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GliderPilot · 09-24-2007, 02:21 PM

Okay, now to finish off answering the questions.

Q. What kind of weather is defined as good enough for 500km? What about 300km?

A. Gliders in straight and level flight are constantly descending, either in still air, or in the surrounding air that is descending itself. To remain airborne, a glider pilot must find air that is rising. When the sun heats up the earth’s surface, that heat is eventually released as rising air in what is known as a thermal. Glider pilots will search for thermals and turn tightly using high angles of bank to stay within the narrow columns of rising air. In this way they will gain height. The idea is to climb using thermals and then set off in search of lift in the direction that you want to go. When you contact another decent thermal, begin the process again. Cross country flying in gliders is like crossing a stream using stepping stones. The thermals are the stepping stones in the sky. In this way, we fly to a point known as a turn point, then set course for the next turn point, and then return to our place of departure. It doesn’t always work this way and sometimes a pilot will find themselves getting low and not finding lift. In this situation, we select a suitable farmers field, or convenient paddock or airstrip and land. To get back to our home airfield we either get a tow plane to areotow us out, or if that’s not possible, and this is the usual method of getting home, we get 2 or 3 helpers to drive out to us towing the glider trailer. The crew then remove the wings and tailplane, put it all in the trailer and then drive back to the airfield. Some gliders will stay in this “de-rigged” state in their trailer when not being used. Have you ever driven on a freeway/autobahn/motorway and seen a long, low tube like trailer behind a car? Probably a glider being retrieved from a “land out”.

09-24-2007, 02:21 PM	#7
GliderPilot Collector Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ENGLAND Posts: 448	Re: Dedicated to gliding and gliders Okay, now to finish off answering the questions. Q. What kind of weather is defined as good enough for 500km? What about 300km? A. Gliders in straight and level flight are constantly descending, either in still air, or in the surrounding air that is descending itself. To remain airborne, a glider pilot must find air that is rising. When the sun heats up the earth’s surface, that heat is eventually released as rising air in what is known as a thermal. Glider pilots will search for thermals and turn tightly using high angles of bank to stay within the narrow columns of rising air. In this way they will gain height. The idea is to climb using thermals and then set off in search of lift in the direction that you want to go. When you contact another decent thermal, begin the process again. Cross country flying in gliders is like crossing a stream using stepping stones. The thermals are the stepping stones in the sky. In this way, we fly to a point known as a turn point, then set course for the next turn point, and then return to our place of departure. It doesn’t always work this way and sometimes a pilot will find themselves getting low and not finding lift. In this situation, we select a suitable farmers field, or convenient paddock or airstrip and land. To get back to our home airfield we either get a tow plane to areotow us out, or if that’s not possible, and this is the usual method of getting home, we get 2 or 3 helpers to drive out to us towing the glider trailer. The crew then remove the wings and tailplane, put it all in the trailer and then drive back to the airfield. Some gliders will stay in this “de-rigged” state in their trailer when not being used. Have you ever driven on a freeway/autobahn/motorway and seen a long, low tube like trailer behind a car? Probably a glider being retrieved from a “land out”.