Horrible instructor!
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: UK
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Happily this thread has drifted nicely!
Meanwhile I have done a bit of flying in their a/c and plan a lot more. The flying is fantastic. Wx and scenery are amazing. I am often the only a/c on any given frequency, so I get undivided attention from friendly and helpful ATCs - even though I sometimes have to wake them from a siesta.
As promised, here are some pictures to warm-up you folk in a grey autumnal UK. A virtual beer to anyone who can identify the location(s)
<snip>
One thing that really strikes me is how incredibly stable the a/c is while over the sea. Especially on a hot day, I am used to very bumpy air. But over the sea it is rock steady; I can trim it and not touch anything for minutes on end. There is always a 10-15Kn breeze blowing from the ocean, that makes for some interesting effects on land with powerful up and down drafts around hills, and general bumpiness over any features, but over the sea it's perfectly calm.
Meanwhile I have done a bit of flying in their a/c and plan a lot more. The flying is fantastic. Wx and scenery are amazing. I am often the only a/c on any given frequency, so I get undivided attention from friendly and helpful ATCs - even though I sometimes have to wake them from a siesta.
As promised, here are some pictures to warm-up you folk in a grey autumnal UK. A virtual beer to anyone who can identify the location(s)
<snip>
One thing that really strikes me is how incredibly stable the a/c is while over the sea. Especially on a hot day, I am used to very bumpy air. But over the sea it is rock steady; I can trim it and not touch anything for minutes on end. There is always a 10-15Kn breeze blowing from the ocean, that makes for some interesting effects on land with powerful up and down drafts around hills, and general bumpiness over any features, but over the sea it's perfectly calm.
In summer yes, it's more stable over the sea as thermals aren't generated (though one will gradually die as it drifts out to sea), but that's not necessarily the case in winter when the water is warmer than the air. I know a chap who used to work on oil rigs and was on a helicopter that flew under one, he was terrified - he's an excellent glider pilot so knows the score about thermals. I also see them sometimes out over the sea.
You can even get some bumpiness due to land features. Another excellent glider pilot observed from satellite imagery that wave bars can extend well over the north sea, so set & flew a task accordingly.
Last edited by double_barrel; 10th Oct 2020 at 09:16.
