Free flight history in the Taconic region and CLOSED sites

---

REV DATE 12/15/24

The site atop Mt Brace currently managed by the Mt Brace Outdoor Club was first flown by hang glider pilots in 1974 (or maybe it was '73, or '75, memories are a little fuzzy). We are grateful to the many pioneers who built the legacy that we carry forward today. 

Those intrepid pilots flew a variety of sites—some sketchier than others—in the Southern Taconics. The vast majority of these sites were never 'official' or sanctioned in any way. There were no permits from any of the various public or private landowners where launching and landing took place. Probably the best known were Race Mountain, Broken Line, Lime Rock, and Catamount. Times were different.

The Mt Brace Outdoor Club was formed in the early 2000s after two decades when launching from the Taconic State Park was officially prohibited. (Again, memories are a little fuzzy, but the tipping point seems to have involved unauthorized driving to the summit.) We have worked hard to build and maintain the fabulous, productive relationship with the Park that permits us to launch there now. The sole flying site covered under the Club's charter is Mt. Brace. We do not have permission for, nor condone flying from, any other areas in the region.

None of the other historic sites are maintained, permitted, or authorized today. It might be misleading to say those sites are closed, because that would imply they were once 'open' in some official capacity, which they were not. Still, we have to say it: The historic sites at Race, Broken Line, Lime Rock, Catamount, etc., are CLOSED. Please, for the preservation of free flying at Mt Brace, do not launch from those sites.

References to these closed sites in online databases such as Paragliding Earth are beyond our control and should be disregarded.