Paragliding Tips and Tricks #4

In a effort to pump up the hashtag #paragliding, and to give inspiration to new pilots, I will start posting little things that I am learning along the way.

Because thermals are going to be the biggest factor in flying. I am going to take a close look at them. There are thousands of videos on youtoob on this subject. I have found that the best way to understand them is to fly in them. But since we can't fly in them because of the season, we will just have to read about them for now.

• Lets get into the lesson.

It would help us if we could visualize a thermal. Here is a picture of what one might look like.

Here is a quote from Denis Pagen's book "Understanding the sky"

Once an ideal thermal leaps into the sky and organizes itself it ideally takes on the shape of a mushroom turning itself inside out like a smoke ring. The air rising in the core or center of the thermal is moving upward about twice the rate of the top of the thermal. Thus it is possible to be near the top and climbing slowly while other pilots are climbing up to you from below. It is not always their better thermaling skills at work in this situation, but their position in the faster rising air.

As the thermal rises it pushes the air above it up and out of the way creating sink and turbulence along the sides of the thermal. An area of turbulent mixing occurs at the leading edge of the thermal. This sink and turbulent area are often what announces the thermal to a searching pilot.

I have only found the appropriate spot in thermals a couple times. Below is a link of one of the first times I actually got lifted in a thermal above the launch.

WHAT DID WE LEARN HERE?

• The center of the thermal is going to be the strongest. This means that if you are are in the middle of it the lift is going to be strongest.

• The thermals will tell you where they are with some turbulent air. (Its how a thermal says, "come on in the door is open")

• The top of the thermals will have less lift the closer you get to the top. This means that your flying partner, in my case its @paleotreats, could be flying up faster than you from below. (watch out for my wake) Thats for a different lesson.

https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-3

https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-2

https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-1