POM North Side Rules​

Attention all users! POM North Side is Utah's most popular ridge soaring site for hang gliders and paragliders. Both the lower and upper benches are subject to heavy use by pilots of all skill levels, including students and tandems. Visiting and first-time pilots should familiarize themselves with the known hazards and site sensitivities described in this guide. As pilot-in-command, you alone are responsible for assessing your fitness for flight, the airworthiness of your glider and equipment, the suitability of the current conditions for launch and recovery, and for continuously monitoring glider position and performance to ensure a safe landing at an approved landing zone. If in doubt, do not launch.

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• No pilot should fly at this site who is not a current USHPA and UHGPGA member holding the minimum USHPA ratings and skills indicated unless under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor or observer.

• Follow all posted Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation regulations.

• Motorized aircraft are prohibited.

• Wear a helmet any time you are attached to a glider.

• Kiting in or upwind of the hang glider landing area is prohibited.

• Immediately before launching, clear traffic and yell “Clear” or “Launching.”

• Adhere to standard Ridge Rules and thermaling right-of-way procedures.

• Apply the 15/15 Rule:​ If 15 pilots are flying in the traffic pattern along the front ridge, wait for one to land or fly away before taking off into the pattern. If you have been flying 15 minutes and are in the pattern with pilots waiting to fly, land or fly away to give these pilots a turn to fly too.

• Do not perform aerobatics above residences or within 300 feet of the setup and launch areas.

• Paragliders landing in the green grass area must yield the right-of-way to bystanders.

• If crowds prevent landing in the green grass area, land in the hang glider landing area and exit the LZ promptly.

• Land before official sunset (FAR Part 103).

• Do not park in the red-curbed t-zone at the west end of the parking lot near the restrooms. Emergency vehicles need this turn-around area clear when exiting the parking lot.

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Incident Awareness and Response

• Fly with the Zello app open in the background and the UHGPGA channel live. Click here for app and channel. Announcements will be made over the channel, just like walkie talkie.

• While airborne, be alert for the lights or sirens of emergency vehicles below. They may be responding to a flight incident or accident in the park or its environs, including the Upper and Lower LZ or along your route of flight.

• The presence of emergency vehicles, smoke canister, and/or a car on launch with its lights on and alarm blaring requires you to land. A helicopter (or gust front) may be en route.

• If you see any of the 3 (above), and it is safe to do so, pull big ears as you descend; Multiple wings in big-ear configuration catches the eye of other pilots.

• Upon landing, secure wings as soon as possible.

• Familiarize yourself with alternate LZ’s away from the Flight Park. Consider scouting these LZ’s on an off day. Talk to an instructor about arranging a pre-planned off-site landing and retrieve at Steep Mountain Park, Wheadon Farm Park, or the South Mountain Golf Course.

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‘Benching Up’ and Staying Safe at the North Side​

• Watch this video of top tips for TOP LANDING at the North Side.

• Changes in wind direction, velocity and useful lift can be subtle and gradual—or pronounced and dramatic. Pay close attention to your glider’s performance throughout your flight. If in doubt, land before conditions exceed your limitations.

• Use extreme caution during certain times of the year and times of the day ( think October/ Sunset ) when it can be extremely difficult to spot traffic especially when flying toward the sun. This condition can make the site unsafe and un-flyable. Before launching, look toward the sun and imagine what it will be like to spot traffic. It is possible to assess the variable before takeoff. 

• The Point of the Mountain has a lot of tandem and student activity. There are also a high number of visiting pilots who may be flying the sites for the first time without a guide. Ask a local or an instructor how the traffic situation looks on a scale of 1-10. Traffic conditions can vary from (1) good for any qualified pilot to (10) a really bad idea. Locals and instructors can give you a really good idea whether or not the traffic situation looks good or if it’s a situation to avoid. 

• Strongly consider whether or not it is appropriate to fly from the takeoff to the upper ridge ( known as benching up ). Many of the pitfalls are already highlighted in the site guide but there has been a trend toward people flying to the upper ridge and transitioning behind the parking lot and/ or behind the houses when they are less than half way up the upper ridge. This area is characterized by predictable turbulence. On one hand it is smart to transition eastbound early during the process of benching up to avoid the strong winds toward the west end. Still, pilots should make sure that they are at least half way up the ridge and continuously climbing to avoid this turbulence. Pilots who find themselves low behind the parking lot or houses should turn back west bound early. We have had incidences of pilots taking big deflations in that area. Some have landed on roof tops and others have landed down wind on the side of the hill. Consult with a local pilot or an instructor to make sure that this makes sense to you. 

• Winds aloft will be stronger than surface winds at launch and can easily exceed safe limits for H2/P2 pilots. Loss of penetration and uncontrolled blowback are serious threats to pilots soaring near the ridge of Steep Mountain (the upper bench).

• Under conditions favorable for H2/P2 pilots, expect some difficulty climbing high enough to safely ‘bench up.’ Ironically, the harder you have to work to gain the altitude needed to transition to the upper bench, the safer conditions are likely to be once you get there.

• Paraglider pilots should not base launch or in-flight decisions on the perceived performance of speed-wings and mini-wings launching from the top of Steep Mountain.

• Brisk winds and buoyant conditions in front of the lower bench are an indication of

  1. a high likelihood of strong rotors at the base of Steep Mountain (between the parking lot and the hillside), and

  2. potential out-of-limit conditions at altitude in front of Steep Mountain. Consider remaining in the lower bench pattern rather than benching up.

• After a successful transition to the upper bench, and as you start your climb, remain within the upwind lift band well away from the face of Steep Mountain. At altitude, continuously test your ability to penetrate to the north away from the hillside. Until you gain experience, stay in front of the tallest portion of Steep Mountain rather than flying out to the shoulders.

• Steep Mountain produces dangerous rotors in the lee of the ridge line across its entire width. Do not cross the ridge line towards the south at any point, including the peak and shoulders. If you find yourself blown back and unable to penetrate back to the north,

1. do not attempt to top-land;

2. gain as much altitude as possible and fly west (towards the freeway);

3. fly south over the South Side and land in the open fields to the south of the South Side LZ.

• Midday conditions at the North Side demand technical flying and advanced skills. Midday launches should only be attempted by very experienced pilots and only from the upper bench.  Two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset are often the smoothest air for flying.
   

Maintain a healthy flying atmosphere

• Borrowing from the aviation/airshow community paradigm of "knock it off” club would like to educate the membership that a call to knock it off will come to mean that someone has identified an unhealthy flying atmosphere. This could stem from any number of things. It could be too many pilots fighting for lift, pilots launching in unsafe conditions, pilots flying too closely, pilots one upping each other. Pilots imitating other pilots maneuvers inappropriately. Pilots are to slowly and safely spread out and a portion of them should make a thoughtful landing to give the risk a moment to disperse. 
  
  For perspective, it is very common for pilots to start to see and feel an unhealthy flying atmosphere starting to unfold. Sadly they are often times not surprised when there is a subsequent near miss or other event. Our attempt is capitalize on the groups good sense and to empower the group to take early action to avoid a bad result. Please be ready to hear a call to knock it off and to help us by letting a dangerous moment pass without anything bad happening. 

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Click here to read the 2023 Safety Officer Message and Report!