We did what the (snow) birds do and flew south this winter.
All the way to Colombia.
Roldanillo in the Cauca
Valley is a flying mecca
that attracts pilots from all over the world with its reliable conditions and great
mix of mountain and flatland flying. Nice XC flights (100+ km) can be had most
days.
There are three launches at Roldanillo: Aguapanela (nice big launch but associated with small risk of bombing out behind the power lines in north wind, used during the comp and therefore closed to free-flyers), nearby El Pico (as the name says… smaller, but with less risk of sinking out) and Los Tanques (a somewhat longer drive from town, 3,000 COP fee = CAD 1.40). In addition there are several other flying sites nearby but all require re-locating.
We enjoyed flying in Roldanillo with XC flying, flatland
thermals, and a good dose of adventure. Every day of our 14 day visit (Jan 22 -
Feb 5) was flyable and we accumulated quite a few air miles and 3-4 h airtime
daily. Compared to Valle de Bravo I found the flying more technical (and the
après flying in Valle better … in Rolda not many pilots hang out at the LZ at
35oC ;-). Low cloud base and lots of crossings can end the flying day
prematurely. There is seldom a second chance for an afternoon flight due to the
Pacifico wind coming in and blowing over the back in the afternoon. This wind
can also make landing in town very turbulent but conveniently there is a
usually save ‘airstrip’ just a couple of kilometers east of town. Other
challenges include the long glide out to suitable LZs when flying the back
range, many small and tight LZs (often just a trail between fields) and last
but not least several high voltage power lines along the mountains where one
has to take care not to get boxed in between the lines and the slopes.
Shuttles and taxis to the launches leave every morning from
the market square (8,000 -10,000 COP). As long as one lands close to a road getting
back to town is easy and cheap as well with one of the many local buses or
hitchhiking but landing away from roads may mean a long and hot walk through
the fields.
The locals are super friendly and very helpful but not many speak
English. Spanish translation apps are very useful.
Accommodation can be arranged with the flying outfit
Cloudbase Colombia,
at one of the hotels or by word of mouth by renting a room from local residents.
Closest international airports are in Cali and Pereira with 1.5-2h bus
connection to Roldanillo.
Last but not least aspiring Roldanillo pilots better like
heat. We had temperatures between 30-35oC and it wasn’t cooling down much at
night – not a big surprise as Roldanillo is just 4 degrees north of the
equator!
But its a great spot for longer cross-country flying with an interesting mix of mountains and flat-land. I flew 5 of my 10 longest flights to date!
But its a great spot for longer cross-country flying with an interesting mix of mountains and flat-land. I flew 5 of my 10 longest flights to date!
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| Dodging clouds along the mountains |
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| Aguapanela launch from Pico |
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| Roldanillo with launches and LZs |
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| Sweet clouds over the flats between Zarzal and Victoria |
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| My tracks from the second week |
