Great video. Wave flying is the pinnacle of gliding in my view. Its 10% glider handling and 90% mental effort and knowledge. I was politely advised by the air force once when we called them up that continuing past 12000ft may not be the best idea. Their training aircraft were undertaking 'high energy manoeuvres' (aka dogfighting) above us in uncontrolled airspace over Snowdonia in the UK. We tended to agree with them and went to play elsewhere ! Sitting at 21k in the blue over the Eastern Pyrenees with all the noises turned off was an almost spiritual experience. You realise you are one of a tiny fraction of humanity ever to have experienced that.
@Emmanuel join a club, there is no 1test, it is a series of stages. 2 seater training, then a first solo. After that you will fly with an instructor each time before being allowed solo. Finally you will be ok without check rides. You will only be allowed within range of the airfield till you pass some theory and have flown certain stages. So its a gradual process with ever more challenging goals. Many younger people will solo in their first year of flying. But there is so much to learn about different conditions, weather, thermalling skills, airmanship etc. It isnt like a 2 week course where you are suddenly qualified. Its not hard or expensive but to become really good takes time. Do it, you will never regret it even if you only ever fly with instructors
what a superbly fascinating video that was thank you ..guess Im lucky to be typing this after a wave flight to 18500 feet at matamata in 1980 in an Auckland gliding clubs K8 , India Mike, I had no radio, or food, or anything to drink, no maps, or warm clothing, or parachute and no oxygen! all I had those days was an annoying ticking barograph right behind my head , after about 45 minutes soaring up in wave I felt myself going to sleep and feeling a bit odd, hmmm, so trimmed the glider out for a cruising speed, opened the brakes for a while, (I tried to jam them open with my knee, in the end think I left them cracked open), I folded my arms and thought, I will wake up when I get down to a few thousand feet, the stars where out and I couldn't see the ground as it was nearly dusk and the sky was cobalt blue, beautiful, but I didn't fall asleep luckily, by now the sun had set, and some folk had been looking out for me and put their car headlights on for me to land, I got my gold height award for that flight, apart from reading "beginning gliding" by Derek Piggott, most of my wave flying knowledge and education was gleaned at the Auckland and Piako gliding clubs bars lol, things where so different then, happy landings..
Yep , the bit of wool stuck to the wind shield . Years ago when I was learning to fly here in the UK. The instructor we had , who had been flying for over 50 years and could be a bit cantankerous on occasion . He got it into his head we did not need the bit wool on the screen . But the big boss said we had to have it . So what did he do ? I stuck it on the inside of the wind screen . It's a wonder I ever when solo !
Imagine my surprise when for the first time ever, on my multi engine checkride, I see my check pilot stick a piece of yarn on the windscreen. Had no idea what I was supposed to do with that, since I'd never seen it before. During the landing with 1 dead engine part of the checkride, I was banked 5 degrees toward the dead engine as I was trained to do, but Juanita failed me immediately after she pointed at the piece of yarn. And this after she spilled an entire can of diet coke on me and my flight manuals etc. during the oral exam before the flight. (Let the oral jokes begin.) This was the checkride given by the university prior to allowing me to ride with the FAA examiner. The FAA guy was a nice old guy that used to barnstorm before WW2, no yarn required with him. He did get a little tricky, he had me look out the left side window at some forest fire damage while he loosened the primer knob on 1 engine all the way back, causing an immediate rough running engine that I heard right away and did a quick check of everything and found what he had done. Said it happened to him once and was teaching me. He passed me just fine, and I didn't have to wipe up any soda. After watching these videos I think I might try gliders again. Tried it 30 years ago once.
Great video Tim, one of your best. I've been asked to vacate twice and on one occasion replied "unable to comply" and was asked to call the supervisor upon landing. It wasn't a big deal either.
Nice vid, thanks for sharing! I used to fly gliders decades ago in Switzerland, but shortly after getting the glider license I was drawn into commercial aviation and ultimately ended up doing a couple of thousand tows (flying the tow plane). Your videos make me want to fly gliders again! Alas, I've moved to Australia in the meantime and am living nowhere near a glider base. A note on ATC "booting" you out of their airspace: They shouldn't throw you out once they've let you in - there are contingency procedures when transponders fail - it happens to powered airplanes as well. You simply revert to position reports and estimates for when and how high you'll be at the next point. However, because you're not on an instrument flight plan, that might be a bit tricky - also, in the interest of not getting blanket refusals for future flights, it probably pays not to make life difficult for ATC. But next time perhaps simply ask them for a block altitude and area. I can't imagine airspace in NZ is that congested - sheep don't fly I don't think! :) In any case, always remember you are the commander of your aircraft/glider and you have ultimate authority on where you fly. If they try and boot you from the airspace and you can't do so safely, you pull the emergency card and use it. ATC are trained to deal with all kinds of traffic, and if they didn't have the capacity to deal with an unusual airspace occupant, they wouldn't have let you in to boot.
Yeah exactly right, and I’ve certainly flown in airspace without an altitude encoder for example, they are helpful when asked, and I should have asked in this case.
My wave flight to 22.000' in the mountains of Scotland remains one of my most memorable. Fortunately it was in to uncontrolled airsapace, so didn't have that to worry about.
Soaring in New Zealand - What a beautiful way to see a beautiful country. Us non-pilots really enjoy these videos, too. Thanks for posting the video and sharing the experience!
Well Tim in the past I have thought that I could look and learn to be safe from watching your excellent videos. Now you are taking me to 19000 feet, evading detection by ATC, and narrowly avoiding big trouble. Hmmmm. Kids, don’t try this at home!
Not a question but just taking the opportunity to mention that your videos are excellent. I haven’t flown a glider in 29 years but I am still very interested.
