Quote:
Originally Posted by GliderPilot
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.
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Is thermal the same as updraft?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GliderPilot
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.
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Pardon me for asking, if a glider need to search for thermals for ascent, does that mean that there are elevators on a glider? What about other control surfaces like flaps and rudder? If there are no control surfaces, how do you make a bank? How do you control yaw, roll & pitch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GliderPilot
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.
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Do you guys get harrassed by farmers when landing on their fields?
What if you damaged their crops?