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Where to fly near Tigard/Portland


fliefish
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Hi fliefish, and welcome to the forum.

Would that be Portland, OR? If so, you have a heap of damn good fliers all around you. Give them a day or two to recover from The Washington State International Kite Festival (WSIKF), which was in progress for the last week, and I'm sure some of them will chime in with their favorite locations. Just remember that ocean breezes are SOOOOO much nicer than inland stuff, so even though I prefer to fly on grass, whenever I can catch a good beach breeze, I go for it.

That being said, the most obvious places would be hilltops, with no obstructions around them. I really like gently sloping hills when the wind is blowing directly up the incline. Gives you the same speed at ground level as you have further up, a nice compressed wall of air. 

Ideally, any location should have 10 times the height of the tallest upwind obstruction in linear ground distance clear to the place you are flying in to give the wind time to "reorganize" after being disturbed by the obstruction (trees, buildings, other hills, etc.). In other words, if you have a 40-foot tall tree line behind you, to have the best possible wind beyond those trees you must stand 10x40 = 400 feet downwind of that tree line. Buildings have a bad habit of creating wind that likes to change directions abruptly, left, right, left, right, left.......... Areas with multiple hilltops create wind that rolls in waves, similar to water at the beach, with a ripple effect at some altitude that feels like you're flying on marbles.  

Wind is weird -- and fun to play with. Smile, and don't forget to breathe.

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One place several of us have found is Broughton Beach - behind PDX and next to the boatramp on Marine Dr. Right next to the Columbia on the Gorge. Pretty decent, but even there can be tough at times. Improved parking area is pay-to-park. but yearly permits are available at Blue Lake Park.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you for the replies. I appreciate the tips. I just recently moved and coincidentally near my old middle school from years ago. The football fields there turn out to be an excellent location with very minimal obstructions and pretty consistent direction when the wind is blowing. And the best part is its only a half mile away! I agree the coastal breeze is unbeatable. I'm looking forward to the lincoln city kite festival coming up the 1st of October. I may go over for the whole weekend if the weather is right.
I'm interested in Delta Park near PDX... is the wind there pretty consistent? I looking to find areas around portland metro and suburbs (I live in Beaverton) that tend to be windy. I know it's mother nature and she's unpredictable, but are there areas that geographically around here that tend to be more windy similar to the gorge?

Thanks all. This site has been a great find (well, found because John Barresi recommended it).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using KiteLife mobile app

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Delta was a great place before everything grew up around there! Trees are now 3 times bigger, commercial growth has put up buildings, etc. And like John said - lots of people use the parking area we use for flying, as an off leash dog run. Just not what it used to be. Broughton Beach isn't far away from there and is closer to the river.

There are little pockets of good flying - but - now that school has started, you can't use their fields during school hours. Maybe nights and/or weekends depending on whether they are promised out to football, soccer, lacrosse teams. If it comes down to us or them - guess who moves or leaves! 

But there are little parks around that can be used. Make up a set of short lines that help you fit in just about any space! I have 30' and 50' that fit almost anywhere!

Or if you want to try something different, with the weather changing, I fly indoors over here in Clackamas! Just north of Oregon City/Gladstone, I use an indoor soccer center all year round during the day, except nights or weekends.Games and practices are scheduled every night and all weekend, but all day is pretty much open, Use it infrequently during summers, weather is too good, and it's hot in there, but I use it all winter! Are you also on FB? Have a page over there, Portland Area Kite Flyers, setup to let each other know things like schedules, events, etc. Welcome to join in the fun!

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  • 4 years later...
  • 1 month later...

I am coming back from the dead and reviving this thread from the dead as well. I put down the handles for a few years as life took over. Also, I moved to Portland and found it difficult to find a good field nearby. Is Broughton Beach still considered a good place to fly? I just can't make the trip to the coast regularly for an all day fly. For $5 for all day parking, I think Broughton Beach is a bargain.

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12 hours ago, Tmadz said:

“For $5 for all day parking, I think Broughton Beach is a bargain.”

 

For $40 you can get a Metro Annual Parks Pass that covers Broughton Beach, Oxbow, Blue Lake, Chinook Landing and  the M. James Gleason Memorial Boat Ramp.  

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23 hours ago, John Barresi said:

Link still looks good to me, you can also search Facebook for the exact group name "Portland Area Kite Flyers".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/400676919957980/

Perhaps the page is set to private? Link does not work for me. Neither does searching FB for “Portland Area Kite Flyers”. 

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