Chris Zimmerman <<chris>>
writes:

The Austin Free Flight Association was unable to secure the lease
for Packsaddle for 2012. The road to the top is no longer being maintained by a
government agency since they have abandoned the radio tower on the hill. The
land owners are requiring us to maintain the road with a contractor of their
choosing. The members made an offer that was substantially higher than last
year's lease but not quite what the owners were asking for. It was rejected.

The owners compared us to the hunting lease that they have. Apparently we are
getting off way too cheap in relation to hunters and we are more of a pain. Most
of our members agreed to $300 in dues for Pack this year. With the road repair,
it would have taken much more. Of course, as the price goes up, the number of
pilots will go down and we could not make it happen.

I would suspect that even at $300 per year Pack would be one of the most
expensive hills to fly in the US. Also don’t forget that launch is only 400 feet
and the ridge is small. On light days, three gliders could be a crowd. The main
launch is good and is south - southeast facing to the LZ. The north – northeast
ramp is not as good and most pilots didn’t fly it. Pack was good for students
learning to fly and helped attract pilots to the sport. Like many others, I had
my first altitude flight at Pack. It will be missed.