Site guide
Winton Hill - Brighton
21.8 km/h
Gust 50 km/h · 8.6°C · 91% cloud
Partly cloudy
WNW
Trusted sources
Live data via Open-Meteo · Cached 30 min · Always check a real-time launch-site station before flying.
Next 24 hours
Hourly wind, gusts, temperature, and rain.
| Hour | Wind | Gust | Dir | Temp | Rain | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 11:00 | 26.4 km/h | 59.4 | W | 11.2° | — | 100% |
| Thu 12:00 | 27.2 km/h | 62.6 | W | 11.9° | — | 100% |
| Thu 13:00 | 27 km/h | 62.3 | W | 12.3° | — | 100% |
| Thu 14:00 | 26.3 km/h | 62.6 | W | 12.4° | — | 94% |
| Thu 15:00 | 26.4 km/h | 60.1 | W | 12.1° | — | 59% |
| Thu 16:00 | 27.2 km/h | 61.6 | W | 11.4° | — | 88% |
| Thu 17:00 | 22.9 km/h | 61.2 | W | 10.4° | — | 99% |
| Thu 18:00 | 21.2 km/h | 51.8 | W | 9.5° | — | 99% |
| Thu 19:00 | 20.7 km/h | 49.3 | WNW | 8.6° | — | 100% |
| Thu 20:00 | 21.2 km/h | 49.7 | WNW | 8.6° | — | 98% |
| Thu 21:00 | 21.4 km/h | 49.3 | WNW | 8.6° | — | 95% |
| Thu 22:00 | 23.1 km/h | 52.6 | WNW | 8.6° | — | 76% |
| Thu 23:00 | 24.3 km/h | 55.8 | WNW | 8.6° | — | 93% |
| Fri 00:00 | 24.1 km/h | 55.1 | WNW | 8.4° | — | 84% |
| Fri 01:00 | 24.8 km/h | 56.9 | WNW | 8.3° | — | 99% |
| Fri 02:00 | 24.4 km/h | 56.9 | WNW | 8.4° | — | 97% |
| Fri 03:00 | 23.7 km/h | 56.2 | WNW | 8.5° | — | 97% |
| Fri 04:00 | 22.4 km/h | 54.7 | WNW | 8.2° | — | 95% |
| Fri 05:00 | 21.6 km/h | 51.8 | WNW | 8.2° | — | 99% |
| Fri 06:00 | 21.4 km/h | 50.4 | WNW | 8.1° | — | 99% |
| Fri 07:00 | 22.1 km/h | 51.1 | WNW | 8.4° | — | 100% |
| Fri 08:00 | 21.1 km/h | 53.6 | WNW | 9.3° | — | 100% |
| Fri 09:00 | 22.3 km/h | 54.4 | NW | 10.2° | — | 100% |
| Fri 10:00 | 23.9 km/h | 56.5 | WNW | 11.9° | — | 98% |
Likely flyable: wind 5–25 km/h, gusts < 35, dry
Next 7 days
Thu 17 Sep
Partly cloudy
6.3° / 12.4°
Fri 18 Sep
Rain
8.1° / 16.6° · 2.2mm rain
Sat 19 Sep
Drizzle
7.2° / 16.7° · 0.1mm rain
Sun 20 Sep
Drizzle
6.8° / 22.7° · 0.2mm rain
Mon 21 Sep
Drizzle
3.8° / 10.2° · 1.2mm rain
Tue 22 Sep
Drizzle
4.5° / 14.4° · 0.3mm rain
Wed 23 Sep
Partly cloudy
2.4° / 16.5°
PG2/HG-S
Winton is a 5km long curved ridge, covered in grass, pasture, scrub and trees. The ridge faces SE at the western end, passing through S and then to SW at the eastern end. It is a good site to build up hours with easy ridge soaring and thermic conditions. In the right conditions, it is also a good starting point for cross-country flights. In a gentle sea breeze, combined with non-thermic conditions, this site is safe for pilots fresh out of flying school. There are two big open landing areas below launch. T/O is ~130m above LZ. Please don't fly above the houses.
Hazards
<p>1. A nesting pair of Wedgetailed Eagles live in a tree to the right of the red line in the LZ picture, half- way down the slope.</p> <p>2. The sea breeze can hit here very quickly and very hard in a matter of a minute or two, jumping from below 10 knots to 20+ almost instantaneously, and will last for several hours, making landings fraught with peril. Know your launch and landing limits and if not prepared to stay aloft for considerable time before you feel comfortable to land, do NOT launch.</p> <p>3. The Winton wall: people have been caught many times in the 'Winton wall'. This is a large compression area situated between the Lz at the bottom of the hill and the car park Lz. Pay attention to your ground speed and sink when crossing this area and turn back to the bottom Lz if there is any doubt about reaching the other Lz. (This is caused at certain wind speeds (upper end of flyable) by a "bolster-eddy" forming in front of the hill, pushing the lift zone out from the hill, but also setting up a compression area of stronger wind with little lift component in front of that, pretty much over the house. FYI It can also occur in a similar fashion at any hill).</p>