Sandia Peak Launch
[ contributed by DAN SHORB ]
CO NSERVATI O N
Albuquerque club proves that teamwork makes the dream work For more information about the Sandia Soaring Association visit their website at
Flysandia.com
BELOW Ben Jr. and Benny Sr. Abruzzo, owners of the Sandia Peak Tram, run the tractors while proving that partnerships between local businesses, the Foundation for Free Flight, and local USHPA clubs can create lasting change for our community. Photo by Dan Shorb.
14 US H PA P I LOT
The tractor rolled down the front of the ramp towards the cliff. For a split second I was filled with horror, but Ben quickly maneuvered the tractor away from danger towards a mound of topsoil, placed more where it needed to be, and turned back for a resupply. He lives on the mountain, while running the adjacent Sandia Ski Area and the Sandia Peak Tram. No danger here: Ben knows this launch site well. We were reconstructing the Peak launch, which is perched atop the enormous cliffs of the Sandia Mountains that cascade in blades and buttresses 5000 feet down into Albuquerque. The mountain itself is an isolated island of granite standing alone in the desert. Its crests are at nearly 11,000 feet, surrounded by an ocean of uninterrupted sky and rising up to the area where Ben drives the tractor. Windswept firs, ravens, and high-altitude air create an enticing ambiance on the peak. Indeed, even with the vast sea of surrounding flatlands stretching out to the horizon, our new ramp looks more like something out of Europe than the Southwest (well, at least in our minds). By the end of that day, the jagged crown of the old launch was erased, replaced with a smooth, sloping ramp. Our Albuquerque club is small, maybe 35 folks. So when 10 or so pilots came out to our last workday for the Peak improvement, it was a big deal. Others had put in several hours ear-
lier in September, and we were putting on the finishing touches. Despite heinous, wintery gusts coming over the back, off the eastern plains, thoughts of flying consumed each one of us that day. It wouldn’t be long until the air was right, inviting us to fly the new ramp. It was happening! Our years of planning were taking shape in the form of a new premiere launch site in the Southwest. That same October of 2018, American XContest results came out. Our previous Sandia Soaring Association (SSA) President, Patrick Harvey-Collard, managed to take first in the US contest, all from flights off the (old) Peak launch. In the process, he set New Mexican records off this launch and others. In fact, another Sandia local, and Patrick’s frequent partner in crime, Max Montgomery, took eighth. Pilots with skills can go big off this Peak. These guys are humble. You’ve not heard of them because they don’t spray. Even we locals don’t know they’re flying most of the time. They’ll likely freak out when they see their names here. They are part of a newly energized crew of SSA locals taking advantage of what our mountain offers us here in Albuquerque: big XC with quick high-altitude tram (European-like) access. Going big isn’t new here. It’s a tradition. Sandia Soaring Association and the Peak launch have been around for decades. Old timers tell