Moontown Soaring Conditions

Can the magic of flight ever be carried by words? I think not.

— Michael Parfit, 'Smithsonian' magazine, May 2000 —

The terrain surrounding Moontown Airport generates good thermal lift. The best months for soaring are April through June and September and October, when climb rates in updrafts can exceed 600 feet per minute (fpm) and thermals can go as high as 10,000 feet above ground.

Summer usually produces 4000-6000 foot cloudbases and 200-300 fpm. Pilots who complete the SSA’s ABC-Bronze Badge program may be approved to fly club sailplanes cross country. The many small airports near Huntsville free the conservative cross country pilot from concerns about off-airport landings.

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