Great video! I think in this case you made a safe decision to comply with their instructions and descend, but people who don’t have a lot of interaction with ATC sometimes forget that they are there to assist you, not fly for you. Like you have mentioned, it is totally your right to refuse instructions from ATC if it puts you or your aircraft in danger.
Haha I've had a similar situation. We were in wave above Mt Taranaki at 10,500 ft talking to CHC centre and the transponder battery went flat on us! We were very kindly asked to "Descend and not break 9500ft" 🤣
@@BruceCarbonLakeriver wind dynamo will turn glider into a brick basically, we even tape over structural joints and hatches to reduce drag and improve performance. Solar panels are often seen on newer gliders, usually installed just behind the cockpit. But in some countries they are not allowed for safety reasons ("no in-flight charge allowed")
I find your observations and common sense problem solving very helpful and entertaining as well. I recently purchased a Ventus C and will employ much of the detail you have presented when I fly.
Really enjoyed that. I never have gotten into wave. Not flying now. Did get my glider cert. in the US. So have done some on a fairly novice level. Thanks again. You make it look so easy.
Sometimes I have to put music in otherwise it’s just silence for the Timelapse. Trust me it’s weird with silence haha you can simulate by turning the volume down 😂
Philip Wills in his book "Where no birds fly" described the 'cobble stone effect' when transferring from a lower wave to a higher system. I was delighted to experience this same sensation out of RAF Dishforth over the Ripon at about 10k ft. some years ago which took me to 16k Is the 'cobble stone effect' now a common phenomenon?.
A tip perhaps from an old and bold instructor. If you open your brakes, do not take your hand off them until you close them. So many pilots have wondered where all the sink was coming from before hitting the ground early!
You Actually seem rearly nice for a 'Kiwwi" Iam just kiddn""! Man watching a few vids has got me hooked, Very impressed, Great vids you do it very very well
Great video. I did some wave flying in Scotland back in the 70s. Having the clouds close up under you is not a fun experience. I had to descend through cloud and was forced to make an out landing as I was too far from base to get home. One of our gliders was talking to the RAF and they directed him to a clear area away from the mountains. I was lucky to spot the cloud closing in and started to descend but it takes time even dong tight turns with full brake out.
ATC are service providers - even to sport aviation. “Unable to comply” would have alerted the controller to your predicament even if it produced some post flight paperwork. Descending early into those rocks and wind looked hairy Tim.
Yeah agreed! I thought I'd be able to stay in the wave at 9000' and get back happily, but I think I flew too far downwind to do that. So it didn't go quite as planned and yes in hindsight I would have said 'unable' and figured something out with the controller.
Unless you are declaring an emergency then "Unable to comply" doesn't cut it. What arrogance to think that you can go into controlled airspace and just tell ATC that you can't comply. Do everyone a favour and stay out of controlled airspace.
Hello from the states. As a controller myself, I think you should have done what the controller asked and expedited your decent out of controlled airspace. He must have had good reason for the expedited decent clearance. I believe he said he had traffic heading your way. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'd spend more time learning the airspace and terrain along your route of flight and plan accordingly. Gliders are definitely a safety risk when sharing the same airspace as much faster jets carrying hundreds of people, especially if the controller loses radar contact with you like in this scenario. Beautiful video however!
Hi welcome to the channel! Yeah it was purely a “if we can’t see your transponder, you’ll have to vacate”. So it wasn’t urgent. I edited out a lot of the chat. So I certainly wasn’t going to initiate a rapid descent into problematic unsafe terrain! I think the actual controller involved added a comment, or maybe emailed me directly, that wasn’t an issue. Cheers
Great video. Wave has to be the most addictive form of lift. The thing I really love is the smoothness. I’ve been above 20,000 on several occasions, three times on one day (see below). My wave flying has also been simpler than on this flight, probably because of the topology of the ground. The hills in the UK are nowhere near as extreme as those in New Zealand resulting in a wave system with less turbulence at higher levels. I also had the possibility of legally flying in cloud. Your advice regarding things to consider were very important. The temperature decreases at about 2ºC per thousand feet so at 19,000’ you’ll be 38ºC cooler than on the ground so dress accordingly. The other is sunset. Because we live on a globe, the sunset at altitude is considerably later than on the ground. It is quite possible to be soaring in glorious sunshine when it is pitch black underneath you. Another consideration is that should you enter cloud you are quite likely to pick up ice. Very few high performance gliders glide well with ice. Your aircraft will be cold-soaked and being white will not heat up when you leave cloud and fly in clear air so any ice will take ages to shift. And you do have anti-freeze in your ballast, don’t you? Lastly strength of the wind can take you by surprise. A 60 kts will, no surprises, take you 1 mile every minute. To date the biggest things I have soared are jet aircraft. I’ve tracked along the Pennines in a Fokker 100 maintaining height and speed at flight idle and used wave to climb an Embraer 190 in Norway. The wave added well over 1,000 fpm (10 kts) to our climb for 10-15,000’. The thing to bear in mind is if one side of the wave is going up at 1,000 fpm then the other side is going down at the same rate. Do you really want to be there? I had an underpants changing moment in Tasmania in a C206 that really brought this home, but that’s another story. Losing radar contact? Is there the possibility that you were surpressed due to low ground speed. Many radar systems have ground filters. Three times in one day: 1. Got to 21,000’ and realised I had forgotten by barograph. 2. Passing 23,000’ and realised I hadn’t turned it on. 3. Finally I departed with a barograph turned on climbing from a low point of 1,500’ up to 24,500’. Diamond height!
Thanks for sharing! The reason for my transponder failure was I had recently installed lead in the nose, and the antenna was badly positioned, just above it the lead compartment.
Prepared for altitude by wrapping up as best I could but still nearly froze to death at Aboyne in Scotland in October. Bloody good lift though and worth it.
