@@BenHirashima People expected something a bit more exciting. I suggest that next time you just tell them that that's one of the hardest parts of the 1000km challenge, since it's really hard to stand on the plane while peeing without falling to your death. Opening the window and getting onto the plane is also quite a challenge.
@@stauffapyes, i definitely was expecting him to say that he gets out of the glider and pees while "surfing" on the glider. Being connected by a tube to a bag is so boring smh☹️
Kiwi friend Bill Walker once flew 1,400km flight-to-goal, breaking the world record. And he reached 8,200 metres altitude in 1976. He died in his glider, in Namibia, in 2014. RIP Bill.
@@penguiin12 It was a glider crash, there was an in-flight break-up of the right wing, likely due to fatigue, according to the official accident investigation report released by the Ministry of Works and Transport. There were two in the glider, Bill Walker (66) and David Speight (72), both experienced and well respected pilots.
I want to go gliding so much after seeing this video.. I was gliding during my school years and I'm living 5 km away from that airfield now. Seeing gliders in the air all summer just calls me there :)
Yes you need a license in the US to fly gliders. I highly suggest you check to see where your closest glider flying school/club is located and start from there. Some of them even offer demo flights. You go up in a 2 seater to get a feel for what it's like, usually costs a few hundred dollars but is well worth it imo.
This is just terrific. Pretty sustainable way to commute, I must say. A thousand kms... you can overpass Turkey and go straight to Greece if the glider had been launched from Georgian air space, just to put into perspective. Air and aerodynamics, much like water, can lift you. You can't see many people that are into such feats. While you are there, you are cloudwatching. Amazing achievement.
As an XC paraglider, this is so awesome. I mean I know on paper that ya'll have that massive 60:1+ L/D and hear about these big flights, but see the accelerated footage of you just blasting across these big blue holes that would just utterly shut me down is really something else. Love it.
YT algorithm led me to this.. maybe too many sailing videos. I knew about Glider but never saw a video on it. You have done a good job on commentary and visualizations/tech are integrated well. Keep up, Ben!
My wife has wanted to be a pilot since she was a little girl; I always promise her that we'll get a plane and get her signed up for lessons one day. Seeing this video made me realize I want to learn how to fly myself. What an amazing experience this must be
And LS6 is like 4 generations old. New ones are even better. Bests are 70/1 on calm air. Look EB29R. Though LS6 is one of the nicest handling gliders and still goes well.
@BenHirashima i know! I live 2 hours from piedmont soaring society. In February, each year, they ride the Mt Mitchell wave to over 20k'. I want to at least make it out for that event.
I did my first solo in 2010 in a clapped out SG 2-33A. RUclips recommended this video out of the blue, but it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Thank you for taking the time to fly, film, and edit this absolute masterpiece. Fly safe
dude. that's so cool and amazing. the selfie-stick video shots were amazing, I'd like to see more of those. This would be a great premise for a video game and/or flight simulator to help train people on thermal lifts and finding them. Also, I clicked on the title because I thought you meant to took a glider to 1000km elevation, lol! I've been watching the SpaceX launch video, so my units of measure were a little off in my head lol.
I didn't know anything about gliding the other day and I found the idea of going long distances fascinating so I did some research and it's all making sense. For anyone interested here's what I was able to gather: The reason this person pointed out the cloud forming in real time was because when hot air rises it tends to cool down at cloud height and the excess moisture condenses into a cloud, so a cloud forming is a sign of a warm updraft caused by the sun heating the ground. The reason he cant go above the clouds is because the updraft ends at the cloud ceiling The reason he needed to do it all during the day was because there are no updrafts at night as the ground isn't being heated by the sun. This hobby doesn't seem as expensive as i first thought too, it's still not something i can forget about if i did get into it, but i guess my expectations were more on hobby airplane flight but gliders are way simpler so it makes sense. This is what somebody said the cost for them in the UK was over a 1 year since they joined U/pitcairn7393 "This might help for a ballpark figure. I started gliding about 1 year ago in the UK. I've spent roughly: £400 club membership £1000 launch fees (mostly aerotow £40/launch) £160 glider hire (15 mins included in launch) I've not included fuel for getting to the club, BGA fees, various books, too many lazy grab n go lunches and paying for rounds on the bar tab. That's for 14 hours of flight time across 43 launches. Flight times varied between 1hr and 3 mins. I was training so my average flight time is very short. Now I'm solo I'm paying more in glider hire fees but proportionally less in launch fees."
