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jCross | profile | all galleries >> Airports >> North Plains Gliderport - 1OR4 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

North Plains Gliderport - 1OR4

This is a nice 2000x200 grass strip located west of Portland, OR. The only operations here are the Willamette Valley Soaring Club (www.wvsc.org). They have an active club and own lots of gliders and tow planes. This field has been in use since about 1968. I got a chance to do some flying here in June and July 2006. I had a great time and had the opportunity to take some of my family flying.

Operations
Operations		 Operations
Operations		 Staging Area
Staging Area		 2-33 Cockpit Check
2-33 Cockpit Check		 2-33 Fruit Loops
2-33 "Fruit Loops"
Fruit Loops
Fruit Loops		 LS3-17
LS3-17		 Pawnee Towplane
Pawnee Towplane		 Pawnee Two-Holer
Pawnee Two-Holer		 Ready To Go
Ready To Go
Mt. Hood
Mt. Hood		 Take Off Roll
Take Off Roll		 Departure
Departure		 Starting the Turn Out
Starting the Turn Out		 Waiting for Pilots
Waiting for Pilots
Fruit Loops on Tow
Fruit Loops on Tow		 Glider Ride
Glider Ride		 Jeffrey
Jeffrey		 Paul
Paul		 Rod
Rod
Remi and Rod
Remi and Rod		 Dad
Dad		 June
June		 June and Kasey
June and Kasey		 Kasey
Kasey
Kasey Coussens, Photographer
Kasey Coussens, Photographer		 Becky and Me
Becky and Me		 Becky
Becky

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Anne 05-May-2008 19:23
The typical flight from North Plains is a tough number to come up with. Many training flights only last about 30 minutes, the time it takes the glider to return to the airport. That said, experienced members flying out of North Plains frequently catch thermals and fly for two to three hours. We don't have the consistent conditions like you would find in places like Reno or Ephrata. The good news is it is close to Portland which makes it a great location for lots of people to fly.
jCross16-Jul-2006 15:36
We normally tow to 3000, which makes a 18-20 minute ride if there is no lift. If there is good lift, you can stay up for hours. Both Ginny and I have done the "big sit", a five hour flight.
John
Tom Beech16-Jul-2006 12:54
Looks like a great place to fly John... what's the average flight duration in that area ?
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