Sitting here in the hospital watching your videos Tim. Thanks for the fresh upload buddy. Hopefully I'll have this kicked in a day or two and one day we can go flying sometime in the near future.
@@PureGlide that you did! And I agree with your assessment of the descent instructions. I know glider pilots tend to bend to ATC fast because typically they just don't deal with them often. But if you need something: you are why they are there. Always remember that. You wouldn't have needed to declare an emergency or anything but just state that a descent now would leak to undue risk. Offer to give 5 minute position and altitude checks to them and that you would "not delay" your descent vs expediting, they just might've worked with you like you had presumed. Nice flight in any event man. I enjoyed the heck out of it.
I've been enjoying your videos within the last weeks (haven't been watching you before, not only videos from the last few weeks) at this is a great one too. Would you mind me asking why your phone is unplugged in the video sequence at 6:55 ?
Hi glad you've been enjoying the videos! Most likely reasons for the phone being unplugged: 1) I was just taking photos (most likely) 2) It was getting too hot charging, so I unplugged it for a bit. Cheers!
Great and instructive video. I only experienced two times of wave gliding, but it is a sort of addiction :) thank you for your really helpful videos. Greetings from northern Germany - no hills, no waves, and a 5m/s thermal is like Easter and Christmas together;) Lars
@SoaringAwayFromItAll= A good number of German glider pilots go wave soaring in the Alps. I’ve seen a German-registered glider landing in the Puymoisson airfield (Southern French Alps) on return from a wave flight. A truly memorable experience for me: I had never seen a glider landing with a headwind in the range of 80-100 kmh! That is the problem with this extraordinary experience of wave soaring: the wind must be strong, and thus the pilot has to be prepared to land in windy to very windy conditions. In the instance I recall, the pilot made a wonderful landing, very impressive. __ .
@@christianfournier6862 yes, Pui was one of my wave experiences. Unfortunately, it is very crowded there - and subsequently pretty risky. But fascinating for sure
Enjoy watching your videos. Very informative. Always been reluctant about the idea of going up in a glider knowing they lack an engine lol but I bet the experience is amazing. Keep up the great work bud!
Thanks Daniel, funnily enough I would recommend trying it sometime if it interests you. The trick is there's no engine to crap out on you (except the tow plane on the way up!) So it's kinda better in that regard...
@@PureGlide BTW, you must have the only glider that has a MacCready ring around the Air Speed Indicator (instead of Vario). Is that some kind of new secret weapon? 😁
@@Johan-ex5yj Good spotting. It's not a MacCready ring, it is a 'Grosskinsky ' flap setting ring. Can be tweaked based on your weight, and will give the optimum flap settings. I only just learned about it myself recently! wingsandwheels.com/avionics-instruments/airspeed-indicator/grosskinsky-variable-camber-flap-ring.html
Ha well it was recently tested on the ground no problem, but I know the problem- I installed some lead weights, so need to move the antenna a bit. Lead likes to absorb radio frequencies
The intermittently functioning transponder seemed to be the cause of 90% of potential problems near the end of your flight! Maybe abandoning the plan to wave soar in controlled airspace would have been the best (albeit disappointing) pre-emptive solution here? And I mean that with absolute respect and sincerity :) love the vids!
Yeah you’re right, and I was going to pull the plug but foolishly as I travelled north it was working fine, so thought it was fine to continue a bit more!
I learned a lot from your Details into this flight . Nice to know but an oldie like me when I get back into it probably aint going to get much in a K8😊😊 Thanks
Got a copy of Jean-Marie Clements 'Dancing with the Wind' ........ all you could ever need to know about Ridge, Wave & Hydraulic Jumps. Lovely photos. If I spoke colloquial idyomatic French and advanced Mathematics I'm sure it would have proven a great resource (instead of impenetrable). So. G Dale's Soaring Engine ..... There are now 4 Volumes. Is Vol the latest update or is Vol 2 specific to Wave?
Yeah v1 is thermals. v2 is wave and convergences. V3 is performance flying. V4 is instrumentation. So keep to get #4 and see what he reckons about stuff!
zoeper... !! we have to go to the European Alps or Schotland - Aboyne for we can fly golf. Netherlands are so freeking FLAT...... :-) google Aboyne wave flying :-) thnx for sharing
Just seen this video and really enjoyed it all. One question. When your transponder failed why didn't you give position reports, such as location, track/heading, altitude? At least ATC would know where you are/were. When I have flown (powered) in uncontrolled airspace using ATC I would give position reports and listen to everyone else's position so as to maintain situational awareness. I think ATC didn't know where you were.
As a GA pilot, we like to avoid the bumps where possible. You talk about rotor cloud and bumps - be really nice to get a vid from a gliders perspective of the clouds that cause the big bumps and what they look like. Just an idea, but be nice to see - better than blokes with a whiteboard!!!
Yeah well this video is a good example of that. Down low, in 40 knot winds it was VERY bumpy. A big wave system will have rotor too. Check out this video for more info ruclips.net/video/VhDpoM5k2Qg/видео.html
It appears o me that the Schemp Hirth Cirrus was/is the basis for all sailplanes today. I'm sure there have been many advances in the technology; but the basic shape of sailplanes look much like the cirrus. Would you agree?
Yeah schemp-hirth in particular are good at not changing things unless they need to. So the cockpit is very similar between aircraft. And mechanisms used don’t often change.
In the US part 91.113 (d) Converging (2) A glider has the right-of-way over an airship, powered parachute, weight-shift-control aircraft, airplane, or rotorcraft. Does that apply the same way in NZ? I once heard on a radio tower arguing with a hot air balloon just lost all wind stuck there. The tower wanted him to climb he said didn't have the fuel to climb enough. Eventually they shut down the airport for awhile warning incoming aircraft of the hot air balloon. I remember heated discussion legal stuff to the tower about right of way made me wonder about gliders. The tower declared emergency on the balloon
Hi yes that is the basic give way rules here too, but under air traffic control they are responsible for maintaining separation so the give way rules shouldn’t be needed.
Wow... Looks so amazing. As a guy with no previous experience in flying, I would really love to try this sport. Just a quick question, will they allow someone to sit in the back seat while wave flying 🤔
Maybe! usually your first flight or two will be local to the airfield, incase you get sick or anything like that.You'd of course need to go to a wave site. If you can travel to NZ at some stage, Milan will take you up in the wave! kahusoaring.nz
Interesting...... at 19,000ft you're in possible conflict with other aircraft (is that just the one ? Ha Ha) and subsequently passing through 14,000ft you're instructed to expedite descent from controlled airspace. It would be fascinating to have the controllers perspective on that situation. I can fully empathise with ATC that without transponder contact, they are in the dark. On the other hand I would have hoped that 4,000 ft plus, of vertical separation would normally suffice. In the England if we'd have to keep 4,000 ft of vertical separation, most gliding pilots would either have to fly in Wales or Scotland or alternatively have to take up coal mining as a leisure pursuit ! P.S. Nice to be sponsored by G. ;) I hope he buys you a few beers when he's next down in the South Island. Great video. How long did it take you before you put on the O2 & what was your total flight time ?
Thanks Graeme, that plug for his wave book was completely unsponsored! Although might have a sponsored review of his new book coming soon, keep an eye out... I put the O2 on around 9000 feet usually, so it's ready to go at 10k. Cheers!
I couldn’t understand the ATC fellow, so maybe I’ve gotten the wrong impression, but I’ve got to call BS on the controller. In my experience, 20k is rather empty. That’s why I loved my Mooney. I could always get direct to destination between 18 and 21. Sounds to me like your ATC forgot who is paying. Maybe you were near a very common flight path, but I didn’t hear them talking to anyone else. Did you?
Hey no he's a nice guy, actually recently reached out to me after seeing the video. Keep in mind I edited out quite a bit to keep the video shorter, so yes there were other aircraft. Our smaller inter-city aircraft in NZ fly around the 19,000'-22000' level mark (e.g. Dash 8). He had to ask me to vacate as my transponder stopped working, that is their normal procedures. In hindsight I should have declined to vacate at that point or declared a pan so they would be able to help me as much as possible. Thanks for watching!
@@PureGlide That’s good. Felt to me like the treatment pistons get here around the Class B airspace. They simply have procedures, and only late at night do they make exceptions. Sky can be empty, but they will push you down to 3,000 ft, as soon as you are in their airspace just in case a jet might show up in the next hour.
Great video! I really hope I get to try this one day - we only have thermals where I fly. :) BTW, do you fly a Ventus? I recognize that canopy latch, but I can't see the flap handle...
Great Video! I find the topic of wave flying very fascinating. If you have more ideas for videos on this topic, please feel encouraged to produce them. Balleka's RUclips videos -flying high above clouds- were the original source of my fascination with gliders. I hope to start my training next season. Also thanks for including the landing. I always enjoy watching landings and they are a great way to end a video, i think.
Hi thanks for the feedback, glad you like them! I was thinking of making a video about using skysight and other weather tools for wave predictions. Would that be interesting to you? Thanks!
@@PureGlide Definitely! Also: How to find them, once in the air. How to approach and enter them. How dangerous are the rotor areas? Is the potential height of a wave dependent on the height of the mountains? Or the wind speed? Both? Sorry, if any of these questions make no sense. So far, it's all just theory for me. That said, as someone who wants to start the training next year and till then wants to study some theory on it: what books would you recommend? Maybe that's another video idea? I live in Germany, so for legal topics i have to read the german standards. But what about other books, like the one you showed in this video? Books covering more universal topics. Maybe stuff like good and bad habits that you should train/avoid right from the beginning of your training. Maybe, habits are worth a video, too? All just suggestions. Won't be disappointed, if you wont pick em up. ;) Really enjoy the channel. Keep up the good work!
Sure do life in a motor home, very handy when driving between airfields all summer! Cost depends on which club, check the gliding.co.nz website to find a club near you
Hi, no it gets worse as you get higher. So just a bit of luck if it's connected at 20,000 feet! Sometimes it might show it's connected, but not actually usable.
From a fair bit of research, "Globally" I have seen plenty of case law and examples that If you are the Pilot in command of an aircraft, and the Ground based Controller asks you to do something that would likely endanger the safety of your aircraft, you are not required to reply anything other than "Unable." Unless you have a different ATC protocol set perhaps? 🤔🤔.
yeah I agree, I should have done that, our air traffic control are very helpful generally. Actually everywhere I'd argue if you tell them your problem they will try and help.
@@PureGlide thanks for replying! The ones I see online go at an angle, do you have any that go straight up and down like the one you’re wearing in this video?
While talking to ATC what were you using as a call sign? It didn't sound like a tail number or standard "alpha, bravo, charlie..." mnemonics. Something assigned by ATC for the flight? Thanks!
Once you got below 18,000ft MSL are you mandated by ATC to continue to descend? Here in the US we would not have had to when flying VFR. Could you have said, "Unable"?
My rego is ZK-GOP, I use "Glider Golf Oscar Papa" on the radio. In New Zealand, all regos that start with ZK-G are gliders, but it's still a very good idea to say 'glider' so the controller understands you are sans-engine!
Airspace ATC height was 9000' in that location, so yes I had to descend below that. It varies around NZ, at Matamata air traffic control is 4500' or 6500' for example because of our proximity to airports.
@@PureGlide Yep, I always preface my communications with "Glider ..." especially when landing at non-glider airports. Gets everyone's attention (and maybe some people get out of my way). After listening to your video again I could pick up "Golf Oscar Papa". We pilots just talk too fast!
