Basics of Thermal Flying
by Jeff Greenbaum ( http://www.paragliding-lessons.com )
This article is intended to provide some basic techniques for ascending in thermals. It will also add some discussion of where to look for thermal triggers. The article Flight Plans and Primary Flight...
read article ....Thermal Lore :: Dennis Pagen
Thermal Lore
by Dennis Pagen (copyright © 2002), published in USHPA’s publication “Paragliding” November 2002 ( http://www.ushpa.aero/ )
/uploads/thermal_lore_pt1.pdf
by Dennis Pagen (copyright © 2002), published in USHPA’s publication “Paragliding” November 2002 ( http://www.ushpa.aero/ )
/uploads/thermal_lore_pt1.pdf
Hone the feeling :: Rob Whittall
Hone the feeling
by Rob Whittall ( http://www.flyozone.com )
Last year I lost my vario and just never got round to getting another. In the beginning I missed it and realised just how much I depended on it to help me but now I love flying without one and I have no intension of getting another.
by Rob Whittall ( http://www.flyozone.com )
Last year I lost my vario and just never got round to getting another. In the beginning I missed it and realised just how much I depended on it to help me but now I love flying without one and I have no intension of getting another.
Follow the drift of a thermal :: Wayne Hobbs
Follow the drift of a thermal
by Wayne Hobbs
I noticed part of the way through the flight that I would be in lift with other gliders above me. Then, after a few turns I lost the thermal and noticed the other gliders were now way above me and quite a bit downwind. I may have been too focused on staying upwind of the field to let myself drift back with the thermal but I...
by Wayne Hobbs
I noticed part of the way through the flight that I would be in lift with other gliders above me. Then, after a few turns I lost the thermal and noticed the other gliders were now way above me and quite a bit downwind. I may have been too focused on staying upwind of the field to let myself drift back with the thermal but I...
How to thermal better? :: Jay Rebbeck
How to thermal better?
by Jay Rebbeck
So you've found your climb – now what's the best way to use it ? Jay Rebbeck explains.
Centering thermals efficiently, and climbing quickly, are probably the most fundamental skills you need to soar successfully. Even a small improvement in your technique could easily mean an extra few hundred feet in every...
by Jay Rebbeck
So you've found your climb – now what's the best way to use it ? Jay Rebbeck explains.
Centering thermals efficiently, and climbing quickly, are probably the most fundamental skills you need to soar successfully. Even a small improvement in your technique could easily mean an extra few hundred feet in every...
Natural Thermalling - What is it ? :: Bomber
Natural Thermalling - What is it ?
by Bomber, Western Soarers HG Club
Have you ever wondered when you hear the likes of Thomas Suchaneck talk about natural climbers like Manfred Rumour and Larry Tudor what he’s talking about? Ever wondered why an eagle can centre quickly in lift and rise above you within a few turns?
On a flight back from the...
by Bomber, Western Soarers HG Club
Have you ever wondered when you hear the likes of Thomas Suchaneck talk about natural climbers like Manfred Rumour and Larry Tudor what he’s talking about? Ever wondered why an eagle can centre quickly in lift and rise above you within a few turns?
On a flight back from the...
The Role of Water :: Peter Gray
The Role of Water
by Peter Gray
The article on thermal myths briefly discusses a notion that has floated around (sorry) about water being a good thing for making thermals, because water vapor is lighter than air. Adapted from the article:
For example, a letter published in the April 2000 Hang Gliding magazine claims that a benefit of plowed versus...
by Peter Gray
The article on thermal myths briefly discusses a notion that has floated around (sorry) about water being a good thing for making thermals, because water vapor is lighter than air. Adapted from the article:
For example, a letter published in the April 2000 Hang Gliding magazine claims that a benefit of plowed versus...
Response to Peter Gray's "Cooling Some Thermal Superstitions" :: ...
Response to Peter Gray's "Cooling Some Thermal Superstitions"
by Dennis Pagen
Let me respond to my respected friend and old colleague, Peter Gray and his article in the Dec. 2001 Hang Gliding and Dec. 2001 Paragliding. Peter performs an exhausting study of some of the physics describing thermals and their behavior, then concludes that our popular concept of “thermal...
by Dennis Pagen
Let me respond to my respected friend and old colleague, Peter Gray and his article in the Dec. 2001 Hang Gliding and Dec. 2001 Paragliding. Peter performs an exhausting study of some of the physics describing thermals and their behavior, then concludes that our popular concept of “thermal...
