Colorado Soaring Association

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Welcome to the Colorado Soaring Association

Whether you are a seasoned pilot seeking a new experience or are new to the sport and curious about soaring, CSA welcomes you to stop by and see what soaring is all about. Come take a scenic flight with one of our certified pilots and experience firsthand the wonder of silent flight. You may also discover that no two flights are ever the same--the sky is always changing and mother nature is endlessly fickle.

About CSA

The Colorado Soaring Association (CSA) is a club dedicated to learning about, pursuing and enjoying the sport of soaring. CSA owns and operates Owl Canyon Gliderport, located about 15 miles north of Fort Collins, Colorado. The gliderport is a club operation, and operating hours are generally weekends and holidays, with some weekday operations. CSA offers scenic flights (rides), and flight training.

Although you must be a dues-paying member to use the equipment and facilities, we provide scenic flights for the public. Non-member pilots are welcome to bring their own gliders and take tows at non-member rates, subject to some restrictions.

Soaring Conditions at Owl Canyon Gliderport

The soaring conditions at Owl Canyon Gliderport are primarily thermal and convergence lift over the high plains, although excellent wave soaring is also accessible in our wave window. Ridge lift is possible, but requires a transition to the mountains about 40 miles away. We fly 12 months a year, with the prime thermal season being April to September. April through June are characterized by unstable air and frontal passages -- sometimes too much of a good thing. July and August are usually dry months, but good soaring is sometimes shut down by monsoon flow or stagnant high pressure.

Cross-country soaring opportunities are excellent, since the surrounding countryside is prairie and dry-land farming, with plenty of fallow fields. The field elevation at Owl Canyon is 5,540 feet MSL.

Duration flights of over five hours, altitudes over 17,000 feet, and distances over 300 km are all common in thermal conditions. In our wave window, one pilot has been over 40,000 feet.

Updated 04/19/2024

 

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