Well Done!! Great achievement from a former Gilder Pilot who so so wish's he could still fly, but sadly Leukaemia put and end to my flying days Great VLOG "Soaring Pilots Stay Up Longer!" & "Glider Pilots Do It Quietly"
Wow what a flight. I regret not pursuing my aviation calling. I flew RC airplanes with my dad as a kid, but unfortunately as an adult a flight simulator with a yolk was as far as I got. Thank you for sharing this video, I really enjoyed it.
Awesome soaring skills! You forgot to add to your "What does it take?" list: Knowing the terrain you are flying over well. You must have every landing strip memorized.
@@TheJudge84 It's from dumping water ballast (which is used to add weight to increase airspeed for cross-country flights) before landing, reducing the weight of the glider, allowing the pilot to make a normal approach and landing. The lighter landing weight also reduces the loads that the landing gear of the glider must support.This glider is a Rolladen-Schneider LS6-c if you want to look up more info on it.
Congrats on reaching your goal, that's no small feat! It still blows my mind to see that glide ratio, I fly something with the ratio of a cinder brick that has the corners smoothed out a little.
Congratulations for the 1000km and for the video as well. It's very well built and you explanations and advices are cristal clear. We can understand that decision making is a key to success. From the images only, soaring 1000km seems easy but it is really not!
Congrats to that amazing flight! And thanks for even sharing it so nicely. I am a paraglider pilot, and seeing your endless cloud surfs and the way you get through the blue holes is facinating. Häppiehh Lähndings, cheers from Germany
I didn’t know this even existed! This is what I imagined as a kid, that we would do this to get from place to place. Little did I know that this is possible. Beautiful view, must be breathtaking up there.
Might have been feeling very relaxed on the sky with a pleasant view around you. I wish I had the chance to fly almost endlessly at some point in my life.
Everything is technically solar powered Even fossil fuels is just the stored energy of plants (which got its energy from the sun) that decayed and were put under immense pressure
Well done ! Bravo! Nice reward for your risk of landing out. I was at first wandering what that mist or smoke was, i realized it was your ballast you were dropping coming in.
Never heard of gliding before i’ve got a list of questions Are thermals available 24/7 or only during the day? Are there pockets of cold air that act like reverse thermals making you decline faster than usual? If you flew over a wildfire would the heat from the fire make a giant thermal? Are thermals caused only by a difference in temperature. So if you flew in -32f but found a pocket of 0f air would that still cause the glider to rise?
Those are all great questions. Thermals are caused by the sun heating the earth's surface unevenly. Some spots, like rocks or pavement, get hotter than others, and cause a bubble of air above them to get warm. That bubble will break away and start rising, forming a column of rising air, which is a thermal. Gliders circle in thermals and get carried upward by the rising air. Since thermals are caused by the sun's heating, they form only in the day, and don't really get strong until around mid-day. There are areas of cold air that sink, too. They are often found around the outside of thermals. If a glider enters this cold air, it will begin sinking, but that is often a sign that there is a thermal nearby. Wildfires definitely do create thermals, and they are strong. Sometimes, a special cumulus cloud called a pyrocumulus will form above the fire. They look just like the clouds that often form above regular thermals, but there's a column of smoke under them. The smoke lets you see the shape of the thermal. I'd suggest Googling pyrocumulus to see a photo of one. There can be thermals in the winter. You're right that any temperature difference will do it, even cold vs less cold. The problem with winter thermals is that they don't go very high, which makes soaring cross-country difficult. Temperature inversions in the atmosphere are what determine how high thermals can go. In the winter, the inversion tends to be relatively low to the ground, limiting the height of thermals.
Another terrific video, Ben! The story line reminded me of one of Chris Fleming's videos, where he flew to The Ecrins - "one should consider changing the destination". Your airmanship is top drawer, and your videography is consuming and compelling. I haven't flown much this year, but you've put the bug in my head to do a flight next year that's a bucket list thing for me - ASI to Mono Lake and back! Thanks again - see you at cloudbase!
