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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Airline Park - First Impressions (Read 3745 times)
Robert C.
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Airline Park - First Impressions
08/14/21 at 10:52am
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If you hit it, what did you think?

  
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Polygang
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #1 - 08/14/21 at 4:10pm
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Also to anyone who went, how was the parking? Is it a gravel lot or dirt? How many cars can reasonably fit in there?
  
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TrillWill
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #2 - 08/16/21 at 10:13am
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Polygang wrote on 08/14/21 at 4:10pm:
Also to anyone who went, how was the parking? Is it a gravel lot or dirt? How many cars can reasonably fit in there?


If the parking is used efficiently 25 cars will fit.  the surface is a nicely compacted gravel surface.  Thanks to our friends at Vulcan Quarry for the gravel donation and to Blythe construction for coordinating in kind trucking services to get the material on site!
  

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TrillWill
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #3 - 08/16/21 at 1:37pm
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Trail map is live on TrailForks and there are videos linked to most of the trails so you can get a feel for how it rides.  The video of the main loop is show going clockwise (Odd day direction).

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mustbeme
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #4 - 08/17/21 at 8:18pm
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Great addition to the area's MTB scene. Airline is super fun but a lot like Kanuga.  After a few runs the pedal back up can wear you down.  Bring some sports drink and a snack for these summer rides.

The jump trail will definitely  make you better for the bigger bike parks.  The step up jump just before the road gap/drop is a huge confidence booster. It takes a lot of speed from linking the previous jumps together to clean it but it is also forgiving if you run out of steam and cannot get steezy over it.

The last big jump takes a ton of speed from the huge roll in.  I have attempted a few times and not quite dialed but my son can get after it pretty good below.
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« Last Edit: 08/17/21 at 8:27pm by mustbeme »  
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Robert C.
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #5 - 08/18/21 at 7:21am
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mustbeme wrote on 08/17/21 at 8:18pm:
Great addition to the area's MTB scene. Airline is super fun but a lot like Kanuga.  After a few runs the pedal back up can wear you down. 


E-bike tow rope capable like Kanuga?
  
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NC_Pyga
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #6 - 08/18/21 at 7:36am
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Which way rides better? CW or CCW?
  
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mustbeme
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #7 - 08/18/21 at 8:47am
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Robert C. wrote on 08/18/21 at 7:21am:


E-bike tow rope capable like Kanuga?


For the most part no.  Some others may chime in but the exit from the bottom of the full gravity run does not dump you out on a nice straight return path like Kanuga's Tortuga
  
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TrillWill
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #8 - 08/18/21 at 10:54am
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Robert C. wrote on 08/18/21 at 7:21am:


E-bike tow rope capable like Kanuga?


Yes, absolutely.  There was a father and son e-bike towing up the "baggage claim" return trail on Saturday afternoon during the 1st day it was open.

I was cutting laps on the Airline and pedaling up baggage claim to Concourse A, and pedaling suuuuper slow and soft the return to the Gravity Terminal took 5 minutes.  I would say it's much less taxing that the climb to the top of Tortuga at Kanuga IMO.  But Tortuga's climb may seem harder since my legs are tired from pedaling to the top of Kanuga too, lol.

Thanks for the review mustbeme!  I hadn't really thought of comparing the Airline jumps to Tortuga but they are actually very similar now that I think about it.  Both have just over 80' of elevation drop.  Airline jumps are 600' long and Tortuga is 880' long.   

FYI, we will be tuning up the Airline jumps later this summer to change some features at the bottom and keep the top running smooth.  That jump trail has been sitting there since May of 2017 and it's crazy that it's running this good having barely any bike traffic on it since completion.
  

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TrillWill
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #9 - 08/18/21 at 2:12pm
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For folks wondering what we're talking about, here is a POV on the Airline trail at Airline Bike Park.  It's a black diamond jump trail that can be looped via a climbing trail and the main access road through the trail system.

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TrillWill
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #10 - 08/19/21 at 11:06am
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NC_Pyga wrote on 08/18/21 at 7:36am:
Which way rides better? CW or CCW?


So far, CW has been preferred by folks who like more uninterrupted descending, and CCW has been preferred by folks who prefer more rolling descending.  I think that's the best way to sum it up simply.

