Any glider pilots out there?

[Onan the Clumsy]

I gave this a bash once as well.

I didn't really care for it until someone showed me the proper way to thermal. Once I unlearned powered flight and turning I was a lot more successful and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Bloody hot in Texas though.

[-IBLB-]

there is quite a bit of good glider flying going on, did a few flights when i was there.

It's alot of fun, i desperately want to get back in it again.

Will you be pursuing it?

[Onan the Clumsy]

I did for a while, but the older I get, then more I want to just potter around in the garden and the thought of driving 50 minutes to the airport seems offputting. How sad is that?


Plus it's the same airport as the dz, so if I make it out there, it's usually to fly jumpers.

[Belgique]

Fascinating

a. Use an audio variometer?

b. Use the most expensive air data computer money could buy?

c. Keep the yaw-string pointing at the thermal

d. Recognize the top of the thermal and leave

e. always drop your water on the bloke below you

f. Use flaperons only

g. turn inside the other guy (always use more bank than him anyway)

h. Centre accurately by varying the bank angle assiduously as the vario tone varies

i. Use the Ingo Renner method (aggressive rolling pull-up into a rising audio tone) - but though I followed him and Maury often I never did figure which way to roll. It must be instinctive.

j. Always go through a start-gate at VNe + 60 kts (it's worth a 45 second lead)

k. Don't highly polish the wings and tailplane, sand them with the lightest grade paper and then wash with a pure detergent.

l. Eliminate air-scoops and fit an electric fan

m. Carry max legal water plus 150lbs (need a high pressure water pump). Use heavy water.

n. Leave the tail-dolly on for all your practise flights (makes it so much easier on race days when you fly without it - particularly resolves the ground looping grande finale)


But I'm sure I missed something really critical - so pls tell me.

[Onan the Clumsy]

Well, I just meant the glider is supposed to go up really.

[nick14]

Im currently doing training in the uk. Its good fun actually. Last time we were winched we hit a thermal at 1500 and took it all the way up to 3500 but had to exit the climb because we climbed into clouds and were not permitted to cloud fly!
Dam english weather gotta love it.

Nick

[TheShadow]

Couldn't agree more with point k.

Highly polished wings through a rain-shower leaves a highly-polished wing covered with drops and you instantly lose half your glide performance -as well as 5kts of minimum thermalling speed. It's like having three flattened bugs per square inch.

Smoothly roughened plus dried detergent is the only answer.

Once went cloud flying with a turn and slip that'd had the pos/neg power hookup reversed. That sure smartened up my learning curve. Went out and bought an ex-Lightning Ferranti Mk 6 AH after that (and I've still got it - going cheap if anybody wants one). Wifey made me sell my super sailplane to buy her a new car.

[OpenCirrus619]

Think the username says it all. :cool:

The best bit is the cost per hour. Since the glider is paid for, and insurance is a fixed cost, I like to work on the basis of:
cost of launch / length of flight = cost per hour
So a 4 hour flight on Sunday, off a 1500' aerotow, worked out at £4.65 per hour. :ok:

Just remember: There's no place like cloudbase

P.S. Although if I include the insurance, since I've not done a lot of gliding this year, Sundays flying worked out more like £46.50 per hour. :\

[Milt]

When were the stoppers applied to flying gliders in cloud over the UK?

Launched out of Farnborough in the mid 50s and found a nice growing Cu. Up and Up until the unmistakeable noise of 4 engine/props persisted in coming closer. Straightened up and desperately wanted to get out of the cloud but not before a huge noise went swishing by accompanied by my big sigh of relief.

I'll bet that noisy thing didn't file a flight plan. Nor did I!!!

[Go Smoke]

When were the stoppers applied to flying gliders in cloud over the UK?
It hasn't been stopped Milt.

Still regularly take cloud climbs.

GS

[Parapunter]

String bags. That's the answer. Get a Paraglider & you'll not go wrong. Most of the world distance records are now set in Texas dintcha know?

[Onan the Clumsy]

That's cos everything's bigger in Texas :p

[low n' slow]

For you who find it difficult to center in the thermal, try this:

Oce you read a positive climb on the vario, fly straight ahead for roughly 3 seconds. Then turn into the wing that lifted when you entered the thermal or initiate the turn in the direction where you think you have the most part of the thermal. Chances are that you entered a bit offset from center and this will cause the wing closest to the center to rise. Make a complete 360. Note when the ROC is the worst. At these points, look into the wing and take out a landmark on your wingtop position. When passing this landmark in the turn, go straight for roughly 3 seconds and start turning again. This will after a turn or two center you in the thermal and you'll maximise your ROC.

That's the scientific and technical way to do it. To really maximise your flying, rely on your gut feeling if you have one...

/lns

[captain coldfront]

low' n' slow, and anyone else who finds it difficult to centre, it is!
The answer is in the clouds. Learn to look up and read what they say and you will eventualy find centering a doddle.
Go to where you think the core is by looking at what's above you and you will increasingly find you are right.

Bon vol.

[Onan the Clumsy]

I just used to wait until I had three or four turkey buzzards roosting on my wing.

[mikepops]

Now club single seat gliders have to be insured against hijacking!:confused: