Soaring

[Salt]

I'm sure, and the real life goes on.
Towing in the usual way means noise, need of an airplane and a pilot.
OTOH hangars have a lot of space for photovoltaics on the roof.
And there are several offers (at least in europe and south africa) of gliders that can provide this.

 

[RayDunzl]

7.3 万次播放 · 7,383 个心情 | Come try towing they said, it’s going to be fun they said | Kristina Birikina

Come try towing they said, it’s going to be fun they said .

www.facebook.com

 

[Speedskater]

Do gliders show up on "Flight Tracker" type programs?

 

[RayDunzl]

Do gliders show up on "Flight Tracker" type programs?

Some do.

Those with ADSB transponders (expensive) will show on Flight Radar24 or FlightAware or other aviation trackers that monitor those tranmissions.

Someplace in the Netherlands tight now:

Others, like me, will show, if registered to show, and transmitting from a phone or other instrument. on sites lile www.glidertracker.de

Me, at my desk, phone transmitting location (with flight software running) not flying.

Some people download a log their flights, called an IGC file, afterwards ro www.onlinecontest.org

Some of yesterdays flights at OLC for the Seminole Lake contest.

And a newer site, WeGlide.org

 

[RayDunzl]

Some video from the contest Thursday.

Walk around the starting grid, watch a few launches, and watch the towplanes return to launch again.

HighRes available in the settings.

 

[RayDunzl]

Nice day Wednesday.

Blue sky with a little high cirrus and very distant cumulus (little tiny dot above the left center horizon) at start, about 1:30pm.

Got over 5000 feet soon after getting off tow (2000 feet).

Three hours later distant clouds had come within reach to the north.

High point of the flight 8121 feet per flight recorder. My personal record is 8509.

Here's just after the high point of the flight, at 6:00pm, looking west toward the Gulf of Whatever It Is Today.

From there, since it was already well past time to quit (Club "closes" at 5:00pm), started the glide to a landing. One or two others were still in the air.

Flew 55 miles without circling, and still had to "lose" a thousand feet to get down to the traffic pattern for the landing.

Five hours and nineteen minutes floating around, sometimes chasing other gliders.

The "final glide" the big loop around the southeast, no circling for more lift, just burning off the potential energy stored as altitude..

Last Wednesday got off tow and came right down for 12 minutes total.

Win some, lose some.

 

[RayDunzl]

Spring is the best soaring here. Lower humidity making high clouds. And Sea Breeze can provide a convergence area with long lines of lift.

Saw a hang glider nearby for the first time.

Don't know how he got up here, but he did.

Probably got a tow with an ultralight from Blackwater Creek (nearby) though I've never seen any activity there.

Looked like a bird, then a bird carrying a big fish, then a guy tucked into his bag under his wing (top left).

Seabreeze Convergence happens while the water in the Gulf of Whatever It Is Today is still much cooler than the air over the land. The giveaway is the lower clouds to the west.

The lower clouds are blowng in from the west, the higher clouds are part of an air mass moving from the east, so there's a lot of lift under the line of higher clouds near the lower clouds.

The more adventurous folks (I'm timid) with higher performing gliders (better than my antique) can follow the line a far as it goes.

Oh, yeah, that was a 5 1/2 hour flight.

Red is circing right, Green circling left, and blue is straight line or broad turns. The Sea Breeze stuff is at the end - long glides.

 

[Salt]

Hanggliders, as well as Paragliders (parachutes) use the same thermical conditions as gliders. Assuming, their minimum sinking rate would be 2 m/s and the upwards stream provides more than that, with that fine stable cumuli and 1 or 2 m/s on the vario, they can go that high of course.
Same physics for all

 

[Sal1950]

Oh, yeah, that was a 5 1/2 hour flight.

Really, wow, yea, I can see it on your color graph.
I never imagined you could stay up that long.
I see you have a air speed gauge in MPH and were currently running about 55mph.
I'm curious as to what was the highest speed you've seen?
Enjoy your self and be safe.
Sal

 

[RayDunzl]

I'm curious as to what was the highest speed you've seen?

It begins to not fly around 40mph. Gets mushy then "stalls".

The never exceed speed for my old glider is 139mph. Structural limitation.

My top speed around 120mph. I lose altitude quickly going downhill enough to get that fast.