SUPER flight and GREAT video.!!! Like that you speed things up to condense the journey. And that you give is an insight to your flight cpu for the critical pilot decision making process. I’m picking up some good tips! (For someday!).
How do you spot thermals? Do they appear below clouds generally? Do glider instruments give you info on where thermals are like a weather radar sort of thing? Really cool video, I never knew gliders could go so far. I have so much to learn! :)
Yes, cumulus clouds usually have thermals under them. The clouds are actually created by the thermals. Instruments can't tell you where they are, but you can learn to read the clouds to tell where the best thermals will be.
Also instruments (vario) can tell you if you're currently getting lift or sink, and your lift rate can help you know if you're in a weak or strong thermal, etc. So instruments do help confirm your intuition.
I'm based in RNO, flying a Gulfstream. I would love to get my glider add on. I know very little about soaring in this area, and where to go, but I've been told its some of the best in the country if not the world.
That's true, the Tahoe area is world-class for soaring. Check out Minden airport, just south of Reno. There's a lot of glider activity there. There's also Air Sailing, which is a glider club 40 minutes north of Reno, or TTSA at Truckee.
This was so cool to watch. I'm glad my youtube algorithm showed me this. I've seen gliders not far from where I live and always assumed the trajectory would be straight down, I didn't even consider riding thermals! However I do have a question, you seem to describe clouds as helpful to gaining altitude; how exactly can clouds help you climb? I assumed they would cool the air underneath them. Congrats on 1000km!
The clouds are actually created by the thermals. Thermals lift warm, humid air near the surface up to altitudes where it's cold. The temperature drop causes the water in the humid air to condense, and you get a cloud.
When planning do you have a series of constantly changing contingent landing locations you absolutely know you can reach, for the entire length of the flight?
What glider are you flying ? 15 or 18 meters ? Watching your left hand when you fly, I deduct that it has flaps. This is the first time that I have watched one of your videos. It is very, very good. Thanks for posting. Enjoy safe flying.
It’s so interesting to see how the clouds serve as indicators for thermal patterns and how the glider flies just under the clouds. It’s also interesting to see that you can take cell phone calls while flying a glider. Makes me wonder why normal airplane passengers still can’t use their cell phones. Maybe because of how much faster commercial planes are flying?
It's quite comfortable. You're very reclined, so your body weight is evenly distributed. I also have a two layer Confor foam seat cushion that is super comfy.
Lovely running across your peaceful video with my 6 am coffee. Were you wearing a parachute ? Ive often thought why are more aviators not wearing them given all the aviation events you see on the nightly news.
Yes, most glider pilots wear parachutes. They save lives. It's relatively easy to get out of a glider cockpit. Your typical high wing powered plane would be much harder to get out of with a parachute on.
@@BenHirashima Ive wanted to learn to fly gliders my for quite a while, and its the very next thing on my list before its too late. Your vids just reinforce these desires, nearest glider school and field 2.5 hours away, probably why it keeps getting put off.
@@blakechesbro3602 I sometimes drive 2 hours to fly, then 2 hours home afterwards. 2.5 is long, but glider pilots can sometimes camp for the weekend near the airport. Something to look into.
You mean you want to see me circling in the thermals? I think it would get boring quick. Once you've seen one circle, you don't really need to see 30 more.
@@BenHirashima Lol, yes! I'm just curious on how it looks/works. Airplanes/Aeronautics are extremely interesting to me. Also enjoyed this video as well!
In the very beginning, another plane tows you up, then you release the rope, and off you go. After that, you climb in thermals, which are columns of warm rising air.
Cross country distance is usually measured by dividing the flight into 6 straight-line legs and adding up the length of those legs. This is how websites like Weglide and OLC score flights.
I'm not a pilot but I'm imagining that one of the best parts of gliding is that it is extremely quiet compared to a typical GA craft? If so, does sound play any role in being a glider pilot?
It's definitely quiet compared to an aircraft with an engine, but that's not really what draws people to soaring. It's the challenge and adventure of traveling long distances using only rising air currents. Soaring is a sport, while powered planes are just transportation.
