Black Butte is located approximately 14 miles NW of Sisters on Highway 126. It's a 3000' volcanic cone and is visible from throughout Central Oregon. This site is flyable in light winds. A strong headwind will make it difficult to reach the LZ and there are no landable clearings between launch and the LZ. There are no permanent windsocks set up; a walk through the LZ is a good idea before you fly. The Desert Air Riders recommend an Intermediate (P-3) rating to fly Black Butte because of the long glide over trees to the LZ.

Site Protocol:

Call Jan Terhaar and get permission to use the Sports Field and leave a car. Her direct number is 541-595-1283. She said the police land Air Life helos there if needed, so we need to be aware of that. Should we need to contact the Ranch Police, their number is 541-595-1274.

Directions to LZ & launch:

Launch: 44.400178° -121.636935°
LZ at the Soccer Field: 44.377700° -121.661472°

Directly across Highway 126 from Black Butte is Black Butte Ranch. The entrance to Black Butte Ranch is well marked and easy to find. The primary LZ in Black Butte Ranch is in the soccer field. Check out the LZ before flying.

To check out the alternate LZ: start at the highway 126 entrance to Black Butte Ranch; go 1 mile SE on Hwy 126; there on the south side of Hwy 126 is a large field which is BLM land.

For the launch, start from the alternate LZ; continue SE on Hwy 126 for 1 mile to Indian Ford Campground turnoff (road 11). Drive north on road 11 for approximately 3 miles; turn left onto road 1110 and follow the signs (well marked) to Black Butte; at the end of the road is a parking lot; from the lot it's about a 30-40 minute walk to launch.

The trail to launch goes through several launchable areas on the south side. The rest of Black Butte is tree covered. The primary launch is the grassy slope below the fire lookout building.

Contacts:
Chip Miller (site liaison)

Site description originally written by: Phil Pohl
Last Revision Date: 4/14/2010 by Chip Miller and Steve Roti