I'll "call it a day" and do 100 mph into the landing pattern from some high point when the opportunity presents itself. Like below:

The legal speed limit per regulattions is 287 mph (below 10,000 feet).

There's not much sensation of speed, since there usually isn't anything whizzing past the window. Noise is about the same as a car with the drivers window open a little.

 

[Sal1950]

It begins to not fly around 40mph. Gets mushy then "stalls".

The never exceed speed for my old glider is 139mph. Structural limitation.

My top speed around 120mph. I lose altitude quickly going downhill enough to get that fast.

I'll "call it a day" and do 100 mph into the landing pattern from some high point when the opportunity presents itself. Like below:

The legal speed limit per regulattions is 287 mph (below 10,000 feet).

There's not much sensation of speed, since there usually isn't anything whizzing past the window. Noise is about the same as a car with the drivers window open a little.

Great, thanks for the response partner.
See ya soon

 

[DonH56]

It begins to not fly around 40mph. Gets mushy then "stalls".

The never exceed speed for my old glider is 139mph. Structural limitation.

My top speed around 120mph. I lose altitude quickly going downhill enough to get that fast.

I'll "call it a day" and do 100 mph into the landing pattern from some high point when the opportunity presents itself. Like below:

The legal speed limit per regulattions is 287 mph (below 10,000 feet).

There's not much sensation of speed, since there usually isn't anything whizzing past the window. Noise is about the same as a car with the drivers window open a little.

One thing I am curious about is how hard it is to see other aircraft since I assume you are under VFR? How crowded is the airspace? I'd be really nervous about missing a nearby aircraft.

 

[RayDunzl]

One thing I am curious about is how hard it is to see other aircraft since I assume you are under VFR? How crowded is the airspace? I'd be really nervous about missing a nearby aircraft.

After thinking about that for a while...

It's pretty rare to see other aircraft at all, much less any posing a threat. Not like being on the road at all.

I can only remember 3 instances where it could have been a problem, out of 900+ hours and 450+ flights.

Near the airport the power guys are usually well below, landing or taking off, using the other runway (there are two). Busier in the mornings before we get started.

The skydive planes bend the rules, they want to get up (as high as 14,500 feet) and down as quickly as possible, and they do come down fast. They announce their intentions. We share a runway with them. Rarely another plane will use "our" runway, as all the facilities are on the other side a mile away.

Them flying that high keeps the airliners away.

If I go west, I'll see airliners headed to Tampa, they're above 6000 feet and I'm below in that area. They are allowed and I'm not, in the Tampa Class B Airspace.

I'll do one takeoff and one landing in a day. So unless I get low and might have to land, traffic in and out of the airport is no problem.

For folks cruising by, the little planes tend to fly lowish, as it takes fuel to go uphill, and the faster/distance people tend to be above the bumps (where we fly) or much higher.

So, it's not like it's a problem, but could be.

Gliders have the "right of way" over power planes.

Scan the horizon - they can't hit you if they are higher or lower, and there is a lot of room out there. If they are going up or coming down, that's an exception.

Gliders will fly together sometimes, if that counts. I like to join up when I (pccasionally) see one and I'm not trying to go someplace.

---

Saturday afternoon got nearly an hour cruising (no circling for lift, broad turns are "straight") under the clouds that became almost big enough to rain.

Flying at 5000 feet and rising 400 feet per minute here, following the western edge of that line of clouds headed south. The airport is at the left edge.

Longest glides

Four hour flight, don't remember seeing any other planes "up there".

Did fly with another glider for a bit, at the end of the day.

 

[RayDunzl]

Glider Classifieds, sorted by Price.

I wouldn't mind moving upscale a bit.

I gave $12k for mine with its trailer, for reference.

Classifieds for gliders and sailplanes for sale

Find your next sailplane on Wings & Wheels classifieds. There are listings for Schempp-Hirth, Schleicher, Jokers, HpH Sailplanes, Schweizer gliders and more for sale. New and used sailplanes | gliders.

wingsandwheels.com

Some have motors, some capable of self launch, some just able to keep you airborne if you need it sometime.

Classifieds for motorgliders and sailplanes for sale

Motorglider listings on Wings & Wheels classifieds. find listings for Schempp-Hirth, Schleicher, Jokers, HpH Sailplanes, Schweizer gliders and more for sale. New and used sailplanes | gliders.

wingsandwheels.com

Those tend to be just a bit more expensive.