So, the big question, How do you pee on a long flight?
I'm connected by a tube to a bag that stores it.
@@BenHirashima
People expected something a bit more exciting. I suggest that next time you just tell them that that's one of the hardest parts of the 1000km challenge, since it's really hard to stand on the plane while peeing without falling to your death. Opening the window and getting onto the plane is also quite a challenge.
Yo esparaba un relato inspirado en la aves, que deben eliminar sus desechos como bombarderos dejando caer sus bombas
@@stauffapyes, i definitely was expecting him to say that he gets out of the glider and pees while "surfing" on the glider. Being connected by a tube to a bag is so boring smh☹️
I'm pretty sure there is no bag and that's how they actually getting additional height during the flight
I'll always be fascinated by the fact that there is so much energy in the air, that flying is mostly a matter of wingspan.
and weather
Yeah my brain refuses to believe it's possible even when seeing it and knowing what's happening. Incredible really.
well, but you have to chace after the air
technically even a boeing 737 is a giant glider, it can glide for almost 45 minutes without power from a height of 30,000 ft.
@@JonTan-z3e But it cannot climb using hot air.
Kiwi friend Bill Walker once flew 1,400km flight-to-goal, breaking the world record.
And he reached 8,200 metres altitude in 1976.
He died in his glider, in Namibia, in 2014.
RIP Bill.
did he crash or just natural causes?
@@penguiin12 It was a glider crash, there was an in-flight break-up of the right wing, likely due to fatigue, according to the official accident investigation report released by the Ministry of Works and Transport. There were two in the glider, Bill Walker (66) and David Speight (72), both experienced and well respected pilots.
@@error.418 oh wow that is super sad. RIP
those are incredible accomplishments. a true shame about his crash. incredible pilot
they should prepare parachute
I want to go gliding so much after seeing this video.. I was gliding during my school years and I'm living 5 km away from that airfield now. Seeing gliders in the air all summer just calls me there :)
@@faterlandas do it!
@@BenHirashima help us learn.
Only 5km??? Go do it! You never know when you'll no longer have that opportunity, seize it!
@@BenHirashimado you need to first have a regular pilots license or can you start with gliders?
Yes you need a license in the US to fly gliders.
I highly suggest you check to see where your closest glider flying school/club is located and start from there. Some of them even offer demo flights. You go up in a 2 seater to get a feel for what it's like, usually costs a few hundred dollars but is well worth it imo.
As a paraglider this video was wild to me. Leave some kilometers for the rest of us! hahahaha
@@teamedup4574 lol. The kilometer pool for paragliders is separate, I believe.
This is just terrific. Pretty sustainable way to commute, I must say. A thousand kms... you can overpass Turkey and go straight to Greece if the glider had been launched from Georgian air space, just to put into perspective. Air and aerodynamics, much like water, can lift you. You can't see many people that are into such feats. While you are there, you are cloudwatching. Amazing achievement.
being at the mercy of the air isn't what I'd call "sustainable" but it is pretty fuel-efficient
@@kintustisare you purposely misunderstanding sustainable?
@@theswoletaria Cambridge dictionary definition 1:
sustainable - able to continue over a period of time.
@@kintustis while its technically correct, in this case I'm pretty sure he meant environmental sustainability :)
But I stand corrected
@@kintustisI think you’re confusing sustainable with reliable
As an XC paraglider, this is so awesome. I mean I know on paper that ya'll have that massive 60:1+ L/D and hear about these big flights, but see the accelerated footage of you just blasting across these big blue holes that would just utterly shut me down is really something else. Love it.
YT algorithm led me to this.. maybe too many sailing videos. I knew about Glider but never saw a video on it. You have done a good job on commentary and visualizations/tech are integrated well. Keep up, Ben!
Congrats Ben ‘ My hat is off to you. Next, a 1500km run
Or 1250km to break it up a bit
My wife has wanted to be a pilot since she was a little girl; I always promise her that we'll get a plane and get her signed up for lessons one day. Seeing this video made me realize I want to learn how to fly myself. What an amazing experience this must be
Makes me want to become a glider pilot! Epic glide ratios on that thing
And LS6 is like 4 generations old. New ones are even better. Bests are 70/1 on calm air. Look EB29R. Though LS6 is one of the nicest handling gliders and still goes well.
