Fw: Starthistle History

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Aug 23Dave Palmer

Star Thistle History

In the first 36 years the RVHPA Star Thistle Fly-In was held on Memorial Weekend.   This year and last we moved the Fly-In to later in the year to accommodate the requirements our primary LZ.  And that's okay.  In fact, folks may not know it, but the first 2 Star Thistle Fly-Ins in 1977 and 1978 the RVHGA  fly-In was held at Medford Baldy...the LZ was in the foothills, rolling and sloped, not much more than a 1 to 1 glide from the launch.

RVHGA was made up of about 12-24 pilots as the hang gliding club grew in the first few years.  We were a group of friends much like today who gathered together to enjoy flying and swapping stories with each other about our experiences in the air.

After the second year, access to Baldy was denied by a landowner.  Medford Baldy wasn't a great site anyway.  Sure, it had two launch directions, but one was thru a "shoot" between oak trees, and the "LZ" was covered in star thistle.  Hence the name!  "Star Thistle" Fly-In stuck, even if the location didn't.

So, even though this year the RVHPA Star Thistle Fly-In is being held on Labor Day weekend and it's at Woodrat Mountain and we've grown to over 200 pilots, flying all sorts of wings...we are still a group of friends who gather together to enjoy flying and swapping stories with each other about our experiences in the air.  That is what Star Thistle 2014 is all about!

So please join in the fun and spend your Labor Day weekend with us this year.

Check out the details at RVHPA.org

See you here,

Dave Palmer

Star Thistle Chair

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