About this flying site
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South Downs, Sussex · Paragliding site
Mount Caburn paragliding site and weather forecast
Live seven-day flying weather with launch direction, altitude and local site information for Mount Caburn.
Altitude137 m
Launch directionsS, SW
Coordinates50.8615, 0.0509
AreaSouth Downs, Sussex
Managing club: Southern Hang Gliding Club · Access: membership
Site briefing
Planning information for Mount Caburn
Take-off
Mount Caburn is a south to south-west site; you can launch in winds anywhere between SSE and SW. The main launch is at the top of the 'dome' — the optimum runway can be rather narrow due to the rounded hill, so help keep it clear. Do not ground-handle or launch from below the earthworks on top, as the site has vulnerable ground-nesting birds, rare insects and plants. Launching from the ridge to the west (shaded on the map) is at the discretion of the resident school (Airworks). The western ridge is not available for commercial use by any other operator and no other school may teach on it; it is less windy, with less complex airflow than the top. Car-park gate — the SHGC car-park gate has a combination padlock and must be kept SHUT AND LOCKED at all times. The code is circulated to members via the email address on your membership account (keep it up to date), and must never be given to non-members.
Landing
Top landings — best made on the very top of the 'dome', or on top of the ridge running west from take-off. Beware getting blown back in the venturi in the bowl immediately west of the dome; there is a barbed-wire fence along the length of the ridge and another running diagonally down the side of this bowl — be very careful not to drift into the rotor behind this ridge. Bottom landing — the bottom-landing field is on the south side of the lane, level with the south-east shoulder you walk up. (Airworks' landing field to the south-west is not part of the SHGC site and should only be used in an emergency; in strong winds a safer emergency landing may be the small field below the western bowl. If you are obliged to land in Airworks' LZ in strong wind the cleanest air is usually on the spur running down from the main peak towards the cottages.) You may also slope-land on the ridge to the west (shaded on the map). Agreed slope-landing points — the front face of the hill is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest): do not slope-land on it, or anywhere on the main hill other than the four agreed points: central on the hill, about 50 m above the trees separating the slope and main landing field (for when you cannot cross the trees); beside the lower stile into the training field; by the corner of the woodland just above the cottages to the east; and the west face of the main peak.
Access and parking
Use the SHGC car park off Ranscombe Lane (members only). Camping and overnight parking are not permitted. If you find people parking here who are not associated with SHGC, ask them politely to leave, explain why, and tell them that the gate will be locked. The parking area is small — if flying with friends, take just one car, park in a sensible double-row pattern (with a wide enough passage between, just like in the supermarket), and do not block others or the lane. Do not park elsewhere in Ranscombe Lane, and do not use the lay-by except to open or close the gate. It is a privilege to have your own club car park at a flying site — treat it with respect. Keep noise down (cottages nearby). In wet conditions the car park is very slippery and muddy and is best avoided — don't make a big mess, don't get stuck and don't slide down the hill into the stream or into another vehicle! Alternatively park in the free village car park opposite the shop and walk up via the path by the post office — it is further, but not so steep (land only in the agreed field; there is no shortcut from the landing to the village car park). Cows are sometimes in the field — gently shoo them from the cars, or use the village car park for precious vehicles. Before you fly Conditions & airspace — Mount Caburn Live wind for this site. Guidance only — always make your own assessment on the hill. Wind forecast Wind — Mount Caburn Consensus (mean) · daytime hours · updated hourly Forecast model Consensus (mean) UK Met Office ECMWF Météo-France AROME ICON (DWD) GFS (NOAA) KNMI HARMONIE GEM (Canada) MET Norway ECMWF AIFS JMA (Japan) Best match km/h mph kts Average of the main models — cuts single-model noise Loading wind forecast… On Marginal Off / cross Too light Flyable arc SSW – SW (from). Each cell shows the mean wind and the gust — e.g. 18 g 32 = 18 gusting 32 km/h . Green is the ideal 8 – 24 km/h band; amber is getting strong (up to 32 km/h ); over 32 km/h is too strong. The arrow points the way th…
Local weather notes
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Flight rules
MEMBERS-ONLY SITE. Register with the Southern Hang Gliding (and Paragliding) Club (SHGC) for DAY or ANNUAL membership before flying. Permission to fly any SHGC site is sensitive, and can be easily lost. Flying is permitted only on the proviso that pilots follow the landowners' explicit rules, which members can find in the Site Guide on the club website. Members also have access to club Telegram groups, for on-site weather reports and paragliding-related support and chat, and one-to-one coaching on request. Always ask for a Site Brief from a member, if it's the first time you've flown this site.
Local guidance
Hazards and cautions
- Other users — the site is popular with the public. Aeromodellers occasionally use it (relations are generally good); if modellers are flying, have a polite word to ensure zero collision risk. (Their flying is controlled by the A.N.O. (Air Navigation Order) – the same law that regulates our activity.)
- Geographical — the earthworks encircling take-off can catch out anyone who sits down or goes prone too early, or who gets dragged back. A wooded quarry to the south-east limits use in easterlies. There is a concreted wood-and-metal bench at the top, a fence out of sight but not far behind launch, and a fence along the top of the western ridge (beware being dragged back into it in wind). A river forms part of the southern border of the landing field and an electrified main railway line the rest; the landing field is beyond tall trees, so cross them safely or use the agreed emergency zones — do not barge through the treetops. The landing zone has steep-sided drainage ditches that have broken several pilots' ankles (better to land crosswind or even downwind than risk them); wooden-poled power lines cross its western end; there is a swamp at the north-west corner; cattle are usually in both take-off and landing areas; and the field is waterlogged for most of the winter.
- Airflow: The wind can often be as strong in the landing field as at take-off. Severe rotor can occur behind the western ridge — do not fly behind the fence line without ample height to glide clear; if you find yourself pinned, drifting left to behind the main hill is preferable. A south-westerly tends to accelerate around the south and east sides of Caburn — beware being blown into the wooded quarry, or back over the trees and buildings on landing. A south or south-easterly can make it difficult to cross the trees to the landing area, so keep good height or turn back and slope-land. Wind with an easterly component can generate severe turbulence from the wooded quarry. The wind direction is frequently different at the top and the bottom landing field — check carefully before a final approach; if you cannot determine it, the safest option is to get close to the trees then turn due south to land, keeping clear of the river. When easterlies are present, convergence can occur over the landing field with consequent 180° wind shifts.
- Exact launch
- Launch GPS
- 50.86153, 0.05097
- Members also see the gate / padlock code (where a site has one), the Safety Officer’s contact, and the downloadable guide (PDF).
Authoritative sources
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Forecasts are planning aids, not safety clearance. Check current observations, official airspace and NOTAM information, local rules and your own experience before every flight.
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