dirt parking area west of the runway.-No touch and go’s.

-Takeoff is from runway 34 and landing is on runway 16.-CTAF is 122.9.-Field elevation is 5,208’. Be aware of density altitude.

-The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is a separate entity from Goulding’s Lodge. The park superintendent has asked Goulding’s to please “suggest” to Ultralight individuals that they pay the $5.00 per person entry fee into the park if they plan on flying over the park. All Goulding’s Lodge is doing is following up on the park’s wishes. Goulding’s Lodge has no connection with the operation of the park, or their policies.

[1] I have read and understand these policies. I understand that Goulding’s airstrip is private and is “use at your own risk”.

Signature: ______________

Date: ______________

___________________________________

FAQ's

1) Is there a fee to go into the park?

The Navajo request a $5 donation for each day you fly into the park. If you want to make a donation they will take collections at the Park Entrance.

2) What Facilities are available?

Gouldings Lodge and trading post is a self contained village with Motel, Restaurant, Grocery Store, Fast Food, Gas Station and Campground. The campground accommodates RV's and has areas specified for tent camping. It includes a swimming pool, laundry, gift shop, Internet station and showers. There are also"Porta Johns" located around the campsites.

3) Can I pre-ship my equipment?
YES ! Ship to: Goulding's Lodge 1000 Main Street Monument Valley, UT 84536-0001
435-727-3231 Mark your box with pilots name.

4) Is Aviation gas available at the airstrip?
NO ! If you require av gas....bring it with you.

5) What about a Banquet?
Saturday night the restaurant is going to hold a private room for us. To keep things simple everyone can order off the standard menu.

6) Do I need to drive from the campground to the LZ?
Probably, it's 3/4 of a mile from the campground to the airstrip. If you have a trike you could probably drive it down but... there is a grade and unless you have brakes your boots are going to be smoking by the time you get there. Gouldings has assigned an area at the airstrip where we can park trailers.

Be aware !

This is not a Fly-In for beginners. We are launching at 5500 MSL. When the conditions are perfect, anybody can fly Monument Valley Tribal Park. However, anything over nil wind will create mechanical rotor and conditions can change fast. Remember the windward side of one Monument is often the lee side of another. When in doubt, stay high.

Paul Anthem talks about meeting "Monument Rotor"

2011-02-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

Paul Anthem:
On the second morning of flying at Monument Valley in southern Utah four of us planned on flying together out to the monoliths and mesas so that professional paramotor photographer Franck Simmonet could get some photos.
“You don’t need to get close to the mesas” he said, “just stay close to me so that you are big in the frame”.
We launched into almost no wind. It could have been because we were in the wind shadow of the huge mesa beside the LZ. Whatever it was, as I flew out to the mountainous monuments, I was doomed to misjudge the winds.
The day before I had flown out to the large horse-shoe shaped area of monoliths and felt a few mild bumps when I was right in the middle and below the top of the mesas, some of which reach almost 1000 ft. Just about everyone was flying fairly close to the towering structures-- but the wind was mild then.
Apparently, this day, the winds were much stronger AND I had completely misjudged the wind direction. I always stay away and above of the leeward side of any large obstruction but, as I slowly descended towards the largest mesa, I mistakenly thought I was on the windward side.
That’s when I heard Franck over the radio, “Go heighter, go heighter!” (Yes, I know it’s “higher” but he was saying “heighter”). By the time he radioed that warning I realized that I was NOT climbing very fast-- in fact, I think I was sinking at full throttle.
Then, maybe 20 or 30 seconds later I felt my wing start to vibrate. This is not a very happy wing, I’m thinking. I can feel that I’m loosing brake pressure on the right side (the monolith was to my left several hundred feet). Franck and Matt are a few hundred feet above and behind me. My wing was deforming in such odd and obvious ways that it prompted Matt Witchlinski to radio his concern, “Paul, are you in some bad air ! ?”
I didn’t even try to answer. SOMETHING is going to happen soon, I thought. He had barely finished his sentence when my wing was smacked out of the air.
Now, I often play around with my wing and induce asymmetric collapses but the wing is STILL flying. This was nothing like that. My wing was batted down and folded up and I was falling instantly. It happened so fast all I had time to do was let off of the throttle and hope I didn’t fall into the wing.
The wing recovered with a few violent jerks as I checked the surge. I later learned that after seeing my predicament Franck and Matt instantly turned around to avoid the same fate-- they didn’t get to see what happened next.
I’m pretty sure that Matt radioed back about ten seconds later to ask if I was alright. I didn’t answer. I was too busy concentrating and trying to control a wing that was dancing around and vibrating like I was on a drum. You know that feeling you get when you’ve vomited and you can feel it coming on again… I was waiting for it but nothing could have prepared me for the violent collapse that came next.
My wing was hit in the center and thrown back behind me and to the side. For a second I was laying back looking up at the sky. Then the balled up wing swung over to the other side and I was sideways. I dropped down and the wing swung me to the other side and on my back again. Then, next thing I know, it’s in front of me, below the horizon and smooshed up into a ball I could probably fit into my stuff sack. Well at least I can see the wing now. I drop under it again as I tense my arms in a braking position. The wing re-inflates with some rocking and surges, but thankfully, I’m flying again.
I look down and see that I still have several hundred feet of altitude. If I get hit again I might have to throw my reserve. I don’t want to do that while caught in a rotor with only jagged rocks and a cliff face below.
I don’t know if I can take another thrashing like that, I thought. I was lucky that I didn’t fall through the lines or get a major cravat… and I’m still being rocked.
I could feel that I was caught in the huge rotor- it was like a vortex. I couldn’t climb and I couldn’t get away from the monolith. The other guys had got away, maybe they can look back and see some way out. I pressed the radio button on my helmet,” I can’t get out! I’m stuck in the rotor! What should I do ?”
“Climb out”, they said.
“I can’t, it’s pushing me down!”
For a second, I considered going low but then decided that if I had another collapse like the last one that I wouldn’t recover in time. I thought about heading TOWARDS the mesa but decided that although it might get me under the down rotor, it might also suck me up and put me through the wringer again.
So I just kept at full throttle, heading away from the mesa, hands clenched on the brakes trying to keep the wing as stable as possible with every twitch and twist.
Finally, after what must have been 15 minutes, I felt the air smooth out and I started to climb again.
I headed straight back to the airport.
I had had my excitement for the day.

