Torrey Pines Gliderport is an active soaring sites. It is a regulated site to ensure the safety of spectators, pilots and personal property so all may enjoy it. Use of the Gliderport is a privilege and not a right. The flight Director has the authority to enforce these rules per San Diego Municipal Code Section 63.02.32. Violation may result in revocation of flight privileges.

GENERAL RULES
1.This is a Gliderport. Only motorless, un-tethered flight is permitted.
2.Unauthorized spectators are not permitted in take off or landing areas or along the cliff edge.
3.Anyone under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants is prohibited from flying. No alcohol or intoxicating substances may be consumed prior to or while flying.
4.All flight operations will be litter free.
5.Flying is prohibited when the site is posted as being closed. When the black ball flag, smoke or flares are used to indicate an emergency, all aircraft in the air must land immediately.
6.There shall be no low altitude flying (less than 50ft) over the RC pit area, the launch area, or other pilots or spectators. There will be no flying within 100ft of any public, commercial or residential building.
7.Any accidents, incidents or disputes between pilots shall immediately be brought to the attention of the Flight Director.

ALL FLIGHT OPERATIONS
1.All pilots must be USHPA members and have in their possession while flying, their USHPA membership card or a temporary 30-day USHPA membership card issued by the Torrey Pines Gliderports shop.
2.All pilots must have all required waivers on file that is no more than 1-year old, show proof of rating and sign-in at the Flight Operations Center each day prior to flying.
3.Pilots must sign-in prior to flying.
4.Preflight your glider and harness and lock in. Due to the convenience of the launch this is easy to forget.
5.Helmet, whistle, and reserve parachute are required for all flights.
6.Immediately prior to launch, announce intended direction of launch to RC pilots, then sound your whistle loud and clear.
7.Only ONE glider in the window at a time.
8.You must blow your whistle loud and clear when entering the window.
9.No turning or loitering in the window - it is prioritized airspace for RC model use only.
10.Northbound glider has right of way.
11.Yield to the right.
12.Announce intended landings and sound whistle loud and clear prior to final approach.
13.Launch and land in designated areas only.
14.Gliders must be parked well clear of landing area.
15.When kiting your paraglider, please drop the glider to the ground when other gliders are on final approach.
16.Only safe landings will be tolerated. No low altitude approaches, no flying through the landing area.
17.No low altitude flying over spectators or car.
18.No flying over the RC model set up area.
19.Turns should be away from the cliffs.
20.Lower glider has the right of way.
21.Whistle must be carried by pilots at all time.
22.No alcohol or intoxicating substances prior to flying.
23.All tandem instructional flights must be cleared by the Flight Director.
24.No flight shall go above 1500ft from launch altitude (300ft above Mean Sea Level). Controlled airspace (Class B) begins at 1800ft MSL.

HANG GLIDER & PARAGLIDER OPERATIONS
1.All pilots must be USHPA members
2.Hang glider pilots must have an USHPA Advanced (H-4) or equivalent foreign rating at the least. Paraglider pilots must have an USHPA Intermediate (P-3) or equivalent foreign rating at the least. Intermediate rated Paraglider pilots must have at least 50 hours of air time, provable in the form of a log book. Tandem flights require a USHPA Tandem Rated pilot and permission of the Torrey Pines Gliderport Flight Director.
3.Preflight your glider and harness and lock in. Due to the convenience of the launch this is easy to forget.
4.Helmets, reserve chute and whistle are required on all flights.
5.The "Window" (See map for North and South Window boundary flags) extends from the beach upward with no altitude limits and East and West with no limits. It is primarily for Radio Controlled aircraft flying.
1.Only one Hang glider or Paraglider shall be in the Window at a time.
2.Fly straight through the Window. No turning or loitering while in the Window.
3.Sounding a whistle communicates your location to the RC pilots, other pilots and spectators. Sounding a whistle and announcing your intentions is for your safety and the avoidance of accidents.
6.Immediately prior to launch, announce your intended direction and sound your whistle loudly.
7.Prior to entering the Window announce your flight direction and sound your whistle loudly. Sound your whistle several times while transiting the Window.
8.Prior to landing, announce your intended landing and sound your whistle loudly.
9.Standard right-of-way rules apply:
1.Head-on: Stay to the right. Northbound glider has the right-of-way.
2.Converging: Glider on right has the right-of-way.
3.Overtaking: Pass on the Cliff side. Slower glider has the right-of-way.
4.On approach or landing: Lower glider has the right-of-way.
10.Launch and land only in designated areas.
11.No "touch and goes" or flying through the landing area.
12.Do not loiter, kite or park your glider in the launch or landing areas.
13.No flying or landing north of Bathtub Rock.
14.No flying or landing south of the Scripps Pier.
15.No landing south of the Access Road (horizons).
16.No intentional beach landings (sled rides) unless approved by the Flight Director.
17.All pilots must fly with cell phones and/or radios and notify the staff of emergency and/or non-intentional beach landings.
18.Pilots violating these policies may receive a citation and/or have their flight privileges suspended.

