Hanging Out at the Bus Stop

It was described to me that sometimes waiting for a thermal is like waiting at a bus stop. You have to go to a reliable spot and just wait. However no schedule is posted, sometimes you time it right and hop-on, sometimes you have to wait and wait and wait. Maybe the sun is beginning to reveal itself around the clouds on a small ridge with a light breeze... There is no better place around you can make it to, so you sit and wait maintaining altitude waiting for it to kick some bubble into the air.

Most of my articles say you need to move on, once you think you can beat the average you are currently in then move. That means if you are in zero and just waiting and you don't think there is better out there, then you need to wait.

I remember being stuck on a ridge just waiting for something to happen. I was barely holding on. Another glider showed up and made a few passes with me then headed on. I could not figure out what he saw out there that would be better than staying airborne. I was really tempted to follow, misery loves company, maybe the odds would be better with two of us. He kept going into a dark sky and I watched him land in a field.

Remember staying aloft is much better than landing. In a perfect world, you would see this outcome happening early enough and not get stuck in the first place. As we plan ahead you give yourself enough options to not get stuck. However, once you are on the ground you cannot find another thermal.

As you plan ahead and you can find that bus stop before the out-landing field, it should prevent or delay the out-landing. It is also difficult to figure out when it is time to just wait but it is crucial. It is important to not wait when you have other options.

If sitting and waiting is your best option, then sit and wait. But then remember to change gears.

 Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.