Thanks, Mark. Your videos helped inspire me to try paramotoring. I didn't stick with it but I sure had fun doing it.
@@BenHirashima no way?! That's cool to hear. Atleast you enjoyed it
Yeah so tit-for-tat, now you have to try gliders :)
@BenHirashima i know! I live 2 hours from piedmont soaring society. In February, each year, they ride the Mt Mitchell wave to over 20k'. I want to at least make it out for that event.
Literal coolest shit. RUclips algorithm cooked hard on this
You should retitle this one: "Orange Pants Said I Couldn't, So I Did"
Hahahaha !
lol
I did my first solo in 2010 in a clapped out SG 2-33A. RUclips recommended this video out of the blue, but it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Thank you for taking the time to fly, film, and edit this absolute masterpiece. Fly safe
Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement.
Congratulations, this is really inspiring. 28 years of gliding, and max distance OLC 742km. Its a long way !
It's a long way to Tipperary, it's a long to go.
DIdn't know that was even possible! Nice work!
dude. that's so cool and amazing. the selfie-stick video shots were amazing, I'd like to see more of those. This would be a great premise for a video game and/or flight simulator to help train people on thermal lifts and finding them. Also, I clicked on the title because I thought you meant to took a glider to 1000km elevation, lol! I've been watching the SpaceX launch video, so my units of measure were a little off in my head lol.
I agree, a game would be cool. Maybe some day.
I’ve played with gliders in flight simulator VR. Graphics are incredible. I know it isn’t the same but it’s very fun
Excellent video and storytelling, kept me hooked throughout! Thanks for that!
I didn't know anything about gliding the other day and I found the idea of going long distances fascinating so I did some research and it's all making sense.
For anyone interested here's what I was able to gather:
The reason this person pointed out the cloud forming in real time was because when hot air rises it tends to cool down at cloud height and the excess moisture condenses into a cloud, so a cloud forming is a sign of a warm updraft caused by the sun heating the ground.
The reason he cant go above the clouds is because the updraft ends at the cloud ceiling
The reason he needed to do it all during the day was because there are no updrafts at night as the ground isn't being heated by the sun.
This hobby doesn't seem as expensive as i first thought too, it's still not something i can forget about if i did get into it, but i guess my expectations were more on hobby airplane flight but gliders are way simpler so it makes sense. This is what somebody said the cost for them in the UK was over a 1 year since they joined
U/pitcairn7393
"This might help for a ballpark figure. I started gliding about 1 year ago in the UK. I've spent roughly:
£400 club membership
£1000 launch fees (mostly aerotow £40/launch)
£160 glider hire (15 mins included in launch)
I've not included fuel for getting to the club, BGA fees, various books, too many lazy grab n go lunches and paying for rounds on the bar tab.
That's for 14 hours of flight time across 43 launches.
Flight times varied between 1hr and 3 mins. I was training so my average flight time is very short. Now I'm solo I'm paying more in glider hire fees but proportionally less in launch fees."
wow, seeing clouds from in the air like that is amazing
What a flight man ❤
Sending congratulations from Poland 🇵🇱
I watch all your videos on TV , keep doing it , feels great I really enjoy them 😎
Well Done!! Great achievement from a former Gilder Pilot who so so wish's he could still fly, but sadly Leukaemia put and end to my flying days Great VLOG
"Soaring Pilots Stay Up Longer!" & "Glider Pilots Do It Quietly"
Sorry to hear that. Glad I could provide some vicarious soaring.
Wow what a flight. I regret not pursuing my aviation calling. I flew RC airplanes with my dad as a kid, but unfortunately as an adult a flight simulator with a yolk was as far as I got. Thank you for sharing this video, I really enjoyed it.
the fact that this is even remotely possible is insane to me
I know, right? It still blows my mind when I think about it.
Awesome soaring skills! You forgot to add to your "What does it take?" list: Knowing the terrain you are flying over well. You must have every landing strip memorized.
EVERY landing strip !
