thermalling

One of the crucial skills in gliding is naturally to be able to thermal in rising columns of lift. This allows us to extend our flights by tapping into the energy of Mother Nature. However, as we know, thermals often attract multiple gliders, creating crowded and complex situations in the sky. To ensure safety and efficiency, it’s essential for us all to establish some sort of thermal etiquette.

This two-part article is about things to do (and not do) on a cross-country glider flight when you are well below your planned height band, have already selected a field or airport to land in, and are trying to stave off that landing.  Within this subject, we must talk about thermaling low, which is a very dangerous practice - especially in windy and gusty conditions. It is also a controversial

There are two ways of thinking, practicing until you get it right, or practicing until you can’t get it wrong. That’s the difference between amateurs and professionals in the end. First, we must arm ourselves with the knowledge, then add ongoing training and practice, this is a sure way to see success. Serious training must be aimed towards specific problems, whereas less ambitious pilots

If you’re a winch pilot, you probably know this all too well, that if you haven’t built a small plan before take-off, your flight might end up with a circuit and another launch.  For a flight to be successful we must first think about where to go once we release the cable or tow plane.

Plan before Takeoff

There are those who are happy with a glider that is flown anywhere within the glider's center of gravity (CG) range, then there are the others, who think the glider performs best with the CofG as close to the rear limit permitted by the manufacturer. The question begs, which is correct, is there an optimum (& where is it?), finally, how does it affect the glider's performance & handling?

When soaring in the blue it’s time to develop your maximum sensitivity to what the glider is experiencing and make subtle changes of direction toward the areas that make a wing lift. While you will generally fly a straight course, the glider will always want to fly away from thermals so if you find one wing lifting slightly make a minor course correction toward the area that made it rise. Resist the

Thermal entry You're approaching an area of lift, you can either see it, or you can feel it approaching, you slow yourself down to heighten your senses, hear the air better, feel the wings coming alive, listen to that audio become more excited - but which way do you turn? How do you attack that area of lift?

Attack the Area of Lift