I first spotted this gliderport back in May 2022 while taking my Outback off-road. It was late in the day, so I made a mental note to come back for a ride — though it took me a lot longer than expected to follow through. I had planned to go over Christmas week 2023, but it rained most of that week, so here we are!

I signed up for a 10am flight and met my pilot, Zak. We inspected the glider together and rolled it out to the runway — they really do make you earn the ride! Then came the real challenge: getting into the cockpit. There’s not much to grab onto, just a small peg to step on while you swing yourself in. That wasn’t working for me. Zak fetched a small step ladder, held the nose down, and I did my best to wedge myself into the seat. I never quite got seated properly, and as you can see in the photos, my knees ended up on the instrument panel.

I had booked the longest flight on offer and opted to head toward Palomar Mountain — a longer, higher tow than the alternative, which follows the ridge overlooking the Anza-Borrego Desert. You can see the full path we flew and our elevation changes in the Gaia app screenshots I captured during the flight. There’s also some overlap with my old off-road route, and several shots of the Palomar trail taken from the air.

Once airborne, you’re actually allowed to take the controls and even land the glider yourself — pretty amazing. My plan was mostly to shoot photos and soak it all in, but the way I was wedged in made working the controls difficult. I had expected us to cover more ground than we did, so the long flight got a touch slow at times, and visibility for shooting wasn’t always ideal. Next time I’ll try the ridge route, fly the sleeker modern sailplane, and hopefully actually get to pilot it properly. They even offer an aerobatic flight — I’m not quite sure I’m ready for that one!