Paul is an accomplished pilot and the creator of the famous PPG for Morons Videos see more at:

http://ppgformorons.com/

2010 WRAP-UP

2011-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Event
was a great success!

Check out Bryon's video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFuiDoonU7Q

Joe and Olivia Onofrio

The Third Annual Gathering at Monument Valley was held over the Columbus Day weekend at Gouldings Lodge and Trading Post on the Utah/Arizona border, altitude 5500ASL. Approximately 35 PPG pilots and couple of, PPC and Deltas came together from across the continent, braving the remote location and questionable weather to have a shot at the Holy Grail of Powered Ultra Lite Aviation. AND…They were not disappointed. The weather forecasts were wrong and all three days were warm and beautiful with light winds that were very flyable.

by Franck Simonnet

The Gathering has always been a different kind of Fly-In. Its non commercial, the professionals can take off their marketing hats and become just one of a group of passionate pilots sharing one of the most spectacular sites in the world. This year, do to poor planning by the “non-organizer”, the campfire was woefully inadequate, never the less we stood around it and discussed wings, motors and technique as peers rather than competitors. And… were treated to some amazing displays of flying skill during the down times.

Afternoon tour of Monument Valley Park

In the hours between morning and evening flights there was plenty to do. Saturday afternoon several toured the Navajo Tribal Park by truck and SUV. There was also new visitor center that was hosting a large display of Indian and geological exhibits that was very impressive. Others explored the area around Gouldings on foot and trail bike or relaxed around the campground and pool. An unexpected attraction came from the Navajo High School who treated us to a full blown homecoming parade complete with floats and candy tossing royalty.

At the beginning of the event there was a small problem when one pilot flew too close to the resort at the Navajo Tribal Park. We had not yet had the formal briefing and unfortunately he wasn't aware of the Navajo’s sensitivity about flying near their facilities and habitations. When the pilot ascended from the valley floor up to the scenic overlook, a good time was had by all, the resort guests took photographs and waved happily as he flew by. However what appeared to be a good opportunity to showcase our sport turned out to be exactly the opposite. The Navajo Police promptly visited our landing strip and forbid us from entering the Navajo Tribal Park for the duration of the event. There were still thousands of acres of beautiful country and more monuments than we could fly in a month, so we chose not to argue the legalities of who controls the airspace and politely agreed to stay out of the park. The Gathering continued and everyone was able to get as much airtime as they wanted. The moral here was ... If you find yourself at a Fly-In a day or two early, be sure to READ THE RULES and know the particulars of the area before launching.
Future pilots should be able to fly the whole area unfettered provided that they fly 1500 above the desert floor while within the borders of the park. In any case, it is prudent to fly at least that high in order to have enough glide to find an emergency landing and pick-up if needed.

