Paragliding Tips and Tricks #8
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.
In this study I want to discuss with you "Cloud Streets"
- We talked about this in Paragliding Tips and Tricks #7, but I want to look at the subject a little more.
A few things that we can learn here:
- Cloud streets are not all the same.
- Useable lift in-between cloud streets is hard to come by.
- Expect to loose about 1000 feet of altitude to "cross the street"
- Cloud streets that form over a ridge will be a lot different than those out in the valley.
Ok, Lets dig in.
In this image, you can see that in between the rolling waves, there is a possibility of SINK. And we are not talking about the kitchen sink. If you fly in there, you might fall out of the sky like a kitchen sink tho. Having that said, if you are going to utilize the lift that is available you will need to visualize what is happening in the invisible.
Where you find lift, you are going to find sink. With ever action, there is an equal opposite reaction.
Here is another quote from Denis Paige in his book, "Understanding the Sky":
When flying in street conditions the ideal is to select a healthy street and fly underneath it, remaining as high as possible. Sometimes you can fly straight in abundant lift. Other times you have to step from thermal to thermal. In any case the sinking air between streets can contain very strong downdrafts which have been known to reach all the way to the ground.
When crossing streets it is prudent to start as high as possible and take the shortest path to the best cloud in an adjacent street. You should expect lose 1,000 feet (300 m) at a minimum in this venture.
I love the idea of being able to fly along the bottom of a row of clouds and go from one destination to another. This weekend I was able to fly a new site called "Palomar" in Southern California. The conditions were not great. It was hot, and the laps rate was low. The lift was just above my gliders sink rate (250fpm)
Before we flew, I was able to talk with a Comp Pilot named Joseph who was sharing with us that you can fly XC to many places from Palomar. Cross country flying is what my goal is, and this is why I am studying the subject of thermals so much.
If you want to see the adventure check out this video.
It was an incredible time! I was able to stay in the air for about an hour and a half.
Thats all for now! Enjoy, and See you in the air!
https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-7
https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-6
https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-5
https://steemit.com/paragliding/@captainobviou3/paragliding-tips-and-tricks-4
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
Oh that's cool so basically different cloud streets will either push you up or down is that somewhat correct cause im interested in learning more about paragliding.
Clouds mark the top of the thermals. So if you see a row of clouds you can just fly under them for the best results.
Oh ok I see what you mean thanks.
Haven't done an XC yet? Thats a good goal to have. It's alot more intense than piloting an aircrft.
The question is, have you flown a paraglider yet? Free flight paragliding is incredible. Put your aircraft on your back, hike up a mountain, and fly with the birds. I am still tripping that I am actually doing this.
This is a goal of mine l. I wanted to paraglide or hang glide. I consider what you're doing to be what pilots initially chase. Well the ones that are passionate about flying. You're helping me make my case for a San Diego trip.
Nice! I have posted my progress from day one on Youtube. I am doing it the "self taught way" but the best way to do it is to go to a training place like Soboba in Southern California. If you are set on San Diego to learn, Torrey pines is a great place to learn. But you better have like 3k to spend.
Can i pay with steem lol?
sound of punching calculator* In 6 months from now when steem is $7.00 you should have plenty. On the real, I do know where a bitcoin atm is now in san diego. lol
keep flying my friend!
you know it @bearbear613!