Soaring and Cross Country Flying - Black Mountains … · Soaring and Cross Country Flying...
Transcript of Soaring and Cross Country Flying - Black Mountains … · Soaring and Cross Country Flying...
Soaring and Cross Country Flying Presentation to Black Mountains Gliding Club
Andy Davis 21st March 2015
Introduction
Assumptions – basic knowledge of thermalling, Macready, navigation, airspace and gadgets
PART 1 - Thermal Soaring - expanding on John Clark’s and Mike Tomlinson’s 2013 presentation
PART 2 - General Cross Country Flying…..
• Preparation
• Top Tips and Common Errors
• Interactive Q&A
LOOKOUT
• FLARM is not a substitute for good lookout
• LOOK BEFORE TURNING by turning your head BEFORE moving the stick – to the SIDE and UP
• TRIM
• Maintain a regular lookout while turning – scan horizon both into turn and ahead
• LOOK OUTSIDE THE TURN before STRAIGHTENING / RECENTRING
• LOOK OUTSIDE THE TURN AND BELOW BEFORE LEAVING
HANDLING
• 30 deg bank minimum
• Consistent 40 – 45 deg bank desirable
• ATTITUDE, TRIM, AIRSPEED, ATTITUDE
• SENSES – FEEL, HEAR, OBSERVE – LOOK OUT • SPEED APPROPRIATE
• CIRCLE BOTH WAYS
LOCATION
• Cloud, Sun, Wind, Surface, Slope, Shadow, Convergence, Birds, Smoke, Wave, Ridge etc
• Mental Model
• Cloud Recognition
• Trigger Points
• Walk in the woods
• Observation
• Fly sensitively
Airmass Models
Unstable Airmass / Long Lived Thermals
• Considerable thermal depth
• Thermal column is substantially vertical
• Long lived regenerating clouds
• Polar Air (W, NW, N, NE winds)
Stable Airmass / Short Lived Cumulus
• Shallow or bubbly gusty thermals
• No lift just below a climbing glider
• Clouds are short lived and ever changing
• Fly under fantastic looking clouds – no lift
• Equitorial air (SW, S, SE, E winds)
Long Lived Cumulus – Self Perpetuating Lifecycle. Regenerated by its own circulation. Search under centre of cloud and developing edge
Short Lived Cumulus – sky rapidly changing Good lift close to cloud-base with nothing below Search between best clouds and obvious trigger point
Cloud Shadow Trigger
Lift is biased towards sunny side. When low, search along line of advancing shadow + scalloped edge
Approaching Lift
• LOOKOUT - TRAFFIC and CLUES
• Fly all the way to the target area for lift (weave?)
• Slow down as air gets bubbly
• Fly sensitively – in trim with fingertips
• Turn immediately satisfactory lift is felt / sensed
• Confirm rate with glance at vario
• Decide to stay or go – Roll In or Out
• ATTITUDE – airspeed - trim – flaps – attitude – airspeed – trim
• Centre on maximum acceleration
• Check Averager – OBSERVE – ASK THE BIG QUESTION
Variometer Lag Assumptions: Glider Inertia: 1.0 second Vario Time Constant: 2.0 second Brain inertia: 1.0 second IAS: 50 knots (25 m/s) Glider sink rate: 2 kts
Solution = Max acceleration
Centring – by tightening up or opening out ?
Skilled pilots use a combination of the two methods. N.B. Reducing the angle of bank as you enter the sink will always lose the thermal.
IS TOTAL ENERGY PERFECT ?
Thermal Mass = Thousands of Tons Only accelerates SLOWLY to air mass speed and is slow to change horizontal direction through windshears
Thermal Boundary Windshear – Classic TE Vario Readings
The pilot MUST fly a constant attitude and centre by feel on the vertical accelerations…………..
• Or spend a load of money on an expensive variometer system with accelerometers!
• Alternatively spend a fraction of the money on lots of launches…..It’s much cheaper and more fun to fly and practice!!
• Fly at every opportunity – practice and refine LIFT LOCATION, CENTRING and HANDLING.
• Airbrake Down, Climb Up, Airbrake Down etc.
• Circle Both Left and Right
• Force yourself to LOOKOUT and OBSERVE
• Ask yourself the BIG QUESTION
THERMAL SELECTION
• GENERAL RULES…….
1. If I hit something that feels stronger than the day’s average I will always stop and climb regardless of altitude
2. My time is precious – I will only invest it for a good return or when absolutely essential
3. Everything that happened before is history – all my decisions are based on what I see ahead.
4. As I climb up I continually look ahead and ask myself the BIG QUESTION……
THE BIG QUESTION
If I leave this thermal right now is there a good possibility of finding stronger lift ?
