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FAQ
What is the rating requirement?
H3/P3 is strongly suggested at the site. A mentoring program for H2/P2 pilots is
also available. For more information go here.
Are visitors welcome at the site?
Absolutely!! Visiting pilots make up the majority of users at this site.
This is a public site and sits entirely on public land. No club or
individual has preferential existence here. Come up, make yourself at
home, and have fun.
Where is Hat Creek Rim located?
Hat Creek Rim is located in
Northern California,
about 50 miles east of Redding. A GPS profile can be seen
and downloaded here.
What is the best time of the year to fly Hat Creek?
April, May, June, July, August, and September are statistically the best
months to visit the site. The site can produce soaring flights anytime
(and sled rides most any day),
but at the peak of the summer season the site is the most consistent (continuous days of good soaring conditions are routine)! Hat Creek Rim can provide the most energetic
cross-country pilot a place to speck-out and go far or for the rest of us a
place to ride pleasurable late-afternoon winds over very dramatic scenery.
What is the elevation at Hat Creek Rim?
The elevations at the site vary from 5,100 to 3,484 feet above sea level,
a complete list of the elevations can be found here
(third column from the left).
All elevations are in feet above sea level
Can I camp and have a campfire while visiting the area?
Undeveloped camping is permitted
in most of the Lassen National Forest (there are also
developed campgrounds and RV
parks in the area). Campfires are seasonal and can be very dangerous when the
forest dries out. Current fire conditions and particulars can be found
here.
What services are closest to the flying site?
Fireside Village (store and restaurant) and Hereford Ranch (camping and
R/V park) are located within 7-miles of the Main Launch. They are both
along the access road and can be seen here on the site map.
For a broader range of services in the area,
click here.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
Follow this link to our club contacts
and volunteers. Please don't hesitate to use this resource, we will be
more than happy to help.
Is there a fee required to fly the site?
Not a mandatory fee. A $10.00 donation to help cover the annual
operating costs is strongly recommended. More info can be found here.
Can I safely fly the site the first time without an experienced Rim pilot to assist
me?
That depends on your experience! Hat Creek Rim is a very straightforward
site; it has a bail-out LZ (#1LZ) directly below the
Main Launch and below the south ridge
(Buttonhook LZ). The
most used LZ (#2) is a
7.1 to 1 glide from the main launch, easily reachable by altitudes normally
reached above launch. The
site also has fairly consistent characteristics in the summer;- mellow mornings,
intense afternoon lift and surface turbulence and a late afternoon and evening
glass-off. Never fly the site alone and
always use an experienced launch assistant. More site particulars can be found
here. If you would prefer to have an
experienced pilot along, feel free to contact
these club members about their
availability.
Why do the
site improvement pictures start in 2004?
Well, prior to that date we didn't have to justify our work at the site.
In 2003, a disgruntled local pilot wrongly promised a Chico-based hang gliding
club the Use Permit. Since that time we've been demonized, criticized,
lied about, and misrepresented by members of this Chico-based club. If we
hadn't started documenting our work, work by us that originates back to the mid
1970s, some unscrupulous individuals would be claiming they were the ones who
had done all the major improvements at the site. This is sad but true.
Who is responsible to maintain Hat Creek Rim?
The ' Shasta Sky Sailors' Hat Creek Committee'. The committee is
made up from
members of the Shasta Sky Sailors.
The
site started operating under that Use Permit in 1996. Since then we've been financially responsible to keep windsocks in all LZs (we were doing
this long before it was required), keep a toilet at the Main Launch, keep the
site maintained and clean and repair damage caused by careless pilots. In
2010 the Forest Service required site insurance and an operating plan. To date,
your permit holders have spent thousands of dollars improving and
maintaining the site. You can request a current copy of the Special Use
Permit by contacting;
Hat Creek Ranger District, Lassen National Forest
PO Box 220, 43225 Hwy. 299 East
Fall River Mills, California 96028
Phone (530) 336-5521
FAX (530) 336-5758
Or, you can view a copy by clicking
here. Requires .
How can I help?
First and foremost, continue to use the site safely and respect other users
and the site.
It's our obligation to know the rules and regulations of the site and to respect
the wishes of private landowners by avoiding ALL private property while visiting
the Rim. Before you fly Hat Creek Rim have your current helmet sticker
and all paperwork complete.
Hat Creek Rim policies and practices-FAQ
Why is there a Use Permit at Hat Creek Rim?
In 1996, the Forest Service decided a Use Permit was needed at the site.
