Alex Knob
📍 West Coast , Westland District · Nearest city: Hokitika (103 km)
24 XC score / 100 · takeoff at 1282 m · 📍 View on map
Coordinates and external links
-43.42780, 170.15100Takeoff orientations
Green = good orientation · Yellow = possible · Gray = not suitable
Why this site has thermal potential
| Factor | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspot density (5 km) | 0 | Low |
| Avg thermal probability | 0.00 | Based on thousands of aggregated IGC flights |
| Solar orientation | 0.74 | Slope faces north in southern hemisphere |
| Own flight history | 0.00 | Thermals detected in platform IGC tracks |
Takeoff description
Flat grass area looking East North and west . Kea flying... Very easy and clean. might be a bit wet in the morning.
Rules and notes
This site is in a mandatory broadcast zone. This means you have to have and use and airband radio on freq 118.6 MHz to broadcast your position and altitude before launch and every 15 mins during the flight. It is a very busy airspace so it is not only illegal but dangerous to fly here umless you follow these rules.
Pilot comments
WARNING: Franz Joseph is THE BUSIEST Heliport in the southern hemisphere. DO NOT FLY unless you follow the rules below. Fly above the glacier if there is no wind but beware of the catabatic wind (down the glacier). Best is to climb in the afternoon, try to fly in the evening after the helicopters have finished or camp overnight up there and take off in the morning. You must have an airband radio on the helicopter frequency.
Nearby sites
Mt Fox (2) · Ball Pass (4) · Mt Potts (2) · Lake Stream Gap (1) · South Temple (3) · Bealy Range (2)