Keeping an eye out for something to come along.

Need to install the trailer hitch I bought on the car so i could go an' git it.

Then might get more anxious.

Or not.

 

[Salt]

One thing I am curious about is how hard it is to see other aircraft since I assume you are under VFR? How crowded is the airspace? I'd be really nervous about missing a nearby aircraft.

Our planes (sail and motor) are equipped with FLARM , that alarms if an other airplane comes close and displays the direction and altitude (above/beneath/same).

 

[RayDunzl]

One thing I am curious about is how hard it is to see other aircraft since I assume you are under VFR? How crowded is the airspace? I'd be really nervous about missing a nearby aircraft.

Spotted one yesterday.

It's the only one in that 3 1/2 hour flight that I didn't expect to see.

Another that elicited some "I don't see you" after hearing a radio call:

I'm on downwind and descending, about 500 feet above the ground, and hear a glider announce "right base". So he's doing an abbreviated pattern - no entry, no downwind, direct to base leg from the "wrong" direction (was head-on). Now that I see him I give him #1 to land, and I extend my descent - take out the flaps, delay my base turn and let him get 30 seconds (1/2 mile) or so ahead.

And land behind.

I still have about 400 feet of air under me, and 6000 feet of runway ahead.

There's no "go around" with a glider.

If he stops on the runway I can land short, land past him, or land on the grass to the right of the runway. I expect him to exit the runway a little past the treeline on the left.

We have students (I was one) and low-time pilots (maybe I'm still one) using the club, so, just deal with whatever comes along. Try to pick the safest alternatives, try to leave yourself time and air for the unexpected.

And there he is as I roll past and into the grass.

 

[RayDunzl]

One thing I am curious about is how hard it is to see other aircraft since I assume you are under VFR? How crowded is the airspace? I'd be really nervous about missing a nearby aircraft.

Rainy Season here in Central Florida.

There can be a lot of lift, and long straight line (well, no tight circling) glides.

Had a passenger for a while:

Here's a daily Amazon flight that may (or not) come through "our" airspace, just emerging from the clouds, about 700 feet above ,e, on its way to a landing at Lakeland, about 13 miles south of Zephyrhills.

It comes through between 2:30 and 3:30 (or takes a very different route, depending on its course from Baltimore).

I could read the livery, though the camera isn't sharp enough to catch it.

Sharing some shade with a Bald Eagle...

 

[Sal1950]

Rainy Season here in Central Florida

With our area here in C F being lightning capitol of the US, do you have any conserns over it?
The clouds in your second and third photos appear a bit threatning.

 

[RayDunzl]

With our area here in C F being lightning capitol of the US, do you have any conserns over it?
The clouds in your second and third photos appear a bit threatning.

If the showers are small, just keep an eye on them.

A little bigger, still fine if you can see through them.

When they get serious, I estimate a ten mile distance based on what's on the ground in that direction.

It also gives the wind direction and speed - when it start to change and a storm is threatening it is time to land.

Airport Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) will give a lightning report - distant is still cool. Zephyrhills AWOS is 118.975 mHz on the radio or 813-780-0031 on a phone.

These are small, and about 5 miles out, and not making any wind.

A half hour later they weakened, though a little closer.

If the whole sky is gray in the distance, that's another matter.

If you can't see past the bottom of the clouds (and it isn't just a hazy day) it's rain.

Below is within my 10 mile radius, and weather probably reported changing/increasing wind (and maybe lightning).

Going down at 80mph and at only 1500 feet so I'm on my way to a landing.

There's good lift to be had as the storms move the air around. Cool air comes down with the rain and displaces war air upwards around the edges.

There's lots of lift under big clouds for long straight-line glides.

 

[Sal1950]

If the showers are small, just keep an eye on them.

A little bigger, still fine if you can see through them.

When they get serious, I estimate a ten mile distance based on what's on the ground in that direction.

Thanks bud for the input. Since I had a near strike take out about $10k in gear here a few years back, the summer storm season keeps my mind
thinking of the risks. I'd like to put up outdoor antenna's for OTA TV and some other stuff but I'll just take a pass on that.
Be safe Ray.