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Southwest Airsports

Weather Info

Explanations of the tools below and more

Introduction to weather for ultralight pilots

NWS forecast Southeast OK

NWS hourly forecast Southeast OK

Mesonet station Wister, OK – current conditions

Poteau, OK – current conditions at the Poteau airport

Kiamichi – current conditions near Panorama launch

WeatherLink station at Buffalo Mtn – requires a free logon (more info)

MesoWest stations Ouachita Mountains – current conditions

Guide to safe flying

Weather for Aircrews – Basic weather info for non-professionals

Jetstream location from Pivotal Weather

SPC Balloon Soundings (every 12 hours)

UoW Balloon Soundings – usually available before the SPC soundings

NOAA Satellite image of moisture and clouds over the USA

Windy – animated map of winds and other data over the surface of the world

Wind History Map – actual vs. forecasts

Weather Spark – monthly, daily, and hourly graphical reports anywhere on earth

SkyVector Aeronautical Chart – road maps of the sky including TFR's

Current and Future Events

Fall 2023

Introductory videos and information about paragliding.

Training for September

September 14 – Jim Fuhrman of Ft Smith, AR at Panorama cruising along above the Talimena Highway

Jim Fuhrman paragliding at Panorama

September 13 – Jason Tilley of Bentonville, AR checking the air before launching into the late afternoon Wonder Wind at Panorama in Talihina, OK

Jason Tilley launching at Panorama 

September 3 – Tye Harvey spent a hot September day successfully completing the flying requirements for his P4 certification at the Poteau Airport.  It was a high pressure, sinky atmosphere but the stronger south winds helped offset conditions a bit.  At the end of the day, we did some higher tows with a tow run about 1,000' longer than our usual which enabled him to get about 1,400' above launch.  The more line we let out, the higher the pilot gets.

The requirements are difficult but Tye, surprisingly, finished them easily.  How?  Well, we learned later that he is a professional athelete and, like our military students, has an advantage which greatly supplements training.

One of the more difficult requirements is that a P4 candidate must land within 10' of the LZ three times consecutively.  On his last landing Tye used a little known technique to nail the marker.  All advanced pilots should know this technique that can be dangerous if not done properly.

The happy pilot in the late afternoon finishing up in almost 100F heat!

Tye Harvey P4 pilot candidate

His next step is to successfully pass the P4 exam and submit his flying logs.

September 2 - New Heavener resident, Jesse "JP" Peight Jr, worked on completing his P2 training.

JP Peight paragliding student

At age 17, he is the youngest pilot we have trained.  As a minor, PASA and USHPA rules requires the written permission of the parents.  A fast learner and athelete, he will quickly excel in our sport.

September 1 – Towing

We finally have a good break in the weather!

The first thousand feet of our pay-in winch is worn out and is finally being replaced.  Looking forward to safely training many pilots this fall!

Payin winch

Recent Events

Student pilots trainig at the Robert Kerr (Poteau) Airport 

Dan Wahl of Kansas City, MO

Paragliding training at the Poteau Airport

Mike Echols of Ft Smith, AR

paragliding training at the Poteau Airport 

USHPA
USPPA
 

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