Torrey Pines Gliderport, airport in San Diego, California, US
Torrey Pines Gliderport is a soaring facility perched on a coastal bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The airfield uses natural wind patterns and thermal currents rising from the cliffs to help gliders stay aloft for extended flights.
Soaring began at Torrey Pines in 1930, when Charles Lindbergh flew a Bowlus sailplane from Mt. Soledad to Del Mar. In 1936 Woody Brown launched from the cliff top and landed back on top, opening the gliderport. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is called the "Kitty Hawk of the West."
The gliderport sits atop the cliffs above Black's Beach, beside the Salk Institute. The trail down to Black's Beach starts on the cliffs just south of the field. Full-scale sailplanes fly only in permit windows between February and April, while hang gliders, paragliders and model sailplanes fly whenever wind allows. Sandwiches, snacks and drinks are sold at the Cliff Hanger Cafe.
The gliderport is a National Landmark of Soaring of the National Soaring Museum and a Model Aviation Landmark of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Its eroded 1,500-by-30-foot asphalt runway, designated 9/27, lies on land owned by the University of California, San Diego, while the rest of the site belongs to the city of San Diego.
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