Glider pilots discovered thermals in the 1930’s, and much of the current theory of soaring flight has been well understood since the 1950’s. A vast body of “skylore” languishes in out-of-print books, back issues of flying magazines, and the minds of old timers.
I’ve spent countless (unflyable!) hours digging out scraps of this knowledge on the internet. The articles linked here are the best I’ve found.
Skywatch - Tom Bradbury (pt1) (pt 2)
Bradbury is known in paragliding circles for his book ‘Meterology and Flight’, but his articles published in Sailplane & Gliding are the real gems. Skywatch describes thermals and cumulus clouds, suggests where to find the best lift, and notes unhelpful clouds and areas to avoid.
Skywatch was serialized in Cross Country Magazine (10 parts from issue 49), and the version linked here was published by the Soaring Association of Canada in their magazine, Free Flight.
Free Flight re-published numerous Bradbury articles; highly recommended are: Finding lift, Evolution and decay of cumulus, Cumulus spreadout, All about thermals, and Thermalling in the blue. All these and more are also accessible from the search page of Free Flight, and there’s a good summary article here.
Getting to the core of clouds - John Coutts
Techniques for searching under cumulus differ according to the size of the cloud. (First published in Sailplane and Gliding Jun/Jul 2000).
Cross country basics - Jay Rebbeck
4 part series first published in Sailplane & Gliding Dec 2000 / Jan 2001, pieced together from various sources:
- Reading the sky ahead Overview of where to find lift, and long-, medium- and short term decisions
- How to thermal better Clarifies the apparent contradiction of “tighten on the surge” and “widen out in the strongest lift”
- Searching the sky Further notes on searching for lift
- Getting your soaring up to speed Choosing the best gliding speed
Lowdown on the Alps - William Malpas (pt1) (pt2)
Introducing the main micro-climates of the Alps and the concept of thermodynamic lift—how to find it, and how to fly in it. Written as a primer for glider pilots inexperienced in Alpine conditions.
Flying in the lee - Bruce Goldsmith
Factors to consider when assessing the safety of a lee-side. Vital information for Alpine flying.
Low loss flying - George Moffatt
Double World Champion Moffatt has written at length on the tactics and psychology of competition. This article on how to go faster by minimizing small errors also features in his book, Winning II.
How to fly faster - Dave Masson
How to increase your average climb rate—and speed/distance—by thinking ahead.
Flying further and faster - Maurice Bradney
An 84 page collection of lecture notes. Standout chapter on thermal structure and the daily thermal cycle based on material by double world champion Ingo Renner.
Fundamentals of Convection - Robert Dorning (pt1) (pt2) (pt3)
An Australian meteorologist takes a more technical look at soundings. Notes on the nocturnal inversion and daily thermal cycle, the superadiabatic layer, and (pre-RASP!) thermal and cloudbase forecasting.
Thermals - Will Gadd
3 part thermalling series dealing with ground sources, cloud reading and thermalling technique. If you took aside the ex-holder of the paragliding world record in the pub and pumped him for tips, you’d get this.
In Gadd’s words: “Finally, all of the above writing is just my own theory based off sailplane books, conversations with other pilots and personal experience. What really matters is your own theory; question it and refine it continuously for best results.”.
Further information
Forget the net! Think books and mags (best value: out-of-print sailplane books and back issues of mags on eBay), or better still—just fly, fly, fly.
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