So cool. Man you live a totally different life. thank you for showing me yours.
the 3D visualisation is really cool
17:27 loving the water vapor shots
Is that just from condensation on the glider?
@@TheJudge84 It's from dumping water ballast (which is used to add weight to increase airspeed for cross-country flights) before landing, reducing the weight of the glider, allowing the pilot to make a normal approach and landing. The lighter landing weight also reduces the loads that the landing gear of the glider must support.This glider is a Rolladen-Schneider LS6-c if you want to look up more info on it.
How was this shot taken? Was the camera actually outside of the glider?
It's a 360 camera on a pole, stuck out the window
Gliding is like freediving but in the skies. I actually clapped a few times when you landed. 👏👏👏
Congrats on reaching your goal, that's no small feat! It still blows my mind to see that glide ratio, I fly something with the ratio of a cinder brick that has the corners smoothed out a little.
this looks so cool. such a personal way to fly with the skies. i wish i could fly a "glider" some day
You got balls. I'm sure you felt that adrenaline for days.
Congratulations for the 1000km and for the video as well.
It's very well built and you explanations and advices are cristal clear.
We can understand that decision making is a key to success. From the images only, soaring 1000km seems easy but it is really not!
Congrats to that amazing flight! And thanks for even sharing it so nicely.
I am a paraglider pilot, and seeing your endless cloud surfs and the way you get through the blue holes is facinating.
Häppiehh Lähndings, cheers from Germany
Many congratulations, and so well done. You could add to your list, good decision-making, intelligence, accurate flying and endurance.
That last shot was pretty cool.
I didn’t know this even existed! This is what I imagined as a kid, that we would do this to get from place to place. Little did I know that this is possible. Beautiful view, must be breathtaking up there.
i didn't even know gliders were a thing 30 minutes ago and now i know you just gotta look for clouds and do lil loops under them to get higher
Thanks for taking us along..I enjoyed the ride!
Very cool to watch the mechanics of using the clouds. Thanks!
this video and gliders in general are so cool.
Might have been feeling very relaxed on the sky with a pleasant view around you.
I wish I had the chance to fly almost endlessly at some point in my life.
Well done and congratulations. It's a difficult achievement - very challenging.
Loved the video especially the shots from the extension pole showing the condensation trail and the glider.
This guys just hanging out in the air over Nevada all day. Way too cool!
Didnt know you could glide for such long distances! Really cool
Its wierd to think that gliders are technically solar powered
true!
It's weird to think that technically most things on Earth are....
Everything is technically solar powered
Even fossil fuels is just the stored energy of plants (which got its energy from the sun) that decayed and were put under immense pressure
@@SolePompano TBF, ocean vents are powered by geothermal energy, that's why I said "most" instead of "all"
@@SolePompanoexplain the Hydro power and geothermal next. I am interested.
Well done ! Bravo! Nice reward for your risk of landing out. I was at first wandering what that mist or smoke was, i realized it was your ballast you were dropping coming in.
Excellent video. That’s for sharing your adventure. Congratulations on the 1k!
Congrats on your achievement, looks like an enjoyable hobby, and great friends help too
Never heard of gliding before i’ve got a list of questions
Are thermals available 24/7 or only during the day?
Are there pockets of cold air that act like reverse thermals making you decline faster than usual?
If you flew over a wildfire would the heat from the fire make a giant thermal?
Are thermals caused only by a difference in temperature. So if you flew in -32f but found a pocket of 0f air would that still cause the glider to rise?
Those are all great questions. Thermals are caused by the sun heating the earth's surface unevenly. Some spots, like rocks or pavement, get hotter than others, and cause a bubble of air above them to get warm. That bubble will break away and start rising, forming a column of rising air, which is a thermal. Gliders circle in thermals and get carried upward by the rising air. Since thermals are caused by the sun's heating, they form only in the day, and don't really get strong until around mid-day.
There are areas of cold air that sink, too. They are often found around the outside of thermals. If a glider enters this cold air, it will begin sinking, but that is often a sign that there is a thermal nearby.