Foot launch Trike

Sky King

Saturday night was the party in Gouldings Banquet Hall. Everyone shared hanger stories and enjoyed authentic Navajo cuisine or not depending on their preferences. Paradrenalin’s Ryan Shaw drew the lucky number for a new Rodeo Paramotor and Paul Anthem entertained us with his harrowing tale of driving across the country in their “Quest for the Holy Grail”.

Olivia Onofrio first flight

As usual the most satisfying aspect of this event was the reactions of the veterans. Pilots with hundreds of flights were walking around grinning ear to ear talking about the “greatest flight of their career”.

The 2011 “Gathering” is planned to be held on the weekend of Oct. 14th. 15th and 16th.

And I promise…the campfire will be tremendous!

Award winning Film by Cris Page....Into the Wind 2

2010-10-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Gadget Man has finally come out with the Second "Into the Wind", Paramotor Movie

Rare scenes from the first "Gathering at Monument Valley"

Recap of 2009

2009-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

Monument Valley 2009 Ultra flight Article

During a spring road trip a couple of years ago I discovered Monument Valley. After a few days of launching from their airstrip and flying among the massive buttes, I knew, this was a venue that had to be shared. So I posted on the Biglist hoping to get a couple of guys together for a PPG camping trip. Four months later thirty pilots assembled and, “The Gathering at Monument Valley”, was born.

This year, over forty pilots came together from as far away as Quebec and Fort Lauderdale. It is a non-sponsored event which gives it a different feel than a commercial Fly-In. be associated with are no vendors or booths, and the accompanying “equipment hype”, but also because of the diverse group of pilots who have driven hundreds even thousands of miles with one common agenda… fly the holy grail of powered paragliding. It was a rare venue where the professionals blended into the group and politics were set aside

By all measures, the second annual gathering was a great success. Almost everyone was able to experience at least one, “Epic Flight”, and the only carnage was a few bent cages and scraped arms. We stayed five miles west of the Navajo Tribal Park at Gouldings Lodge, an early nineteenth century Indian trading post where sixty years ago John Wayne filmed several epic westerns. It’s an ideal facility for a fly-in with everything we needed, campground, lodging, restaurant, grocery store and best of all a 3500 foot airstrip. Between flights the pilots could relax at the swimming pool or take off into the park by foot bike or vehicle. For one pilot, the highlight of the weekend was to see the topography he had just flown sitting in the back of a pickup.

For the most part, the weather was in our favor, a good trip to Monument Valley is fifty percent flyable and this year beat the average. While a major low pressure system 300 miles north was wreaking havoc, we relaxed under mostly sunny skies in 70 plus degrees. Friday morning was slightly bumpy with twitchy surface winds. Shortly after dawn a couple of pilots, braved the launch, and reported excellent conditions at altitude. As they approached the monuments the radio chatter got more frequent and animated. When one announced “huge lift” at his location a bunch waiting on the tarmac were persuaded and within minutes the skies were filled with wings. At 9:15 the tourist flights began arriving and everyone packed up and took off to breakfast. That evening the wind was stronger and only a few launched usually for very short flights.

Saturday morning provided the best conditions of the weekend with the majority of pilots getting long flights, deep into the Park. Some chose a particular monolith and flew to it, while others went for altitude and enjoyed the big picture. With over 100 square miles of breathtaking territory it’s possible to fly the Navajo Tribal Park for years without ever repeating a track.

This was my 17th sunrise at Monument Valley and I was looking forward to a route I’d been planning all year. It would take me into the center of the park without flying over a huge amount of unlandable terrain. After clearing the mesas surrounding Gouldings, I climbed to 1200 feet and flew south, three miles past the Visitors Center where I crossed over Wetherill Mesa into the Valley of the Gods. It was spectacular. I was surrounded by a labyrinth of massive buttes and delicate spires towering a thousand feet above the desert floor. Idling the CT 4 stroke, I quietly descended directly over "The Hub", into the Navajo's sacred valley. I looked for and finally saw the face of the rain god that nature had painted on the west facing Mesa. After a couple of big circles below 250 feet, I turned North flying past Camel and Elephant Buttes until reaching the West Mitten where I climbed to 500 ft and turned back towards the airstrip. My “Epic Flight” was in the bag.