Cooling Some Thermal Superstitions :: Peter Gray
Cooling Some Thermal Superstitions
by Peter Gray
"I swear by tractor thermals," my friend Scott Rutledge, ace Chelan XC pilot, said two years ago, "I just fly from tractor to tractor. It works every time."
"Every time?"
"Well, maybe not every time, but."
A few days later, I had my longest open-distance Chelan flight to that date, naturally the day...
by Peter Gray
"I swear by tractor thermals," my friend Scott Rutledge, ace Chelan XC pilot, said two years ago, "I just fly from tractor to tractor. It works every time."
"Every time?"
"Well, maybe not every time, but."
A few days later, I had my longest open-distance Chelan flight to that date, naturally the day...
To Stop and Thermal, or Not to Stop - that is the question? :: Bomber
To Stop and Thermal, or Not to Stop - that is the question?
by Bomber, Western Soarers HG Club
Have you ever been faced with the situation when flying head wind and you've hit lift and wondered if its worth stopping to climb in? Well I have.
I have experienced this competing in the two previous WA State Comps and found myself leaving 3 m/s (600 fpm)...
by Bomber, Western Soarers HG Club
Have you ever been faced with the situation when flying head wind and you've hit lift and wondered if its worth stopping to climb in? Well I have.
I have experienced this competing in the two previous WA State Comps and found myself leaving 3 m/s (600 fpm)...
How to survive thermalling in crowds? :: Joe Greblo
How to survive thermalling in crowds?
by Joe Greblo ( http://www.windsports.com )
Kagel Mountain, world famous for its consistent soaring conditions, is equally famous for its crowded airspace. Many who fly here will agree that during crowded conditions it is very difficult to relax and enjoy a...
by Joe Greblo ( http://www.windsports.com )
Kagel Mountain, world famous for its consistent soaring conditions, is equally famous for its crowded airspace. Many who fly here will agree that during crowded conditions it is very difficult to relax and enjoy a...
Turning in circles :: Greg Hamerton
Turning in circles
by Greg Hamerton ( http://eternitypress.co.za/freshair )
Twisting, turning, bucking, banking, spinning, and spiralling up to the sky .. everyone seems to have their own style, a characteristic way of moving through the air. I am also learning how to fly in the...
by Greg Hamerton ( http://eternitypress.co.za/freshair )
Twisting, turning, bucking, banking, spinning, and spiralling up to the sky .. everyone seems to have their own style, a characteristic way of moving through the air. I am also learning how to fly in the...
Thermalling :: Greg Hamerton
Thermalling
by Greg Hamerton ( http://eternitypress.co.za/freshair )
Those elusive magical bubbles of lift! They slip through your gliders lines like hot sand through big fingers. They vanish in a puff of warm air. But sometimes they can be the greatest friends, lifting you to...
by Greg Hamerton ( http://eternitypress.co.za/freshair )
Those elusive magical bubbles of lift! They slip through your gliders lines like hot sand through big fingers. They vanish in a puff of warm air. But sometimes they can be the greatest friends, lifting you to...
Zen and the Art of Circles Pt 2 :: Bob Drury
Zen and the Art of Circles Pt 2 :: Bob Drury ( http://www.xcmag.com/ )
It’s one of the most sensorially exciting moments in any pilot’s life. I doubt if anyone who’s experienced it could ever forget it. Your heart pounds, your palms sweat and your mouth goes dry. The brake lines snap tight and the force of...
It’s one of the most sensorially exciting moments in any pilot’s life. I doubt if anyone who’s experienced it could ever forget it. Your heart pounds, your palms sweat and your mouth goes dry. The brake lines snap tight and the force of...
Zen and the Art of Circles Pt 1 :: Bob Drury
My own initiation in to the black art of thermalling began on my tenth flight. Stood on a take-off in France, my mentor Keith gave me a thorough briefing. “When your vario starts beeping, count to four and crank on one brake.” Armed with this precious jewel I launched into the midday thermals and was blasted upward in a straight line counting slowly in my head. On four I choose my direction...