@@PureGlide I should have added to my "Once you got below 18,000ft..." comment with "...unless ATC is controlling the airspace". Unsure of the height of the mountains you were flying over when ATC said expedite, but they did look T-A-L-L, so descending to 9Kft just wasn't an option.
![Kodak Black - Versatile 4 [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VcP_1Ua__vY/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video. Wave flying is the pinnacle of gliding in my view. Its 10% glider handling and 90% mental effort and knowledge. I was politely advised by the air force once when we called them up that continuing past 12000ft may not be the best idea. Their training aircraft were undertaking 'high energy manoeuvres' (aka dogfighting) above us in uncontrolled airspace over Snowdonia in the UK. We tended to agree with them and went to play elsewhere ! Sitting at 21k in the blue over the Eastern Pyrenees with all the noises turned off was an almost spiritual experience. You realise you are one of a tiny fraction of humanity ever to have experienced that.
I often reflect how barely anyone else on the planet gets to experience what we do :)
Hi, one day Flew from Canarvon over Snowdonia in an airtow. Unfortunatly no lift there so came back. Trained at Camphill.
How many lessons do you have to take before you can fly! Is it easy to pass the test or is there even a test lol? Would love to do this
@Emmanuel join a club, there is no 1test, it is a series of stages. 2 seater training, then a first solo. After that you will fly with an instructor each time before being allowed solo. Finally you will be ok without check rides. You will only be allowed within range of the airfield till you pass some theory and have flown certain stages. So its a gradual process with ever more challenging goals. Many younger people will solo in their first year of flying. But there is so much to learn about different conditions, weather, thermalling skills, airmanship etc. It isnt like a 2 week course where you are suddenly qualified. Its not hard or expensive but to become really good takes time. Do it, you will never regret it even if you only ever fly with instructors
You transferred from Snowdonia to the Eastern Pyrenees? That’s a bit of a schlepp to get airborne. Say more?
Gliding is one of the most elegant inventions by humans. Hard to think of a more magical one.
Agreed!
what a superbly fascinating video that was thank you ..guess Im lucky to be typing this after a wave flight to 18500 feet at matamata in 1980 in an Auckland gliding clubs K8 , India Mike,
I had no radio, or food, or anything to drink, no maps, or warm clothing, or parachute and no oxygen! all I had those days was an annoying ticking barograph right behind my head , after about 45 minutes soaring up in wave I felt myself going to sleep and feeling a bit odd, hmmm, so trimmed the glider out for a cruising speed, opened the brakes for a while, (I tried to jam them open with my knee, in the end think I left them cracked open), I folded my arms and thought, I will wake up when I get down to a few thousand feet, the stars where out and I couldn't see the ground as it was nearly dusk and the sky was cobalt blue, beautiful, but I didn't fall asleep luckily, by now the sun had set, and some folk had been looking out for me and put their car headlights on for me to land, I got my gold height award for that flight, apart from reading "beginning gliding" by Derek Piggott, most of my wave flying knowledge and education was gleaned at the Auckland and Piako gliding clubs bars lol, things where so different then, happy landings..
Never be afraid to say “Unable” when ATC makes unreasonable demands. They have their realities, you have yours.
Great video.
I will always love the wonderful contrast of high tech gauges, digital equipment and the piece of wool taped to the windscreen.
Thanks! Yeah the wool doesn't run out of batteries too often either. Does fly off the glider a bit more often than my flight computer though...
Yep , the bit of wool stuck to the wind shield . Years ago when I was learning to fly here in the UK. The instructor we had , who had been flying for over 50 years and could be a bit cantankerous on occasion . He got it into his head we did not need the bit wool on the screen . But the big boss said we had to have it . So what did he do ? I stuck it on the inside of the wind screen . It's a wonder I ever when solo !
Even the Lockheed U2 has this piece of low/high tech installed
Imagine my surprise when for the first time ever, on my multi engine checkride, I see my check pilot stick a piece of yarn on the windscreen. Had no idea what I was supposed to do with that, since I'd never seen it before. During the landing with 1 dead engine part of the checkride, I was banked 5 degrees toward the dead engine as I was trained to do, but Juanita failed me immediately after she pointed at the piece of yarn. And this after she spilled an entire can of diet coke on me and my flight manuals etc. during the oral exam before the flight. (Let the oral jokes begin.) This was the checkride given by the university prior to allowing me to ride with the FAA examiner. The FAA guy was a nice old guy that used to barnstorm before WW2, no yarn required with him. He did get a little tricky, he had me look out the left side window at some forest fire damage while he loosened the primer knob on 1 engine all the way back, causing an immediate rough running engine that I heard right away and did a quick check of everything and found what he had done. Said it happened to him once and was teaching me. He passed me just fine, and I didn't have to wipe up any soda. After watching these videos I think I might try gliders again. Tried it 30 years ago once.
@@PureGlide LMAO XD
This is my Dream , every time I see these clouds formation
It is amazing!
im so glad to know I'm not crazy and thank you for the great videos
Great video Tim, one of your best. I've been asked to vacate twice and on one occasion replied "unable to comply" and was asked to call the supervisor upon landing. It wasn't a big deal either.