RADIO CONTROLLED MODELS OPERATIONS
1.Radio Control pilots must be AMA members. Before soloing each pilot must demonstrate their ability to safely fly their aircraft to the Flight Director or his designated representative.
2.Beginning pilots are permitted to fly only with the assistance of an experienced pilot.
3.Radio Controlled aircraft must be operated in accordance with the AMA safety codes. An experienced pilot must check new aircraft before they're first flight.
4.All transmitters must meet current FCC and AMA guidelines.
5.Only Torrey Pines Flight Authorization Cards are allowed on the frequency board (one card per frequency, the transmitter being turned on only while the card is posted on a proper frequency). Limit flight time to 15 minutes if another pilot requests your frequency.
6.Radio Controlled Sailplanes may be flown anywhere along the cliff, but have primary use of the Window area. Always keep "Blue Sky" between your aircraft and all other aircraft. Listen for whistles from Hang gliders / Paragliders. Give man-carrying aircraft the right-of-way. Do not fly at or near man-carrying aircraft.
7.All RC pilots must have a spotter/observer to monitor and inform the pilot regarding air traffic during full-scale glider operations. During times of heavy Hang glider / Paraglider operations the Flight Director may require RC pilots to have a spotter/observer. The requirement for having a spotter/observer must be conspicuously posted near the RC frequency board.
8.When there are pilots (or spectators) near the cliff edge, all launches must be from the cliff edge except for test glides or hi-start/winch launches remote from the RC pit area. RC pilots shall fly their aircraft from a position where they can observe the Hang glider launching area, except when landing their aircraft in the eastern RC landing area. Hi-start/winch launches must be coordinated with other flight operations.
9.RC models will NOT be launched or flown from any other location within two miles of the Torrey Pines Gliderport. This includes the UCSD Biological Reserve and North Face.

FULL-SCALE SAILPLANE OPERATIONS
1.Gliders will be operated according to the rules prescribed in the Torrey Pines Flight Manual. A copy of this document is o n file with the Flight Director. Sailplanes always operate with a designated Flight Leader.
2.Hold daily pilots meetings to identify and establish user group contacts and communications techniques between all user groups when full-scale operations are in effect.
3.The runway and flight operations areas shall be cordoned off from the public during all flight operations.
4.Prior to launching, a flag near the winch will be waved and the horn on the winch will be sounded. Both signals will continue until the aircraft is released from the cable.
5.Standard ridge right-of-way rules apply:
1.Head-on: Stay to the right. Northbound glider has the right-of-way.
2.Converging: Glider on right has the right-of-way.
3.Overtaking: Pass on the Cliff side. Slower glider has the right-of-way.
4.On approach or landing: Lower glider has the right-of-way.
6.Light wind landings will be a left-hand pattern from the north to a down wind final from over the ocean. The high wind-landing pattern will be a standard downwind, base and final into the wind.
7.Aircraft will signal their entry into the landing pattern by rocking the wings several times on the north bound pass. The flag will be raised and the horn will be sounded as on launch to indicate a landing aircraft.

There are rules in that list that are broken almost every day ... and by the Torrey Pines staff!!!

Many of these rules also remind me of the old national 55mph speed limit. It was so universally disregarded, that it became a license for police officers to stop anyone they wanted ... since virtually everyone was breaking the law.

Is the shown set of rules a copy of some "official" rule set?
One place:
http://sandiegofreeflight.com/jm170/ind ... site-rules
But is that the legal copy?
Has a copy of the rule set ever shown in a legal case? In an incident's formal discussion in the chambers of the San Diego City Council?
Probably old matter, ...sorry..., but some textual illogical statements stand out, e.g.,

But I am sure RC and sailplane people are not intended for that remark; but the rule set in this thread entails that FOR ALL flight operations, a membership in a private corporation (or 30-day pass) is needed; that in the text moves RC and sailplane users to that same private corporation ... in a public park gliderport.

