clouds
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- June 10, 2026
It is a classic beginner mistake to think every beautiful white cloud in the sky is a golden ticket to altitude. In reality, under typical fair-weather conditions, only about every third cloud actually has a usable thermal beneath its base. To avoid wasting precious altitude on a "dead" cloud, you must understand that the thermal itself is the primary phenomenon, while the cloud is merely a secondary
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- September 28, 2016
Remember our clouds from last week? The three clouds to the left and a larger one to the right. Rather than deciding early and head towards one on a long glide. Split the difference and head for the middle. As you get closer you might be able to make a more informed decision with less deviation.
If you are Ingo Renner (think Chuck Norris jokes) you don't have to deviate as the thermals will line up
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- September 21, 2016
Last week you practiced on the ground looking at clouds and planning a route. There are a lot of decisions and limited flying hours. You may have noticed a few wisps which turned into the correct decision 10min later. The cloud street to the right looked better at the time, but the one on the left was better 10min later. Use this knowledge in the air to make better decisions.
Pick a target cloud out
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- September 14, 2016
Clouds lie, sometimes they are honest, some days they will get you home and others they will put you in a field. The cloud was formed by some kind of rising air, however, this could have been a bubble so small you pass underneath it. The little wisp could be marking a 9knt thermal or 5 minutes ago it was 2knts. It is a game of odds, increase your odds with small deviations and go under a lot of them.