YES…………..LEAVE
NO……………STAY, climb some more then ask the BIG QUESTION AGAIN
NOT SURE…STAY, climb some more then ask the BIG QUESTION again and SOON.
Preparation
• Equipment: Glider, Trailer and Personal
• Retrieve arrangements
• Rules and Task Objectives
• Airspace
• Practice – How to train effectively
• Andy Davis Soaring Course
Equipment
• Glider: L/E, sealing, Wheel brake, Pee System
• Instruments: Audio T/E vario, ASI, altimeter, navigation aids, FLARM. The KISS Principle
• Databases: TP and airspace
• IGC Flight Recorder(s): Comp Fix interval <6s
• Batteries and chargers. Extension lead
• Tools and spares (tyres, inner tube, skid)
• Trailer – tyres, brakes, lights, spare tyre, security
• Water ballast filling, Trestles, Tie Down, Washing Kit
Personal Equipment
• Drinking Water
• Hat
• Sunglasses, Specs
• Current Map
• PDA + data base
• Pens, ruler, protractor
• Food Bags
• Comfort – lumbar / cushions
• Peeing System
Airspace and Altimetry
• Know the rules - where you can and can’t fly.
• Use current map and airspace files
• Understand how altimeter setting affects you
• Know your local Letters of Agreement.
Cross Country Principles
• Don’t waste time striving for maximum height in every weak or weakening climb
• Altitude (height) is only a tool to get you to the next climb and not an end in itself
• Being low is not necessarily a problem, but…
• Being low in the wrong place is a huge problem
• Avoid getting low in the wrong place by…….
Asking the Big Question, deviating, holding or even making a U turn.
Speed to Fly (MacCready….ish) • There is an optimum Mc speed to fly for climb rate
to maximise average x/c speed, but……..
• The actual speed you fly has less influence than selecting the correct climbs and routing
• A good compromise Mc setting is half climb rate
• Fly the Mc speed as a target block speed and only vary for prolonged sink or lift
• Fly at a speed that gets you to the next potential climb with an alternative option if it doesn’t work
Selecting Climbs • Always stop and circle if the climb appears to be better
than the day average
• As you get lower be prepared to invest more time
• Continually scan ahead and review climb rate – Ask the BIG QUESTION regularly
• The fastest pilots generally take the strongest climbs, BUT…..before deviating far off track for an isolated good climb, consider INVESTMENT and RETURN
• Proportionality – 2 kt average is 100% better than 1 kt average, but 5 kt average is only 25% better than 4 kt
• Resist the temptation to turn in every bit of lift
Routing • Deviate as required, ideally 30
deg or less
• Large angular deviation may be justified, e.g. in heavy streeting
• Weave to follow the energy and follow it to logical conclusion
• Route around bad areas if cannot glide comfortably across, but….
• Use your glide angle and height as a tool to cross a bad area to better conditions
• Strategy: Target climb + alternate
On Task
• Don’t forget that by RACING you fly DISTANCE
• Be ruthless. Has the climb rate dropped? Can you reach a better climb?
• Look ahead, gear change as required and be prepared to push on or slow down
• Approaching TP – is it soarable? Conditions on next leg? Wind? High or low ?
• At TP – Priority is LOOKOUT and FIX in SECTOR
• Clip the TP and get on with the next leg
If You Are Getting Low
• Consider a bigger deviation to stay airborne before all options close. 90 deg or even 180 ?
• Be flexible, e.g. holding / ridge
• Don’t continue at low level just because the others are
• Always keep a landing option open – stepping stones
• Make your decision to land in good time to fly a proper circuit and stick to it
• Contact farmer, phone crew / control
Final Glide • Human Factors – tired, elated, stressed,
irrational
• Simply an extension of the soaring flight
• Monitor progress and ACT in good time
• Funnelling effect. LOOKOUT and SA
• Airfield / Finish Frequency + Radio Calls
• Avoid low / dangerous flying
• Straight-In Landing or Circuit
• Announce Intentions
• Monitor Energy and Fly Safely
• LOOKOUT + AIRSPEED
Practice Effectively every flight should have a specific training objective
• Fly x/c whenever possible
• Set achievable tasks with Start, TPs and Finish
• Practice both fixed course tasks and AATs
• Estimate speed and start at the optimum time
• Make a real effort to finish unless clearly impossible
• Work on Lookout
• Fly with other gliders
• Waterballast
• Compare your flight with others, analysis tools
If You Can’t Fly X/C
• Fly at every opportunity
• Practice finding lift low down and centring
• Improve your climb rate – experiment (bank etc)
• Circle both ways
• Airbrake down and repeat
• Work on Lookout
• Fly with other gliders
• Practice for field landing
• Select fields and visit them later
• Final Glides