Monthly Archives: June 2023

I had a technical discussion with a sailplane designer recently about my desire to have a retractable tailwheel on my Ventus 3TS.  His reply was, if my glider has an LD of 50.37:1 and yours has 50:1, do you know how long it would take to find a difference of 10m?  The answer is 40min!  This means that we have both landed out before we both see a difference of 10m from 1000m agl..  

My last two articles (Outlanding Techniques, Part 1 and Outlanding Techniques, Part 2) were first about low altitude strategies and then about landout field selection - so in a way, this article follows

I started gliding through my family, and since solo I’ve been flying for 24 years now, amassing 3500hrs soaring experience. So many tips and tricks I’ve learnt along the way, in this article I plan to share with you some random experiences and thoughts on them!

Clear your head

When it comes

Prior to your first flight with water ballast, there are a few things that you should do. If your glider has removable bags pull them out, place them on a sloping surface and fill them with water - looking for leaks. Patch any leaks that you find and make sure that the valve system is working ok. Patching methods depend upon the construction of your bags, but usually a life raft, inflatable boat, or

For quite a considerable time now, soaring pilots have found it beneficial to fly in the company of others, competing teams have certainly found this to be a highly effective method in order to maximise their climb rate, and for others, a great way to enjoy the company of their soaring buddy too!

Whether we are in a competition or not, many people have a competitive