Cheers Dennis, yeah that's what I should have done!
good tip Dennis
Nice vid, thanks for sharing! I used to fly gliders decades ago in Switzerland, but shortly after getting the glider license I was drawn into commercial aviation and ultimately ended up doing a couple of thousand tows (flying the tow plane). Your videos make me want to fly gliders again! Alas, I've moved to Australia in the meantime and am living nowhere near a glider base. A note on ATC "booting" you out of their airspace: They shouldn't throw you out once they've let you in - there are contingency procedures when transponders fail - it happens to powered airplanes as well. You simply revert to position reports and estimates for when and how high you'll be at the next point. However, because you're not on an instrument flight plan, that might be a bit tricky - also, in the interest of not getting blanket refusals for future flights, it probably pays not to make life difficult for ATC. But next time perhaps simply ask them for a block altitude and area. I can't imagine airspace in NZ is that congested - sheep don't fly I don't think! :) In any case, always remember you are the commander of your aircraft/glider and you have ultimate authority on where you fly. If they try and boot you from the airspace and you can't do so safely, you pull the emergency card and use it. ATC are trained to deal with all kinds of traffic, and if they didn't have the capacity to deal with an unusual airspace occupant, they wouldn't have let you in to boot.
Yeah exactly right, and I’ve certainly flown in airspace without an altitude encoder for example, they are helpful when asked, and I should have asked in this case.
My wave flight to 22.000' in the mountains of Scotland remains one of my most memorable. Fortunately it was in to uncontrolled airsapace, so didn't have that to worry about.
Excellent!
Soaring in New Zealand - What a beautiful way to see a beautiful country. Us non-pilots really enjoy these videos, too. Thanks for posting the video and sharing the experience!
Thank you so much! And glad to hear non pilots are enjoying them too :)
This non pilot is enjoying the virtual trips.
Well Tim in the past I have thought that I could look and learn to be safe from watching your excellent videos. Now you are taking me to 19000 feet, evading detection by ATC, and narrowly avoiding big trouble. Hmmmm. Kids, don’t try this at home!
Well hopefully I can make mistakes so you don’t have to!
Not a question but just taking the opportunity to mention that your videos are excellent. I haven’t flown a glider in 29 years but I am still very interested.
Thank you very much! Glad you like them
Wow, I understand better my weather courses in real applications! Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, Tim - very precious video and recommendations about wave flying.
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video! I think in this case you made a safe decision to comply with their instructions and descend, but people who don’t have a lot of interaction with ATC sometimes forget that they are there to assist you, not fly for you. Like you have mentioned, it is totally your right to refuse instructions from ATC if it puts you or your aircraft in danger.
Thanks! Agreed, cheers
Wow, you've got some magnificent scenery to frighten the crap out of yourself with!
Haha exactly right :)
Haha I've had a similar situation. We were in wave above Mt Taranaki at 10,500 ft talking to CHC centre and the transponder battery went flat on us! We were very kindly asked to "Descend and not break 9500ft" 🤣
Yeah batteries running out is the common one in gliders!
@@PureGlide yeah not that much of engine power on them. But why not getting an wind dynamo or solar cells? (weight issue?)
@@BruceCarbonLakeriver wind dynamo will turn glider into a brick basically, we even tape over structural joints and hatches to reduce drag and improve performance. Solar panels are often seen on newer gliders, usually installed just behind the cockpit. But in some countries they are not allowed for safety reasons ("no in-flight charge allowed")
@@bladelba oh, thank you for your detailed answer! That makes sense to me.
I got a chuckle out of " what could possibly go wrong " Another great informative video Tim. Thanks
Thanks Les!
yep it reminded me of the yt channel Jimmy's world tbh xD
I find your observations and common sense problem solving very helpful and entertaining as well. I recently purchased a Ventus C and will employ much of the detail you have presented when I fly.
That. Was. Incredible.
Thank you very much!
Really enjoyed that. I never have gotten into wave. Not flying now. Did get my glider cert. in the US. So have done some on a fairly novice level. Thanks again. You make it look so easy.
Thanks!
This is amazing, I would panic if I saw all those mountains having to decent without knowing if I'll be able to climb..
Yeah fair enough!
I’m so glad I stumbled on this video. Well done! I’m a fixed wing pilot but would really like to get into gliders!
You definitely should! It's pretty awesome, and you learn a lot about weather that is useful to all flying. Cheers
Sweet flight. No music! Love it
Sometimes I have to put music in otherwise it’s just silence for the Timelapse. Trust me it’s weird with silence haha you can simulate by turning the volume down 😂
Amazing flight!
FL165 👏👏, it’s incredible. Congrats
Thanks a lot!
Thanks for sharing another super exciting adventure.
Cheers Colin!
Amazing trip. Thanks.
Philip Wills in his book "Where no birds fly" described the 'cobble stone effect' when transferring from a lower wave to a higher system. I was delighted to experience this same sensation out of RAF Dishforth over the Ripon at about 10k ft. some years ago which took me to 16k Is the 'cobble stone effect' now a common phenomenon?.
A tip perhaps from an old and bold instructor. If you open your brakes, do not take your hand off them until you close them. So many pilots have wondered where all the sink was coming from before hitting the ground early!
Very wise, and many gliders you can't. The Ventus cT you can, I suspect so you can control the flaps while using the brakes.
what a great hobby. amazing views. still quite a bit of noise but nothing compared to a propellor aircraft.
Yeah I’ve made my glider a bit quieter since 😂
Absolutely Spectacular
It really is!
You Actually seem rearly nice for a 'Kiwwi" Iam just kiddn""! Man watching a few vids has got me hooked, Very impressed, Great vids you do it very very well
You do a great job. Thank you!
Thank you so much!
Great video.
I did some wave flying in Scotland back in the 70s. Having the clouds close up under you is not a fun experience. I had to descend through cloud and was forced to make an out landing as I was too far from base to get home. One of our gliders was talking to the RAF and they directed him to a clear area away from the mountains. I was lucky to spot the cloud closing in and started to descend but it takes time even dong tight turns with full brake out.
Yeah it’s critical wave flying not to be caught out by cloud underneath!
ATC are service providers - even to sport aviation. “Unable to comply” would have alerted the controller to your predicament even if it produced some post flight paperwork. Descending early into those rocks and wind looked hairy Tim.