Early Saturday evening we met at Gouldings banquet room for a speech-free dinner after which the real party began. One of the larger Recreational Vehicles hosted a PPG film festival and in one of Gouldings luxury suits fondly referred to as the Bachelor Quarters a lively Texas Hold’m Tournament was held. Others went to the nightly campfire, where both expert and novice pilots told lies, shared memories and generally discussed our sport with some of powered paragliding’s best known authorities.

Monument Valley 2008 from Ultra Flight Magazine

2009-02-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Recap of 2008 Gathering

from Dec. Ultraflight Magazine

The terrain was a labyrinth of massive buttes

and delicate spires towering a thousand feet

above the desert floor.

The first “Gathering at Monument Valley” was held last September at Gouldings Lodge and Trading Post near the border of Utah and Arizona, altitude 5500 ft. ASL. It’s a long way to go, the accommodations are limited to R.V’s and tent camping, and, it’s only flyable during the first and last hours of daylight. Not exactly the elements that draw a big crowd but despite that, turnout was excellent. In the group of 30 were several of the sport’s most recognizable pilots including filmmakers, instructors and other assorted characters, hailing from as far away as New York and San Diego.

Gouldings Lodge proved to be an excellent site, with all the necessities, including restaurant, grocery, and a well appointed campground with an indoor swimming pool.

During the non-flyable hours Gouldings provided jeep tours into Monument Park which allowed the pilots an opportunity to explore the park from the ground and to plan their next flight. It is also the trailhead for several fabulous hikes to hidden box canyons and spectacular vistas.
Unlike most fly-in’s where you can roll out of bed and climb right into your paramotor, the LZ was three fourths of a mile below the campground. We used Goulding’s 3500 foot airstrip and for the most part it worked out nicely. Some of the pilots left trailers at the airstrip others drove down and were ready to go. The runway apron was sufficient to launch in any direction and the trike pilots really enjoyed the luxury of the long gently sloping runway. This airstrip also services tourist flights to the Monument Park and nearby Lake Powell, conveniently they didn’t begin until 9:30am after most of us had landed and were gone before the evening flights began.
Friday evening we discovered that Flying Monument Valley has its own unique set of challenges. The airstrip at Gouldings is sheltered by 900 foot buttes on the south and west side. That evening the wind was light and from the west so the majority launched toward the western butte and then turned east, staying low to avoid any turbulence from the top. It was a picture book flight, as the breeze dropped to zero I flew south and watched as a couple of pilots made low level passes over the southern butte. Later after sharing a “potluck BBQ” we sat around the campfire we were entertained with their experience of going from 20 ft. AGL to 920 ft. AGL in the blink of an eye.

Everyone agreed that while the terrain was rugged there were plenty of places to make an emergency landing, provided you had some altitude. There are jeep trails and tourist roads throughout the park. It’s very likely, that if you were forced down, it would be a short walk to where you could be picked up by one of the tourist rides. However while this is true for the morning flight, anybody finding themselves down in the park at sunset, had better be equipped with a cell phone and gps or else be prepared to spend the night. The most rugged terrain were the areas near the base of the monoliths which were marked by steep slopes covered with scree and deep arroyos. Unfortunately, for many these were also the most attractive places to fly. The consensus was that unless the conditions were perfect, it was best to stay high or at the very least, keep to the weather side of the rocks and bear in mind that the weather side of this monolith is also the lee side of that big rock up wind !

Saturday morning provided the best flying and most of us were at the field by 6:30am. The winds were light on the surface and 8 to10 aloft. Heading northeast, I flew toward Eagle Rock and circled around it to Brighams Tomb and Bear and Rabbit Summit. Flying level with the top of the buttes I started to feel the bumps from mile away so I climbed 300 feet to smoother air. I had wanted to get a trophy picture of my shadow against the face of one of the buttes but decided to make do with shots from above rather than risk the turbulence below. The ride home was smooth and fast and checking my tank I wished I’d stayed in the park longer. When I got back I stayed high and enjoyed the view, it reminded me of a dozen of butterflies playing in a rock garden.

The most satisfying aspect of the event was watching the veterans return from a flight. Pilots with hundreds of flights would land after a long cross country. I’d watch them gather up their wing and swagger back to the staging area. Only, instead an “Ah Shucks Ma’am” look on their face was more like the look of a beginning pilot after their first flight, grinning from ear to ear, totally amazed at what they had just experienced.