jetranger-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

I'm at the top of Maine and after 5 o'clock the wind is DEAD calm, and I mean DEAD. I get the glider up electric to about 800 feet. After 4-5 minutes it's back down. Back when I lived in R. I. Had no trouble finding them. If the air is this dead could there be a lack of thermals. Been this way all summer so far.

da Rock

Look at it from a different perspective.

When a thermal lifts off, it often creates ground flow toward where it's lifting off. You can often tell when and where a close thermal is going up by feeling a breeze in that direction. Since you aren't feeling any ground flow, what does that say about the thremal activity? Ain't none......

And another perspective: For every UP, there is usually about 2 to 3 times the DOWN. And the air going up is warmer, while the air going down is colder. And colder air moves along the ground heading for lower ground. So if there is any down, there has to be up, and if there's down you'll feel it heading farther down. And if you don't feel any air going downhill, there wasn't any coming down from above, and there wouldn't be any that was going up.

da Rock

One thing I noticed over the years was that a lot of glider fliers really don't pay attention to the light breezes. Heck, the firebreathing competitive fliers pay attention to air nobody in their right mind would call "breezes".

I noticed that when those guys beat my brains out on calm days. And started paying attention to any and all air movement. And noticed that days I used to call calm weren't actually dead still.

You ain't gonna find no boomers on calm days, but there is lift if you feel ground movement.

Aquila223

Have a shave before you go thermal flying, you'll feel the draughts better.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

You have to be patient in calm air.

Make sure the ship is trimmed and keep your mits off the sticks and let the airplane find the lift. And of course lighter is better, dont know what you're flying but something with the weight of electrics isnt going to fly calm air as well as a similar size plane off a high start or winch.

slopemeno

My Feedback: (2)

Try flying after 12:00 noon. THATS when the air is rising, AKA the noon balloon. I used to fly after work and my experience was pretty much the same as yours- 5 minute sled rides.

We fly slope at inland spots where the windspeed can be 20 mph and still hook huge themals. Bent over, strung out thermals, but strong.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Boy I had a kickin flight today.

17 seconds of motor time, 44 minute flight. Got tired of standing in the sun, popped the crow and circled down and landed so I could cool off and get some water.

Jimmbbo

Good points...

Something else to consider is whether the air temp today is cooler than it was yesterday... If a cool air mass moves in over relatively warm ground (solar energy absorption is about the same from day to day), you're gonna have an unstable air condition, with thermals rising as the surface heat tries to escape... Conversely, if today is warmer than yesterday, the thermals have less of a reason to go to work...

Cheers!

Jim

Propwash in Pa

Dead calm??? Time to fly the Hog Bipe.

Just remember our moto - "our windsock is a chain"