Wildfires definitely do create thermals, and they are strong. Sometimes, a special cumulus cloud called a pyrocumulus will form above the fire. They look just like the clouds that often form above regular thermals, but there's a column of smoke under them. The smoke lets you see the shape of the thermal. I'd suggest Googling pyrocumulus to see a photo of one.
There can be thermals in the winter. You're right that any temperature difference will do it, even cold vs less cold. The problem with winter thermals is that they don't go very high, which makes soaring cross-country difficult. Temperature inversions in the atmosphere are what determine how high thermals can go. In the winter, the inversion tends to be relatively low to the ground, limiting the height of thermals.
This is a completely insane way to get around.
Really inspiring! Hope to do a flight like this someday and beat my 120km record 🙃
Another terrific video, Ben! The story line reminded me of one of Chris Fleming's videos, where he flew to The Ecrins - "one should consider changing the destination". Your airmanship is top drawer, and your videography is consuming and compelling. I haven't flown much this year, but you've put the bug in my head to do a flight next year that's a bucket list thing for me - ASI to Mono Lake and back! Thanks again - see you at cloudbase!
Imagine if all you hear for a day is "Do do do do do do doooiii dododododo" from the variometer
Like baby shark but worse
Excellent video, thanks for putting it together, congrats on the new personal record!
Absolute magic. Gosh, what a beautiful machine
Congrats on the 1000
SUPER flight and GREAT video.!!! Like that you speed things up to condense the journey. And that you give is an insight to your flight cpu for the critical pilot decision making process. I’m picking up some good tips! (For someday!).
How do you spot thermals? Do they appear below clouds generally? Do glider instruments give you info on where thermals are like a weather radar sort of thing? Really cool video, I never knew gliders could go so far. I have so much to learn! :)
Yes, cumulus clouds usually have thermals under them. The clouds are actually created by the thermals. Instruments can't tell you where they are, but you can learn to read the clouds to tell where the best thermals will be.
Also instruments (vario) can tell you if you're currently getting lift or sink, and your lift rate can help you know if you're in a weak or strong thermal, etc. So instruments do help confirm your intuition.
I couldn’t have made this flight in a Cessna. Well done!
I'm based in RNO, flying a Gulfstream. I would love to get my glider add on. I know very little about soaring in this area, and where to go, but I've been told its some of the best in the country if not the world.
That's true, the Tahoe area is world-class for soaring. Check out Minden airport, just south of Reno. There's a lot of glider activity there. There's also Air Sailing, which is a glider club 40 minutes north of Reno, or TTSA at Truckee.
this is why i love youtube, thanks for sharing! fantastic footage at the end there with the rainbow in the vapour trail.
Nice job, and great video compilation as well. Thanks and G’day from downunder 🇦🇺
That’s super impressive I never knew you could fly in a glider that long or far
Very Enjoyable! Congrats on the flight! Cheers
Another great video! Thanks for making such awesome content. I'm excited to get my pik 30 flying
this whole video is fascinating
Thanks for the ride along. That was fun!!
bro your gaming setup is soooooooo cool
Ultra realistic!
@BenHirashima ultra realistic 😂😂
This was so cool to watch. I'm glad my youtube algorithm showed me this. I've seen gliders not far from where I live and always assumed the trajectory would be straight down, I didn't even consider riding thermals! However I do have a question, you seem to describe clouds as helpful to gaining altitude; how exactly can clouds help you climb? I assumed they would cool the air underneath them.
Congrats on 1000km!
The clouds are actually created by the thermals. Thermals lift warm, humid air near the surface up to altitudes where it's cold. The temperature drop causes the water in the humid air to condense, and you get a cloud.
Beautiful flight!
Damn, this video has inspired me to get into gliding
Congratulations for this flight and this wonderful video!
Thats wild! I always wanted to fly, but im half blind with glasses on. I live vicariously through you pilots!
Sehr schöne Bilder. Tollw Aufnahmen. Liebe Grüße vom Aeroclub BEXBACH
Great! 🙂 Epic flight, congratulations! 🎉
15:10 Interesting, I didn't know you had supplied oxygen, I thought it may've just been a pressurized cab
Awesome video. Damn you must have been exhausted after that flight. Much respect.