The rules seem to apply to the use of particular lands for takeoff. A sailplane or hang glider coming into the subject airspace without taking off of the particular gliderport lands would not have to join a private hang glider corporation to fly in the airspace, I am guessing. The exact land for takeoff for the rules is probably on a map; such land parcels have boundaries.

Has the FAA published the airspace rules that are implied in the airspace-use parts of the shown rule set? Remote takeoff incoming gliders of any sort may not know of the constraints by the concession's Flight Director, if such matter is not on the sectionals.

Are the reports to the Flight Director of the concession public record? Should they be? Log of incidents? Internet view?

How tight is The Flight Director with the for-profit doings? Seems like a severe conflict of interest package if the office of Flight Director is in bed with the selling of goods. Sorry for not being aware of these old nuances...

Two kinds of paragliders: airframed with short tether line(s) is one; the other is canopy unairframed with many very long lines (gliding kite parachute). Both types of paragliders are types of hang gliders. One type can wad up with ordinary windfield helicities and fall without effective wing (a wad is not very effective for flight); the other keeps its wing without wadding.

Why not file one's airframed hang glider as a sailplane and forget the USHPA and the concessionaire; launch outside the concessionaire's land (I am still not yet knowing where the concessionary land authority is and is not? Does the land involve the sailplane runway?

I can tell you that the runway is partially on UCSD property, it is a lot of trouble to get UCSD to agree to allow sailplanes to use it. The lessee has governance over a swath of the land that I believe includes parking areas north of the launch/landing, as well as the buildings and containers on the site. They don't actually lease the property, it is a city park. They have some control over the operations, mainly for safety and administrative reasons. The lessee is resposible for the liability insurance, which is pretty steep. According to Bob, they are currently on a month to month lease using verbage from the latest lease which expired a few years ago.

Thanks, Jacmac.
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The rules lead with:
Only motorless, un-tethered flight is permitted.

I see wings tethered to humans at the site. And those wings are flying. Some of the wings are tethered with one tether line to the payload mass; other wings flying are using two tethers to the payload mass; others: four and up to 8 tethers to the payload. Then there are many gliding kites of the canoly unairframed wings that are using a very high count of kite tethers down to the falling payload mass (an aggregate of humans, harness, instruments, whistle, water, etc). Sometimes I see two humans in the payload tethered to wings of various sorts flying. Very few un-tethered flight machines are seen; most of the wings flying are tethered flight machines in gliding mode. So, the main leading rule is broken with nearly every flight that is occurring launched off the cliffs. Tethered flight seems to rule, not un-tethered flight. Indeed gliding kites (airframed or canopy-parachute) seem to be the only activity, save a few goats and sailplanes and the like.

The site rules apply to what land boundaries? I am still exploring that question.

WRE :: Wing-running experience

On the large gliderport land are found cars driving, people running with various amounts and shapes of clothes; some people carry umbrellas out their cars.
I am wondering if anyone would be against running with wings around the open spaces where cars seem to roam and people seem to walk and run.
Indeed, when people run, there are segments of some running styles where the person fully is out of contact with soil and are indeed flying through the air. It was once thought that running horses always had at least one hoof in contact with the ground; that was proven not correct by photography. I envision wing running at Torrey flats outside the flight-activity area. People are allowed to run with clothes on; just make those clothes with more and more area angled just right for a wing running experience WRE. People are often seen at parks around the world running with their arms stretched out in play-flying mode. Safe-Splat enhanced WR experiences could be a way to introduce people to hang gliders. Stumbling can be injurious; runners know this; wing runners know this. Carrying things while running can make the running experience more complicated (recalling mom telling me to carry the scissors pointing down; and walk with purpose when carrying them). Running with huge clothing that has sticks in the clothing (wing) invites planning, awareness of hazards, and mitigation of challenges. No more burden should be place on wing runners than on runners who are running tiny wings (clothing).

How high may a running-jumping person go before FAA kicks in? High jumpers fly to 7 ft and one to 8 ft. Pole vaulters launch and fly at 15 ft and even 19 ft AGL; and they wear mini-wings. What play may be done on the larger property of the Torrey lands? And don't force a runner to join the USHPA, please. Car drivers and parkers on the land do not have to join some private corporation. Part of the current obese USA might consider WRE for burning calories.

So, where in the large park may people run and run with various play wings?
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