Flying detail
Access & launch
Mount Caburn is a south to south-west site; you can launch in winds anywhere between SSE and SW. The main launch is at the top of the 'dome' — the optimum runway can be rather narrow due to the rounded hill, so help keep it clear. Do not ground-handle or launch from below the earthworks on top, as the site has vulnerable ground-nesting birds, rare insects and plants. Launching from the ridge to the west (shaded on the map) is at the discretion of the resident school (Airworks). The western ridge is not available for commercial use by any other operator and no other school may teach on it; it is less windy, with less complex airflow than the top.
Car-park gate — the SHGC car-park gate has a combination padlock and must be kept SHUT AND LOCKED at all times. The code is circulated to members via the email address on your membership account (keep it up to date), and must never be given to non-members.
Landing
Top landings — best made on the very top of the 'dome', or on top of the ridge running west from take-off. Beware getting blown back in the venturi in the bowl immediately west of the dome; there is a barbed-wire fence along the length of the ridge and another running diagonally down the side of this bowl — be very careful not to drift into the rotor behind this ridge.
Bottom landing — the bottom-landing field is on the south side of the lane, level with the south-east shoulder you walk up. (Airworks' landing field to the south-west is not part of the SHGC site and should only be used in an emergency; in strong winds a safer emergency landing may be the small field below the western bowl. If you are obliged to land in Airworks' LZ in strong wind the cleanest air is usually on the spur running down from the main peak towards the cottages.) You may also slope-land on the ridge to the west (shaded on the map).
Agreed slope-landing points — the front face of the hill is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest): do not slope-land on it, or anywhere on the main hill other than the four agreed points: central on the hill, about 50 m above the trees separating the slope and main landing field (for when you cannot cross the trees); beside the lower stile into the training field; by the corner of the woodland just above the cottages to the east; and the west face of the main peak.
Hazards & obstacles
Other users — the site is popular with the public. Aeromodellers occasionally use it (relations are generally good); if modellers are flying, have a polite word to ensure zero collision risk. (Their flying is controlled by the A.N.O. (Air Navigation Order) – the same law that regulates our activity.)
Geographical — the earthworks encircling take-off can catch out anyone who sits down or goes prone too early, or who gets dragged back. A wooded quarry to the south-east limits use in easterlies. There is a concreted wood-and-metal bench at the top, a fence out of sight but not far behind launch, and a fence along the top of the western ridge (beware being dragged back into it in wind). A river forms part of the southern border of the landing field and an electrified main railway line the rest; the landing field is beyond tall trees, so cross them safely or use the agreed emergency zones — do not barge through the treetops. The landing zone has steep-sided drainage ditches that have broken several pilots' ankles (better to land crosswind or even downwind than risk them); wooden-poled power lines cross its western end; there is a swamp at the north-west corner; cattle are usually in both take-off and landing areas; and the field is waterlogged for most of the winter.
Airflow
The wind can often be as strong in the landing field as at take-off. Severe rotor can occur behind the western ridge — do not fly behind the fence line without ample height to glide clear; if you find yourself pinned, drifting left to behind the main hill is preferable. A south-westerly tends to accelerate around the south and east sides of Caburn — beware being blown into the wooded quarry, or back over the trees and buildings on landing. A south or south-easterly can make it difficult to cross the trees to the landing area, so keep good height or turn back and slope-land. Wind with an easterly component can generate severe turbulence from the wooded quarry. The wind direction is frequently different at the top and the bottom landing field — check carefully before a final approach; if you cannot determine it, the safest option is to get close to the trees then turn due south to land, keeping clear of the river. When easterlies are present, convergence can occur over the landing field with consequent 180° wind shifts.
Exact launch
- Launch GPS
- 50.86153, 0.05097
Members also see the gate / padlock code (where a site has one), the Safety Officer’s contact, and the downloadable guide (PDF). Member sign-in · Join the club