RFP Watch for Torrey Pines Lease

Bill Cummings · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:33 am

Here is a bid for the Torrey Pines Launch. How about have it codified into law that the area is a designated State flight park for all time like they did at Point of the Mountain Utah.
Bulldoze the restaurant and school, allow no concession or storage other than a sailplane stationary winch and some toilet facilities. No fees to fly, no money allowed to change hands, and no paid instruction allowed. (go somewhere else for that.)

JoeF · **Joined:** Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:41 pm **Posts:** 4569

Discussion is going on at OZ with some redirect to here. OZ is closed/private. Here is open/public.
=========================================================
Andrew Vanis posted a note that suggests the idea that USHPA take on the venture.

In similar light, any non-profit corporation might venture in. We are not yet incorporated at US Hawks.

With Bill C. clean-slate idea, perhaps have inland an office.
Public State Flight Park ... without concessionaire.

Parks now permit people to run, jump, skate, tumble, fly kites, drive cars, ...
http://www.energykitesystems.net/HangGl ... GFS001.jpg

Note:

Enter airspace from remote launching.
Enter airspace from ocean platforms.
Enter airspace off concession-controlled grass area.
Enter airspace via ___________________________.
:arrow:

http://www.energykitesystems.net/HangGl ... index.html
==========================
Torrey Pines Hang Gliding Flight Site (TPHGFS)
DOES ANYONE recognize for sure one or more of the shown hang gliders:

======================
:idea:

Warm-up and check-self mound at TPHGFS where Safe-Splat may be practiced:

To wise city-state governing community wrote:

Let the people play! They work all week for our nation, state, city;
let them run with their wings at Torrey Pines State Flight Park!

SamKellner · **Posted:** Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:12 pm

JoeF wrote:

[Discussion is going on at OZ with some redirect to here. OZ is closed/private. Here is open/public.
=========================================================
Andrew Vanis posted a note that suggests the idea that USHPA take on the venture.

Hi #5, Hawks,

I commented in that thread. It seems to me that the Torrey site situation is a lot better than it was just a few years ago, and I've read Reg3 pilots say much better now. We know why. Not better because of USHPA, but in spite of USHPA.
USHPA moving in and taking over, what have they done to deserve TPGP :?:

Please, everyone, don't get the wrong idea. I wish the best for Torrey, however it turns out.

:wave:

Sam

Bob Kuczewski · **Posted:** Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:45 pm

billcummings wrote:

Here is a bid for the Torrey Pines Launch. How about have it codified into law that the area is a designated State flight park for all time like they did at Point of the Mountain Utah.

Great idea. We are fortunate that the old sailplane runway was added to the State Register of Historic Places (at least I think that's the designation off the top of my head). I think that does cover the Gliderport (to some extent), but the idea of honoring the historic aspects of hang gliding there is a great idea. Since the Newport Beach historic connection went so well, maybe we could leverage that to get San Diego to honor its role in the history of hang gliding.

billcummings wrote:

Bulldoze the restaurant and school, allow no concession or storage other than a sailplane stationary winch and some toilet facilities. No fees to fly, no money allowed to change hands, and no paid instruction allowed. (go somewhere else for that.)

I would be happy with that. But I'm not against individual instructors teaching and offering tandems either. Other club sites (like Sylmar and Crestline) allow instruction by anyone with proper credentials, and they haven't had any serious problems that I'm aware of. But there should be no ONE concessionaire who can decide who flys or who instructs and who doesn't. That's when the corruption and cronyism takes over.

I'd like to know what kinds of tandem and instruction arrangements have worked at other sites. How do your New Mexico sites handle those issues Bill?

JoeF · **Joined:** Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:41 pm **Posts:** 4569

Quote:

BobK wrote: "San Diego to honor its role in the history of hang gliding wrote: "

San Diego has a rich investment in Waldo Waterman. A major book by him is in the San Diego libraries. In his hang glider flight in San Diego he claims to have been the first aviator in the city of San Diego. He was a funding member of Self-Soar Association. Torrey Hang Gliding is a natural branch of the city's investment in hang gliding. His first flying was on a self-built Chanute biplane hang glider from plans in a magazine that copied the plans that were first in Fly. He fast moved out of what he called "Waldo power" to engines for thrust; but he would in the early 1970s revisit his first flying via the management of the construction of a replica by Seagull Aircraft by Mike Riggs and Bob Keeler. We all rented from Waldo in one of his Santa Monica buildings. Finally, he got to see many of us fly the replica; he flew again through us. Waterman-Seagull Flyer.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ralphcooper/biowater.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_Waterman

http://home.comcast.net/~jerrycy/PMGlid ... Bates.html THIS PAGE HAS one of the 1970s Waterman replicas; I am not clear if the shown is Seagull's or not. [ :?:

]

Bill Cummings · **Posted:** Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:17 pm

Quote bobk----
“I'd like to know what kinds of tandem and instruction arrangements have worked at other sites. How do your New Mexico sites handle those issues Bill?”