Yeah agreed! I thought I'd be able to stay in the wave at 9000' and get back happily, but I think I flew too far downwind to do that. So it didn't go quite as planned and yes in hindsight I would have said 'unable' and figured something out with the controller.
Just call engine failure xD
@@PureGlide Would not triangulating your position with two GPS dist and direction way points help to pacify ATC?
Unless you are declaring an emergency then "Unable to comply" doesn't cut it. What arrogance to think that you can go into controlled airspace and just tell ATC that you can't comply. Do everyone a favour and stay out of controlled airspace.
Hello from the states. As a controller myself, I think you should have done what the controller asked and expedited your decent out of controlled airspace. He must have had good reason for the expedited decent clearance. I believe he said he had traffic heading your way. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'd spend more time learning the airspace and terrain along your route of flight and plan accordingly. Gliders are definitely a safety risk when sharing the same airspace as much faster jets carrying hundreds of people, especially if the controller loses radar contact with you like in this scenario. Beautiful video however!
Hi welcome to the channel! Yeah it was purely a “if we can’t see your transponder, you’ll have to vacate”. So it wasn’t urgent. I edited out a lot of the chat. So I certainly wasn’t going to initiate a rapid descent into problematic unsafe terrain! I think the actual controller involved added a comment, or maybe emailed me directly, that wasn’t an issue. Cheers
WOOOOOO.. 19 thousand feet! AS WE EASE ON IN TO MY LIMO!... WOOOOO! STYLIN AND PROFILIN' !
:)
Great video. Wave has to be the most addictive form of lift. The thing I really love is the smoothness. I’ve been above 20,000 on several occasions, three times on one day (see below). My wave flying has also been simpler than on this flight, probably because of the topology of the ground. The hills in the UK are nowhere near as extreme as those in New Zealand resulting in a wave system with less turbulence at higher levels. I also had the possibility of legally flying in cloud. Your advice regarding things to consider were very important. The temperature decreases at about 2ºC per thousand feet so at 19,000’ you’ll be 38ºC cooler than on the ground so dress accordingly. The other is sunset. Because we live on a globe, the sunset at altitude is considerably later than on the ground. It is quite possible to be soaring in glorious sunshine when it is pitch black underneath you. Another consideration is that should you enter cloud you are quite likely to pick up ice. Very few high performance gliders glide well with ice. Your aircraft will be cold-soaked and being white will not heat up when you leave cloud and fly in clear air so any ice will take ages to shift. And you do have anti-freeze in your ballast, don’t you? Lastly strength of the wind can take you by surprise. A 60 kts will, no surprises, take you 1 mile every minute.
To date the biggest things I have soared are jet aircraft. I’ve tracked along the Pennines in a Fokker 100 maintaining height and speed at flight idle and used wave to climb an Embraer 190 in Norway. The wave added well over 1,000 fpm (10 kts) to our climb for 10-15,000’. The thing to bear in mind is if one side of the wave is going up at 1,000 fpm then the other side is going down at the same rate. Do you really want to be there? I had an underpants changing moment in Tasmania in a C206 that really brought this home, but that’s another story.
Losing radar contact? Is there the possibility that you were surpressed due to low ground speed. Many radar systems have ground filters.
Three times in one day: 1. Got to 21,000’ and realised I had forgotten by barograph. 2. Passing 23,000’ and realised I hadn’t turned it on. 3. Finally I departed with a barograph turned on climbing from a low point of 1,500’ up to 24,500’. Diamond height!
Thanks for sharing! The reason for my transponder failure was I had recently installed lead in the nose, and the antenna was badly positioned, just above it the lead compartment.
@@PureGlide Got it. Pesky things these electronics.
Thank you for another great video. Very enjoyable.
My pleasure! Cheers
A beautiful and informative video. Thanks for sharing Sir!
Thanks for watching!
Amazing Video! Very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Thats amazing. The highest ive ever flown was 7000 feet agl. I can't imagine what its like up there. Its a dream of mine to go in wave one day.
Prepared for altitude by wrapping up as best I could but still nearly froze to death at Aboyne in Scotland in October. Bloody good lift though and worth it.
Haha I know what you mean! It pays to be prepared…
Sitting here in the hospital watching your videos Tim. Thanks for the fresh upload buddy. Hopefully I'll have this kicked in a day or two and one day we can go flying sometime in the near future.
Hey Jason, take it easy, glad if I can help alleviate some boredom!
@@PureGlide that you did! And I agree with your assessment of the descent instructions. I know glider pilots tend to bend to ATC fast because typically they just don't deal with them often. But if you need something: you are why they are there. Always remember that. You wouldn't have needed to declare an emergency or anything but just state that a descent now would leak to undue risk. Offer to give 5 minute position and altitude checks to them and that you would "not delay" your descent vs expediting, they just might've worked with you like you had presumed.
Nice flight in any event man. I enjoyed the heck out of it.
@@TheSoaringChannel Yeah agreed!
Nice and one of my favorite videos you’ve done.. So nice you get clearance up into class A airspace, we never get it here.
Thank you very much!
I've been enjoying your videos within the last weeks (haven't been watching you before, not only videos from the last few weeks) at this is a great one too. Would you mind me asking why your phone is unplugged in the video sequence at 6:55 ?
Hi glad you've been enjoying the videos! Most likely reasons for the phone being unplugged:
1) I was just taking photos (most likely)
2) It was getting too hot charging, so I unplugged it for a bit.
Cheers!
Great video! Fun for an ‘ex’ glider pilot indeed!
Awesome, glad you liked it!
