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Shaw Butte
Description
Location: Metropolitan Phoenix
Usage: HPRF
Season: All year. Reduced use during summer due to heat and turbulence.
Requirements: Hang 3. Key to gate. Arizona Public Service safety course. Visitors will need AHGA membership after three flights. Sign in at steel lock-box at launch. USHGA membership required for all pilots.
Records: XC: Hans Heydrich, 153 miles.
Affiliation: Arizona Hang Glider Association
Radio info: Standard USHGA business band frequencies. 2M Amateur on 146.440 and 146.550 with 162.2 Hz squelch tone. CTCSS squelch. Local weather info on 162.550 MHz.
Land ownership: Road to launch is maintained by Arizona Public Service. Site and LZ are in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
Other use: Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding.
Emergency: Several nearby hospitals.
Maintenance: Arizona Hang Glider Association
Launching
Launches: Three at 2,100' ASL.
Winds: SW (2) and SE (1).
Driving directions: Meet with other pilots at LZ (see below). Drive up or down only during daylight hours. 5 MPH speed limit.
Road conditions: 4WD only, locked gate at main entrance.
Parking: Space for about 10 vehicles along road and at top.
Facilities: None.
Setup area: 15 gliders max.
Hazards: 20 KV marked power lines. Several 150' tall radio towers. Dangerous boulders below all launches. Unsafe for winds below 5 MPH or above 20 MPH.
Flying
Type of flying: Ridge soaring and thermaling. Usual house thermal over pad to South of launch. XC routes typically in NE direction.
Restrictions: Heavily-used airspace with three nearby airports, including Sky Harbor. 4,000' ASL limit over the butte.
Hazards: Same as launch hazards. Keep eyes open for low-flying airplanes, helicopters, hot-air balloons, and blimps.
Landing
Landing zones: Large, sloped retention basin along foot of mountain in N-S direction. Avoid landing down slope (towards SW). Alternate, smaller 100' by 150' pad on West side of ravine (North Pad) to be used with West or no winds only. Break-down area next to parking lot fence.
Driving directions: From Black Cayon Freeway (I-17) take Peoria exit East. Follow to end at 7th Ave., take left and follow to trailhead parking area.
Road conditions: Paved road and parking area.
Parking: 30-49 vehicles shared with other park users.
Facilities: None, but many shops nearby.
Hazards: Power lines next to homes, ravine between both LZs, several Palo Verde trees. Very turbulent between May and August. Some sharp rocks and a few solid trail markers that won't bend.
Restrictions: Don't land on golf course just North of Thunderbird Road.
Contacts
Contact Dave Smith or Jerry Dalen or any AHGA official for more info.
3 comments
Shaw Butte is a P3 rated site due to:
- LZ is not visible from the launch
- No good back up or bail out landing areas
- Rugged and unforgiving terrain everywhere
- Launch is sloped, rocky and small with a substantial drop off (cliff launch)
- Not recommended for light wind launches
- Power lines east of launch running down the mountain to the south
- Large antennas behind launch
- Not much, if any, room for error
A few good rules to follow:
1. Gear up and pre-flight in the parking area, not on launch.
2. Get a thorough site briefing from an experienced AHGA pilot who knows the site well.
3. Don't go too far west in light conditions, getting low out there gives you less than ideal landing options.
4. If you find yourself getting lower than the launch, fly away from the hill towards cloud 9 and hope to find a thermal friend.
5. If the winds are more south, you can get up high enough to cross the power lines and soar the east ridge that faces more south.
6. In southwest or more westerly winds, if you get up high, you can cross the gap over to North Mountain and soar there.
Feel free to add the things you've learned and would like other pilots to know about.
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