wind

Editor: In Outlanding Techniques, Part 1 Roy wrote about landouts at private and small airports. Let's read on as we look into the possibilities of off-airport landings.

Cultivated farm fields

The optimum farm

Katabatic Wind

Have you ever heard of the term “mountain wind” or “drainage wind”?  If you have this may help you put a ‘face’ to the name of the term Katabatic Winds.  It can also be called a “gully wind”, those living at the bottom of the hills will be very familiar with the rather cool and sometimes

We all like a light to moderate wind day because it’s beneficial for the generation of thermals and it’s relatively predictable.  On strong wind days though, we tend to leave the hangar doors closed because they break the thermals up and can be harder to find, especially near the ground!  The good thing is that even on these days, the hot air still sticks to the ground as they

Thermals are certainly strange creatures.  One day they can be big, round, and smooth, the next they’ll be tight with multiple cores, the next day, there will be sink in the area that was constantly lifting the day before!  This can bring frustration, but also lots of satisfaction when we start to build up our experience and start to be able to harness mother natures energy to our advantage.

How do we find the best lift? Somehow or another we need to imagine or judge what the invisible world of all those air currents are doing around us and what they actually look like. How do we learn?  It’s by reading every piece of literature on the subject, talking with friends, and experiencing.  Analyze all the clues available to us, on the ground or air, then piece them all together,

Big and high cumulus days are super fun, especially when all the ducks line up.  That’s the trick, to figure out the day's pattern so that they (ducks) do, as it is on every day and flight.  However, when we fly under large cumulus clouds, it requires a different tact at the day.  Instead of looking down, we must look up, this is to get all available cues from the clouds ahead.  The

Editors Note: Even when taking precautions tow out gear accidents happen. A report from this accident pictured above. " I heard a metallic sound and saw a wing lift in the rearview mirror, so stopped the pickup. Immediately its left-wing smashed against the tailgate while the tail went swiftly past the driver-side window and slammed into the front fender. Putting this together analytically, a powerful

Searching the sky for the best lift is endlessly challenging. Decision-making is essentially a three-stage procedure. Firstly, continually analyze all relevant factors – the wind, sun, ground surface, and the shape and texture of the clouds throughout the flight. Secondly, use all your experience of ridges, convergence, wave, thunderstorms to process this information. Then try to build a mental picture