Look Outside When Thermalling
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look outside leaving a thermal gaggle entering a thermal alone enter thermal with other gliders

Last week I talked about where to look when thermalling, but the main emphasis was on scanning and using the nose as your primary instrument. This week will be an emphasis on how to incorporate that and not trade paint with anyone. I know everyone’s favorite racing movie is Days of Thunder, thankfully car racing is not like racing gliders, and there should be no rubbin, no bumping, no nudging, no trading paint. The person established thermalling should not have to do anything to allow the other glider into the thermal. The entering glider should safely join into the gaggle without anyone requiring to take evasive maneuvers.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It might be a combination of pilot error or the lack of not looking outside and not seeing one of the other gliders. Generally, I think it is the latter, it is also the easiest to resolve.

I have been near two mid-airs. Both of them were light contact, and all of the pilots flew the gliders home. The first one was as we headed out on a marginal final glide. The second glider did not see the glider ahead, slowing in lift. The glider behind was too busy looking at the instruments as he pulled and turned into the raising wing. Unfortunately, there already was an LS8 occupying that exact space in the air. The winglet of the lower glider contacted the bottom of the wing of the second glider. Solely relying on your audio, looking outside, and clearing all of your turns would have prevented this.

Flarm would have helped in this case also. The glider that took the impact would have had a warning but unsure if it would have helped. The most significant advantage would have been for the second glider, as he would have gotten a lot of alarms when they were on a collision course.

The second mid-air was someone who tried to enter a gaggle and managed not to see a 29meter glider. That happened right about the time Mike and I decided that the gaggle was enough, and we were leaving. Which paid off, and we were able to find a stronger climb and make it to the top of the gaggle. We did manage to lose that advantage before the finish line, though.

Entering a thermal with other gliders

It is too easy to get target fixation on one glider when entering the thermal, there might be more than you counted. You still have to scan around for other gliders. There might be two of you, both looking at the one glider thermalling, both headed to the same point in the sky on a collision course. I always make sure to look around in all directions when entering a thermal with another glider. Scan to see the established glider, but keep in mind there might be someone else joining.

Entering a thermal alone

Always assume there is another glider out there. When you start to pull back on the stick as you encounter the good air, make sure you are looking up to make sure no one is there. Then start clearing your turns, so you are ready to turn in either direction. As you start your turn, look again to make sure nobody is there. Glancing at your 1 O’clock does not count as clearing your turn to the right. I want you to look behind your wingtip somewhere back by your tail.

Established in the thermal

Continue to look around for traffic while you are thermalling. You want to start looking for your next thermal, so you are looking for flashes of wings farther on course. You could easily become victim to someone entering the thermal with you, but looking at the glider above.

Leaving

I know we have all read that we should accelerate in the lift, by the time we exit the thermal we are at cruise speed. However, you do not want to dive onto the glider below you. You might start your acceleration through the thermal as someone else is entering in. Gently sliding out of the thermal and slowly letting the nose down is the safest. There might also be someone trying to merge into the thermal, and they are just on the outside of you as you roll out. I have gone around another circle because I couldn’t safely roll out.

Look outside

Nobody sees the person they hit. Always assume there is another glider out there. FLARM, it’s another set of eyes.

Whiskey Alpha

WA Wally Scott WA The Life of Soaring Legend Wally Scott, how far can one fly without an engine? Wallace Scott pushed that limit during his 36 years of soaring, setting four world records, winning the Lewin A. Barringer trophy for the longest free flight 20 times, by winning two Smirnoff Derby's and with his legendary 1970 dual 716.95 mile world record flight with Ben Greene.
Using extensive parts of Wally Scott's personal journals and his many Soaring Magazine articles, WA (Whiskey Alpha) is the story of ‘a John Wayne type of guy’ who pushed himself with every flight.

Becker AR6201

Becker AR6201 Becker AR6201 is a panel-mount transceiver with a sunlight-readable LC display, 6W power output, 8.33/25kHz channel spacing, sensitive receiver, VOX intercom, and many other features. The front panels provide enhanced user safety with the automatic safe–lock system, avoiding improper or unwanted handling. Becker Avionics introduces its new high performance, compact, AR6201 VHF–AM Transceiver with an integrated voice-activated (VOX) intercom system for up to four passengers. The AR 6201 continues the legacy of its predecessor the AR4201 VHF–AM transceiver, which has set the benchmark for reliability and performance. With more than 18.000 units sold, the AR4201 has been trustworthy for thousands of pilots flying millions of flight–hours.

garret willat  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.