The Santa Barbara Soaring Association (SBSA) invites the community to celebrate 50 years of free flight at the Elings Park training hill, the longest continuously used hang gliding site in the United States.

The free family-friendly event, noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, offers participants a chance to experience the world of hang gliding and paragliding up-close.

Elings Park's training hill has been a training spot for more than 10,000 pilots. (Courtesy photo)
Elings Park’s training hill in Santa Barbara has been a jumping-off spot for more than 10,000 pilots. (Courtesy photo)

There will be live flight demonstrations by local pilots; historical exhibits; and $25 tandem discovery flights with certified instructors, ideal for anyone curious about taking to the sky.

Elings Park has been a gateway to flight since the early 1970s when hang gliding was in its infancy. Smooth, reliable sea breeze and forgiving terrain have made it one of the finest training hills in the world, according to SBSA.

Over the past five decades, the SBSA club estimates more than 10,000 pilots have flown over half a million flights from the south-facing slope.

As the 1975 autumn issue of Santa Barbara Magazine observed: “Due to its affinity with both the ocean and mountains, hang gliding has taken up residence on the South Coast, bringing with it all the fervor reminiscent of surfing in the sixties.

“Like surfing, it is a classic case of man’s interaction with the elements of nature. Whereas surfers ride the water, hang gliders fly the air.”

Santa Barbara’s unique geography, where mountains meet the sea, has made it a natural home for free flight, SBSA said. Along the coast, sites like Bates, the Douglas Preserve and More Mesa allow pilots to soar using ridge lift created by ocean wind rising up the bluffs, the club said.

“In the mountains, launch sites from East Camino and Gibraltar allow pilots to access thermal lift for higher and longer flights,” according to SBSA. “Pilots commonly reach altitudes above 5,000 feet and fly the Santa Ynez range to landings sites at East Beach and Carpinteria.

“Days with epic conditions have allowed pilots to fly as far as Palmdale and Pasadena. This unique blend of coastal and inland conditions has made the region a magnet for both beginners and world-class pilots.”

I addition to honoring the past, SBSA’s 50th anniversary celebration is about inviting a new generation of pilots to be part of Santa Barbara’s free-flight legacy, the club said.

The event will be accessible from the south entrance to Elings Park, 2550 Cliff Drive. For more, visit sbsa.info.