“ The point of the mountain is so special, the way it just naturally formed so it kind of juts out into the valley and makes it so that the wind blows up from the south, and it also blows up from the north, and you can fly almost every day.” –Hang-Glider Rachel Gunther
Never heard of this Flight Park State Recreation Area in Utah until it is unique properties that make it ideal for paragliding and hang gliding came into jeopardy. FOX13 reports new1,000 acre community development just below the park could foul the air and make for a difficult landing for fliers. The developer and the flight community are working well together to find a solution, conducting a wind study and making changes to the development plan. Let’s hope the meet an equitable compromise as this is a super rad thing and it’d be a shame if it got screwed up by suburban sprawl.
Preserve Utah’s World-Renowned Flight Park, Point of the Mountain – South Side.
Please take a moment to ensure the continued viability of your public lands for their intended purpose: “The mission of Flight Park State Recreation Area is to provide a safe environment for a variety of air and land-based recreation opportunities and to serve as a hub for the local gliding community.”
A proposed development consisting of 3- and 4-story condos, townhouses, and commercial buildings has the potential to impact the safety of pilots by disrupting the historically-smooth air in the landing zone, training hill, and flying areas.
Fluid dynamics simulations of the proposed development must be conducted, prior to construction, to legitimize or alleviate concerns regarding the impact to public health and safety. We would like to accomplish this with a wind study produced by an independent 3rd party and professional firm, 1 wind speed and 3 directions.
WE ARE REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR PUT A HALT ON ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY DISRUPT THE COMMUNITY’S ABILITY TO USE THE PUBLIC LANDS FOR THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE, UNTIL THE WIND STUDY CAN BE COMPLETED AND THE RESULTS ANALYZED.