Protect Paragliding in Dawson City, Yukon and The Midnight Sun Flying Club

There is a proposal to expand the area being used by the vendors on Saturdays on Front Street. There is a serious conflict with this proposal for Paragliding if it involves reducing the landing zone further. The Farmers Market is an important event and it’s good that they need to expand. We ask that this be done in a way that does not affect the existing landing zone. There are three launches that use the existing landing zone. There is no where else for pilots to land in Dawson safely. Making it smaller will make it riskier for pilots to land and affect the tourism and recreation benefits brought from paragliding.

The Summer Solstice Flight, the Midnight Sun Flying Club, and the Annual Dawson Fly-In are some of the events pilots travel to Dawson for. There are presently over 21 pilots registered from across Canada to be attending at Solstice this year. There has also been discussion of starting an annual event known as the Daedalus Cup. Last year, Dawson Paragliding was featured on national television as well as the in North of Ordinary Magazine. Dawson offers the unique opportunity for pilots to be able to fly legally at midnight – where they take off one day and land the following. Since the Midnight Sun Flying Club webpage went live a year ago, over 17 pilots from around the world have registered and participated in this event. We hope to make the into an international event, but this will not happen if there is further development to the landing zone.

Over the past 10 years, the landing zone in Dawson has been eroded by 50% by the expansion of buildings and stalls. There are power-lines and a river to contend with on both sides, so any further reduction will decrease the landing buffer and increase the likelihood of an incident as Saturday is historically the busiest flying day in Dawson. Paragliding may seem small now, but it is set to grow with the the recent exposure on television and in magazines and now that there is a paragliding school in Yukon. Dawson in on the international radar as a unique flying destination and locally four Dawson residents are coming to take paragliding lessons next week in Whitehorse. It would be sad to learn they will have no place to fly on their days off.

Pilots, like birds are very sensitive to their environment. They need to have ideal conditions and space to launch and to land. Since the national exposure, Dawson has become a flying destination for pilots worldwide. Forgoing the opportunity to be able to land safely on Saturdays would limit the possibility of pilots traveling to Dawson for the purpose of paragliding. Once a landing zone is compromised the opportunity for further paragliding development disappears. Paragliding brings tourism and recreational opportunities to Dawson. In your recent online photo contest, two photos featuring paragliding and hang gliding were some of the favourite photos. It would be a shame if Dawson did not endorse and support paragliding which is been ongoing in Dawson city for close to 20 years. Pilots from around the world travel to Dawson a just to fly off the Dome and fly in the Midnight Sun. Last year local Dawson pilots also enjoyed flying until 2am and we hope this opportunity will continue. This petition asks City City Council to recognize and protect the landing zone in Dawson for Paragliding.