Hatis is a closest high mountain to the capital Yerevan. The summit is on 2520 m. It is 25 km from city center.
Take offs:
– 500 above valley – coordinates 40.29s4048°/ 44.697437°, h = 1890m
– summit — coordinates 40.306320°/ 44.725273°, h = 2495m
Pros:
– Close to Yerevan,
– Simple relief and predictable aerology,
– Practically unlimited, free, flat fields for landings,
– One can reach take off areas via 4WD vehicles (there is no asphalt-based road),
– Predictable micrometeorology, “surprise” changes usually do not happen,
– Good XC potential, thermals are relatively high, thermal cycles are long-lasting
Cons:
– Rocky terrain (except for the take off areas, which are cleaned up) slopes are covered with pieces of obsidian and other rocks of volcanic origin,
– Not suitable for dynamic soaring, as the mountain is “round”, and has not long straight ridges,
Winds:
– Southern, South-Western winds, (the wind changes to downstream direction on the take off areas lower the summit in the evenings in July-September months (period of the global north winds).
Locals:
– Good people, friendly and hospitable.
Here is short video about how nice is it to fly from the top of the Hatis mountain in the beginning of the December 🙂