Our areas local PG/PPG instructor Hadley Robinson of El Paso, TX has just recently found a very rounded and safe Southwest facing launch site. The site works good for PG flights :thumbup:

but due to a short carry up and restricted landing area is not a place that I would go to at age 64 (today) for hang gliding. :thumbdown:

Seem to be fine for paragliding. :thumbup:

The launch is on BLM land so there are no restrictions at this launch other than the usual considerations of, not taking vehicles off existing roads, and avoiding trespassing on adjacent private lands. :shifty:

At our Dry Canyon 7000’ msl launch the land is Nation Forest and would require a commercial permit from the Forest Rangers office to do instruction. This has not been done to date to my knowledge.

Due to encroaching desert vegetation landing areas in the Southern New Mexico area are difficult to find. We have far more H3/P3 sites and above than we have H1/P1 sites. It’s tougher to get started in the sport in our area for hang gliding. :thumbdown:

Not as hard getting started in paragliding. :thumbup:

Bob Kuczewski · **Posted:** Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:57 am

In the interests of competition and participation, I've posted this announcement in the USHPA classified section:

Quote:

Business Opportunity at Torrey Pines: Discuss at http://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1206 or call me directly at 858-204-7499 ... any time. Bob Kuczewski (4/24/2013)

It was posted in the "Miscellaneous" category at http://www.ushpa.aero/classified_index.asp (click on Miscellaneous when you get there).

Bob Kuczewski · **Posted:** Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:15 pm

Update: I just sent this message to the Torrey Hawks membership list:

Quote:

Hello Fellow Hawks,

I was down at City Hall last week and got word that the City of San Diego may be issuing a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the Torrey Pines Gliderport in the very near future. It would certainly be in the best interests of hang gliding to have a different management organization at Torrey Pines than we've had over the past 15 years.

So if there are any instructors, tandem instructors, or school operators (or anyone else) who would like to participate, please begin to think about forming teams to bid on this proposal. I may or may not be personally involved in any particular proposal, but I will do my best to disseminate information so we can get as much participation by the pilot community as possible. In that regard, I'll be continually updating our forum topic at:

     viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1206

I'll try to post new information as I get it.

Also, our club's annual election will be held at our regular "Second Sunday" fly-in / meeting on October 13th at Torrey
Pines. Anyone interested in running should contact me by October 6th, so I'll have a week to let everyone know who's running. Our current officers are:

     President (currently Brian McMahon)
     Vice President (currently David Beardslee)
     Secretary (currently Bob Kuczewski)

Thanks again for your membership in the Torrey Hawks. Please call or write any time.

Bob Kuczewski
Secretary - Torrey Hawks Hang Gliding Club
bob@ushawks.org
bobkuczewski@gmail.com
858-204-7499

Bob Kuczewski · **Posted:** Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:22 pm

I recently got some information that the RFP for the Torrey Pines Gliderport might be out as early as January of 2014.

Now is the time to start thinking about building teams to bid on the concession. Here's the message that I just sent to the Torrey Hawks and a few other interested parties:

Quote:

Hello Fellow Torrey Hawks!!!

I'm writing to let you know that I've recently been informed that the Torrey Pines Gliderport RFP (Request for Proposals) will be released in the coming year - maybe as early as mid January.

The Gliderport has been leased to the current concessionaire for the past 15 years with no chance for any competitors, so this will be a monumental opportunity for anyone interested in participating in the operation of that facility.

It's estimated that the income to the concessionaire (after all expenses) is somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 per year. That makes the Gliderport one of the most lucrative opportunities in hang gliding.

The purpose of this email is to try to get as many qualified pilots as possible involved in the bidding process so we can have the best team of people operating that facility over the next 10 or 15 years. I am sure that the current concessionaire would like the RFP to go unnoticed so that he ends up submitting the only bid. I hope the pilot community won't let that happen.

If you have any interest in participating in any way, now is the time to start discussions with anyone you might want to team up with. When the RFP comes out, there will be a limited amount of time (30 days? 60 days?) for teams to put proposals together and submit them. So NOW is the time to start making plans. If you're not sure how you can participate, please feel free to call me (858-204-7499). I am not sure if I will be participating in the bidding myself, but I am certainly committed to helping any of our members who are interested. I'll be updating this topic from earlier in 2013 at:

http://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1206

Please spread the word to all of your flying friends and please post this information to your local and national web sites.

Thanks as always for your membership in the Torrey Hawks!!

Sincerely,
Bob Kuczewski - Club Secretary, Torrey Hawks

P.S. This Sunday (December 8th, 2013) will be our regular club meeting and fly-in. Please come fly with the Hawks if you can. : )

majiemae · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:14 am **Posts:** 187

Let's hope the forum doubles in grown with the sending of that email. Even as a non-pilot, I can see the benefit of being part of a strong forum.

Let's hope this RFP will bring about good, positive changes for all pilots who fly at the Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Good luck!

Margie

RFP Watch for Torrey Pines Lease

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