2023 Santa Barbara Ladies Fly-In

Welcome female pilots of all levels and abilities! We are excited to host you in Santa Barbara for a weekend of flying, learning, mentorship, and community building.

The focus of this event will be to spend the weekend flying, learning from, and growing our awesome community of female pilots. Our goal is to create an accepting and encouraging space where women (and non-binary identifying pilots) feel empowered to ask questions, push themselves, and unlock the amazing gifts that paragliding has to offer! We also plan on sending it should the weather permit of course!

This event is a very selfish endeavor - as I've traveled around the world to fly, some of my most memorable flights have been with my fellow lady pilots (or Lady Birds as I like to say). I've learned that it takes a concerted effort to mentor and support women as they progress and build their paragliding skill sets. Communities with more equal gender representation are often more supportive, safer, and generally more fun to spend time with. It is genuinely my passion to support other women in acheiving their goals and doing more than they ever thought was possible!

The Santa Barbara flying community is so special to me. Not only do we have some of the best pilots in the world flying here regularly, but our winter flying season (September through March) is one of the most consistent in the country. Logistics are as easy as they get with a paved road up to our main launches. If the mountains aren't flyable, we have a world class training hill, ridge soaring sites, and hike and fly options.

A huge thank you to our sponsors: The Santa Barbara Soaring Association and Kavu!

What's included in your ticket?

We are capping this event at 30 women, female-identifying, and non-binary pilots to ensure a great event with solid logistics. Your ticket will get you access to our private Telegram group chat for the weekend, coordinated rides to launch each day (you'll need to pay your driver $10 per ride), coordinated retrieve and pilot tracking, daily site and weather briefings, daily mentorship sessions with top US and SB pilots, some sort of event swag, a free beer, and entry to the party Friday night!

Tickets DO NOT include your SBSA Membership which is required for all pilots looking to fly in Santa Barbara. We will be requiring proof of membership at check in. You can do so ahead of time HERE.

Tentative Event Schedule

Friday

*Friday morning Welcome Meeting and Check in (location TBD): Welcome meeting, weather briefing for the day, quick overview of forecast for the weekend and flying site options

*Mid-morning: Go flying at best possible sites! (mountains, Elings, coastal soaring)

*Friday night fundraising and social event at Topa Topa Brewery in SB with SBSA Club: Food/beer, raffle, guest speaker or music, meet the wider SBSA community!

Saturday

*Saturday morning coffee and mentorship session: Weather briefing for the day, suggested flying options for the day

*Mid-morning: Go flying at best possible sites! (mountains, Elings, coastal soaring)

*Evening/afternoon flying options: Option for Sage/Happy Canyon!

*Afternoon and evening non-flying options: Suggested east beach hang out to debrief, suggested/optional location for wine and dinner in funk zone.

Sunday

*Sunday morning coffee and mentor sessions! Shout out to any flights of note or personal bests/moments from the day before, weather briefing for the day, suggested flying options for the day

*Mid-morning: Go flying at best possible site! (mountains, Elings, coastal soaring)

*Evening/afternoon flying options: Sage/Happy Canyon for those who are sticking around!

We need volunteers!

This event is made possible only through the support of our volunteers. If you are able to help out this weekend (even just for one day), please register with the volunteer ticket and select which days/tasks you're able to help with. We'll need rides to launch, retrieve, launch support, and photography/videography. Volunteers will get access to the Saturday night party and a HUGE thank you from all of the Lady Birds.

FAQs

What if the weather isn't flyable? Santa Barbara has a wide variety of flying sites, at least one of which is usually flyable any given day of the year. Worst case scenario? We'll go hiking, have a beach day, or maybe even do some wine tasting.

Where should I stay or camp? Please book/reserve your campsite and housing ASAP. You can also park your van/car up on East Camino Cielo or Gibraltor Rd. As soon as you register you'll be added to a Telegram group where you can coordinate sharing rides and housing with other pilots.

Can my husband/boyfriend/SO come too? Of course, although event participation is for female, female-identifying, and non-binary identifying pilots only. Encourage your guys to register as a volunteer!

What airport do I fly into? The best airport by far is Santa Barbara (SBA). You can rent a car at SBA easily. You can also fly into LAX which is about 2+ hours away depending on traffic. There is a shuttle called the Santa Barbara Airbus that can take you to/from LAX or you can rent a car.

Host or Publisher Sarah Lockwood