- Everything you've ever wanted to know about the wind.
- Gliders are just another kind of ultralight, right?
- You've given three methods that typically keep a glider in the air. Are there others?
- What is the highest/furthest/fastest anyone has ever gone in a glider?
- C'mon, how can "rising currents of air" keep a heavy glider in the sky?
- Can the secret to soaring really be found in the lava lamp?
- What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Well, perhaps not everything, but the relationship of wind to soaring is the most misunderstood aspect of the sport. Every pilot is guaranteed to get a question about the wind at least once – usually after telling friends about his or her new hobby. Below is a compendium of answers to the most common (and not-so-common) questions asked.
No…the wind does not need to be blowing for the glider to take off.
No…the glider will not fall if the wind stops.
No…the glider does not need wind to stay aloft, but
Yes…wind is necessary if the pilot intends to do ridge or wave soaring.
No…the glider does not go where the wind carries it, like a balloon (a glider can move independently of wind, as can all aircraft).
Yes…wind can turn a good soaring day into a great one. Thermals are sometimes aligned by wind into "streets," making soaring almost effortless.
Yes…all pilots need to be acutely aware of the wind at all times. It's one of the most critical variables in flying.
Not even close. Ultralights (and their cousins the hang-glider and paraglider) are smaller, lightweight, typically open-structured aircraft designed for easy portability and storage. Gliders are a category of airplane certified by the FAA, and have features more commonly associated with aircraft (enclosed cockpits and the use of control surfaces on wings and tail). The aeronautical performance of gliders well exceeds that of even the best ultralight.
Yes, but not for the faint of heart or thin of wallet. Some other aspects of soaring for which "experimental" is an understatement include:
- Dynamic soaring. Taking advantage of wind shear (a sudden change in wind speed over a short distance), pilots can "steal" enough energy to stay aloft. Requires optimum conditions and maneuvers of the type guaranteed to test the integrity of the aircraft. A little-known and very rare form of soaring indeed.
- Ride the Polar Vortex. For the ultimate thrill, readers are advised to contact the Perlan Project and hitch a ride. This group, originally led by Steve Fossett, is attempting to use a global phenomenon known as the Polar Vortex to fly a glider to 100,000(!) feet. This is well above the operational limits of even the famed U2 and SR-71, and, if successful, would qualify the humble glider as the highest continuous-flying aircraft in the world.
Much more than you may think. For those who still don't believe soaring is real flying, consider the following world records. (Editor's note: many have questioned the validity of the duration flight below. Proof is now included.)
- Highest altitude: 50,722 feet (Commercial jets typically fly around 35,000 ft.)
- Furthest distance: 1,870 miles
- Fastest speed (fixed course): 154.8 mph
- Longest duration: 57 hours 10 minutes (Yes, without landing. And not a rest stop in sight, either.) [verify]
Admittedly, most pilots are content with figures a bit lower than these.
Exactly the same way rising currents keep a 500 ton cloud in the sky. (Yup. A good-sized cloud created by a strong thermal weighs about this much.) The mechanism keeping both aloft is exactly the same: the cloud is in air rising faster than its water droplets are falling, while the sailplane pilot stays in air rising faster than the glider is descending.
One member of Sandhill has formulated the "lava lamp theory": the belief that the formation and structure of thermals can be deduced by watching a lava lamp. While resulting in many ’60s flashbacks, putting this theory into practice has proved difficult (extension cords of sufficient length being hard to find). We'll keep the soaring community apprised of any progress in this area.
African or European?
The answer to this question that has vexed mankind for centuries: 24 miles per hour for the European variety, as related in this article. This is significantly slower than the airspeed velocity of an unladen glider, which is left as an inducement for prospective Sandhill members to discover firsthand.
Fly and you will catch the swallow.
~ James Howell, Proverbs, 1659