Their reason then, at least as they explained it to us, was primarily sanitation
concerns at launch – there was a whole lot of shittin' going on and it wasn't
pretty or sanitary. The permit requires, among other things, that a toilet be
maintained at the main launch. We voluntarily keep a toilet in the most
used LZ, #2, to avoid sanitation issues there.
Hat Creek Rim is public land; "the Forest Service can't
require a Use Permit or insurance!"
Hat Creek Rim is indeed on Forest Service land – whether or not the
Forest Service has the right to require a Use Permit and insurance on public
land is a legal issue we couldn't afford to challenge even if we wanted to.
Rather than test their patience or authority we've opted to comply with their
requirements. We have set no precedents. We are not willing to risk the site
by defying the Forest Service requirements.
Why are the Shasta Sky Sailors involved with the site?
The Shasta Sky Sailors pioneered Hat Creek Rim in 1975 and have developed
the site since that time. Typically, those who've pioneered and developed a
flying site are those most likely to be involved with the future of that site.
We formed the Hat Creek Committee from within our club in the early 90's
specifically to deal with the continued development of Hat Creek Rim.
Why isn't the local pilot involved with the Use Permit?
The only local pilot at the site opted out of his involvement on the Use
Permit back in 2003. He quit after a vote by the committee to do
maintenance to the #3 LZ. Prior to that he was an active member of the Shasta Sky
Sailors and the Shasta Sky Sailors' Hat Creek Committee.
Why won't the Shasta Sky Sailors invite other clubs to
have members on the Hat Creek Committee?
First and foremost, the Shasta Sky Sailors formed the Hat Creek Committee
long before a Use Permit was ever required. The committee is an extension
of our club. It is also not the norm (or even heard of) that multiple
clubs, or the members of multiple clubs, manage a single flying site. We
all know what happens when there are too many cooks in the same kitchen.
Besides that, there's only only club insisting that they be involved at the site.
That Chico-based club has shown no sincere effort to work with us.
What do the Shasta Sky Sailors do at the site?
Besides complying with the binding requirements of the Forest Service Use
Permit, we also do an annual work party every Spring to repair vandalism, make
improvements, do maintenance, schedule toilet pumpings, and in general, insure
Hat Creek Rim is well maintained and ready for the coming flying season. If
pictures are worth a 1000 words, then go here
to see an example of what we've done for decades.
How does a club that is dispersed throughout Northern
California manage the flying site at Hat Creek?
The same way we've done it for over 3 decades. It would be a mistake to
compare distance with disconnected – we remain very connected to the site. The
current signer of the Use Permit and committee member, Mike Hunter, lives a
short distance away in Mt. Shasta. The Hat Creek Rim web site offers
unprecedented site and contact information – pilots today have greater access to
current information and site particulars than they ever had in the "old days".
Who are the members of the Hat Creek Committee?
Currently there are 4 members of the Shasta Sky Sailors (USHPA Chapter 57) on
the Hat Creek Committee. All 4 have extensive backgrounds in the development of
Hat Creek Rim. Two of the members have been involved with the site since it was
pioneered in 1975. Committee members are: Brian Bokkin, Mike Hunter, Jeff Wade
and Phil Sergent.
What's with the voluntary site protocol? As mentioned elsewhere in this web site, the United State Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) would normally require an insured site like Hat Creek Rim to enforce certain rules and regulations. Since Hat Creek Rim sits entirely on Forest Service land, those USHPA requirements can not be enforced. The Forest Service is appreciative of the best practices we proposed back when we thought we had to meet USHPA requirements at the site. So, in an effort to keep the insurance underwriters happy (remember, without insurance at Hat Creek Rim we would be violating the Use Permit and the site could shut down) we are asking the flying community to voluntarily comply with the site protocol. It's not a huge request or burden and it is a potential win-win for the Forest Service, the USHPA and the users at the site. Please consider following site protocol when using Hat Creek Rim.
The future of Hat Creek Rim with no Use Permit?
Follow this link...
Something to consider...
Look around you the next time you visit Hat Creek Rim. The
beautiful launch and setup area, the deluxe parking lot, new and improved roads
into the main LZs, cattle guards instead of gates, the clearing of the #3 LZ,
the creature comforts, web site, etc., are in large part due to the hard work of
one club - the Shasta Sky Sailors (the Redding paragliding club was also an
active and productive club before the club disbanded years ago). The site
also benefits greatly from our longstanding partnership with the Forest Service.
Nearby is an outstanding campground, store and café. The site is worth our
appreciation and respect. Please
support flying at Hat Creek Rim.
More FAQ's will be added as time allows... If you have a question you'd like to see answered here, feel free to send it to me at editor@hatcreek.info