The trail tread for the main xc loop is pretty smooth benched contouring trail so you can keep up good speed either direction.

-Will
  

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Polygang
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #11 - 08/21/21 at 8:14pm
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Went there today and was really impressed with the quality of the trail. Rolls super smooth. There are a couple of sections that reminded me of Laurel loop with long, fast-paced downhills and you can see the catawba river through the trees. This was CW direction. CCW looks like you have shorter but more interesting descents with tight berms and a few jumps on the side. People who like LKN will love this trail.

Another great addition to the Charlotte lineup!
  
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Robert C.
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #12 - 08/22/21 at 10:03am
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TrillWill wrote on 08/19/21 at 11:06am:


So far, CW has been preferred by folks who like more uninterrupted descending, and CCW has been preferred by folks who prefer more rolling descending.  I think that's the best way to sum it up simply.

The trail tread for the main xc loop is pretty smooth benched contouring trail so you can keep up good speed either direction.

-Will 


Maybe add a note to the trails page indicating its directional by day, particularly given the comments about CW being preferred?

  
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Robert C.
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #13 - 09/05/21 at 1:28pm
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TrillWill wrote on 08/19/21 at 11:06am:


So far, CW has been preferred by folks who like more uninterrupted descending, and CCW has been preferred by folks who prefer more rolling descending.  I think that's the best way to sum it up simply.

The trail tread for the main xc loop is pretty smooth benched contouring trail so you can keep up good speed either direction.

-Will 


for those of us direction challenged - Is CW odd and CCW even, or the other way around?

Just a stellar addition to the local trail network.


  
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #14 - 09/05/21 at 9:32pm
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Robert C. wrote on 09/05/21 at 1:28pm:


for those of us direction challenged - Is CW odd and CCW even, or the other way around?

Just a stellar addition to the local trail network.



Correct  CW is odd days CCW is even.
  
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Robert C.
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #15 - 09/06/21 at 9:46am
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Thanks.

What's the long term game plan for additional miles?  I'm sure it's in a thread someplace.

Also, is any of the planned commercial development in the area actually moving forward?

  
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #16 - 09/14/21 at 10:44pm
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I was out there checking it out today.
Didn't have the bike with me..

But maybe I'm missing something here.
The way the trail is laid out on trail forks, the direction seems a little confusing.

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I see the trail going off into the woods from the parking area, which is marked Kitty Hawk. That would be the start for CW on an odd day..

What would be the starting point for CCW on an even day? Auto-pilot off the access road?

Baggage claim and dive bomb are scattered in between the main loop. 
Baggage claim and divebomb would be ridden from south to north only on odd days (CW), and north to south only on even days (CCW)?



« Last Edit: 09/14/21 at 11:03pm by IntheBush »  

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Robert C.
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #17 - 09/14/21 at 11:00pm
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And you wonder why luggage gets lost?   Cheesy

Yeah, having ridden there once I agree it's a little confusing at first, but pretty easy to get the swing of things after a few loops
  
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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #18 - 09/14/21 at 11:08pm
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Robert C. wrote on 09/14/21 at 11:00pm:
And you wonder why luggage gets lost?   Cheesy

Yeah, having ridden there once I agree it's a little confusing at first, but pretty easy to get the swing of things after a few loops


So on even days (CCW) I start on Auto pilot off the access road?
I can't see any other way to do it.

How to remain CCW on the trails in between the main loop looks interesting.
Since it's not a continuous loop.
It's like a rubik's cube or something.  Grin

  

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Re: Airline Park - First Impressions
Reply #19 - 09/14/21 at 11:51pm
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Kitty Hawk does not change directions. You always start on Kitty Hawk then on even days (CCW) you take a right to cross the access road and ride Auto Pilot to Layover to CoPillot and then can finish off the rest of Kitty Hawk, odd days (CW) it's CoPilot to Layover to Auto Pilot to rest of Kitty Hawk. The trails in the Gravity Terminal are one direction and all culminate at Baggage Claim that leads back to the access road. At least that's how I understand it.
« Last Edit: 09/14/21 at 11:51pm by P-Schwartz »  
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