When planning do you have a series of constantly changing contingent landing locations you absolutely know you can reach, for the entire length of the flight?
That's exactly right. The next airport must be in range before you let the current one fall out of range.
An inspirational story.
Congratulations! Well done! Good job on the video too. It was interesting.
Thank you for the video, truly awesome to see. A bit jealous also 😄
What a great way to spend a day... I might have to look into gliding.
What glider are you flying ? 15 or 18 meters ? Watching your left hand when you fly, I deduct that it has flaps. This is the first time that I have watched one of your videos. It is very, very good. Thanks for posting. Enjoy safe flying.
Thanks for the kind words! My glider has 17.5m wings. You're right, it does have flaps.
Congratulations on your 1000km. Beautiful flight and very enjoyable video. Great story telling.
congratulations...I loved this
Beautiful flight and perfect video editing !
Just a question, what about the water starting at 17:27 ? Ballast?
That's right, it's the ballast.
What a beautiful video. Thanks for posting it.
Nice flight! Way to go man. Good video too.
Why the spirals ? Why not boom and zoom to get higher quicker ?
Because he needs to stay in thermals in order to get altitude.
It’s so interesting to see how the clouds serve as indicators for thermal patterns and how the glider flies just under the clouds.
It’s also interesting to see that you can take cell phone calls while flying a glider. Makes me wonder why normal airplane passengers still can’t use their cell phones. Maybe because of how much faster commercial planes are flying?
Commercial airliners fly much higher. I was at 17,000ft when I got that call, but airliners fly at 30,000 to 40,000ft.
Amazing flight, congratulations!
I really wonder how comfortable the seating position is for such long stretches. It sure looks beautifull, the scenery. You deserve it! 🙂
It's quite comfortable. You're very reclined, so your body weight is evenly distributed. I also have a two layer Confor foam seat cushion that is super comfy.
@@BenHirashima Great answer. Happy flights! 🙂
Lovely running across your peaceful video with my 6 am coffee. Were you wearing a parachute ? Ive often thought why are more aviators not wearing them given all the aviation events you see on the nightly news.
Yes, most glider pilots wear parachutes. They save lives. It's relatively easy to get out of a glider cockpit. Your typical high wing powered plane would be much harder to get out of with a parachute on.
@@BenHirashima Ive wanted to learn to fly gliders my for quite a while, and its the very next thing on my list before its too late. Your vids just reinforce these desires, nearest glider school and field 2.5 hours away, probably why it keeps getting put off.
@@blakechesbro3602 I sometimes drive 2 hours to fly, then 2 hours home afterwards. 2.5 is long, but glider pilots can sometimes camp for the weekend near the airport. Something to look into.
@@BenHirashima So do glider pilots have skydiving certifications like skydivers or is it mostly I know what string to pull kinda thing?
Why do you keep cutting the looping motion in place of the graphic? That's honestly the bit I'd want to see the most!
You mean you want to see me circling in the thermals? I think it would get boring quick. Once you've seen one circle, you don't really need to see 30 more.
@@BenHirashima Lol, yes! I'm just curious on how it looks/works. Airplanes/Aeronautics are extremely interesting to me. Also enjoyed this video as well!
How are you gaining altitude? Is there another plane that comes and assists you or does wind pick up and you catch it. How do you do it?
In the very beginning, another plane tows you up, then you release the rope, and off you go. After that, you climb in thermals, which are columns of warm rising air.
When counting KMs, are you doing a waypoint-to-waypoint distance or GPS over-the-ground distance?
Cross country distance is usually measured by dividing the flight into 6 straight-line legs and adding up the length of those legs. This is how websites like Weglide and OLC score flights.
I'm not a pilot but I'm imagining that one of the best parts of gliding is that it is extremely quiet compared to a typical GA craft? If so, does sound play any role in being a glider pilot?
It's definitely quiet compared to an aircraft with an engine, but that's not really what draws people to soaring. It's the challenge and adventure of traveling long distances using only rising air currents. Soaring is a sport, while powered planes are just transportation.
I wonder if you can add solan panels to the wings and fuselage, a small electric prop, and no battery to boost flight time?
It has been done, but so far only as a one-off prototype. Google "Sun Seeker Duo".