Great and instructive video. I only experienced two times of wave gliding, but it is a sort of addiction :) thank you for your really helpful videos. Greetings from northern Germany - no hills, no waves, and a 5m/s thermal is like Easter and Christmas together;)
Lars
@SoaringAwayFromItAll= A good number of German glider pilots go wave soaring in the Alps. I’ve seen a German-registered glider landing in the Puymoisson airfield (Southern French Alps) on return from a wave flight. A truly memorable experience for me: I had never seen a glider landing with a headwind in the range of 80-100 kmh!
That is the problem with this extraordinary experience of wave soaring: the wind must be strong, and thus the pilot has to be prepared to land in windy to very windy conditions. In the instance I recall, the pilot made a wonderful landing, very impressive.
__ .
@@christianfournier6862 yes, Pui was one of my wave experiences. Unfortunately, it is very crowded there - and subsequently pretty risky. But fascinating for sure
Hi Lars, thanks very much and glad you’re enjoying the videos. Cheers!
Tim good stuff thanks
Cheers Brian!
Enjoy watching your videos. Very informative. Always been reluctant about the idea of going up in a glider knowing they lack an engine lol but I bet the experience is amazing. Keep up the great work bud!
Thanks Daniel, funnily enough I would recommend trying it sometime if it interests you. The trick is there's no engine to crap out on you (except the tow plane on the way up!) So it's kinda better in that regard...
Wow, what a nail- biting- adventure!
You had no time for nail- biting, but mine are now well trimmed! 😁
Fun eh! Just wish I had filmed the arriving low into the mountains on the way back. It was VERY bumpy...
@@PureGlide BTW, you must have the only glider that has a MacCready ring around the Air Speed Indicator (instead of Vario).
Is that some kind of new secret weapon? 😁
@@Johan-ex5yj Good spotting. It's not a MacCready ring, it is a 'Grosskinsky ' flap setting ring. Can be tweaked based on your weight, and will give the optimum flap settings. I only just learned about it myself recently! wingsandwheels.com/avionics-instruments/airspeed-indicator/grosskinsky-variable-camber-flap-ring.html
@@PureGlide Great, I've learned something new today, thanks Mate! 👍
NICE !
Thanks!
Step 1: make sure your transponder works. ;)
Ha well it was recently tested on the ground no problem, but I know the problem- I installed some lead weights, so need to move the antenna a bit. Lead likes to absorb radio frequencies
So cool
Thanks!
I love how the ground is barely passing by until he's a couple feet off the ground and it looks like it's in warp speed.
Fun eh :)
G Dale I knew when he was an instructor at Lasham
The intermittently functioning transponder seemed to be the cause of 90% of potential problems near the end of your flight! Maybe abandoning the plan to wave soar in controlled airspace would have been the best (albeit disappointing) pre-emptive solution here? And I mean that with absolute respect and sincerity :) love the vids!
Yeah you’re right, and I was going to pull the plug but foolishly as I travelled north it was working fine, so thought it was fine to continue a bit more!
I learned a lot from your
Details into this flight .
Nice to know but an oldie like me when I get back into it probably aint going to get much in a K8😊😊
Thanks
Got a copy of Jean-Marie Clements 'Dancing with the Wind' ........ all you could ever need to know about Ridge, Wave & Hydraulic Jumps. Lovely photos.
If I spoke colloquial idyomatic French and advanced Mathematics I'm sure it would have proven a great resource (instead of impenetrable).
So. G Dale's Soaring Engine ..... There are now 4 Volumes. Is Vol the latest update or is Vol 2 specific to Wave?
Yeah v1 is thermals. v2 is wave and convergences. V3 is performance flying. V4 is instrumentation. So keep to get #4 and see what he reckons about stuff!
Great flightTim, enjoyed it and learnt a lot.
Awesome, thank you!
Amazing !!! I really would like to test wave fliying!!
Thanks for the video
Thank you!
To your first question..... well... you are making the vid... so I would guess yes. LOL. Great vid!
Thanks!
Loving your videos. Very instructive. What software are you running on your iphone on the left of your cockpit?
Thanks! It’s our glider tracking website here in NZ. Gliding.net.nz/tracking
Excellent video as usual, may I ask you what's the software you use on your phone, couldn't recognize it. thx!
Hi that’s the NZ glider tracking website, gliding.net.nz/tracking
Very nice video! May I ask why you have two yaw strings?
Here you go! ruclips.net/video/OR9zJwcGxoQ/видео.html
zoeper... !! we have to go to the European Alps or Schotland - Aboyne for we can fly golf. Netherlands are so freeking FLAT...... :-) google Aboyne wave flying :-) thnx for sharing
Cheers! Yes some mountains sure are useful for gliding :)
Just seen this video and really enjoyed it all. One question. When your transponder failed why didn't you give position reports, such as location, track/heading, altitude? At least ATC would know where you are/were. When I have flown (powered) in uncontrolled airspace using ATC I would give position reports and listen to everyone else's position so as to maintain situational awareness. I think ATC didn't know where you were.
Yeah agreed, that would have been good, probably I wasn't set up to give bearings/distance from an airport for example, but maybe could have done that
@@PureGlide Great insights to wave flying btw.
That's what I would call "Maximum safe descent"
Yeah exactly!
I could almost hear your flying brain reprogramming! Great video. 👌🏻
Haha :)
As a GA pilot, we like to avoid the bumps where possible. You talk about rotor cloud and bumps - be really nice to get a vid from a gliders perspective of the clouds that cause the big bumps and what they look like. Just an idea, but be nice to see - better than blokes with a whiteboard!!!
Yeah well this video is a good example of that. Down low, in 40 knot winds it was VERY bumpy. A big wave system will have rotor too. Check out this video for more info ruclips.net/video/VhDpoM5k2Qg/видео.html
Wow.
:)
Tried launching a paraglider at that height once.
It appears o me that the Schemp Hirth Cirrus was/is the basis for all sailplanes today. I'm sure there have been many advances in the technology; but the basic shape of sailplanes look much like the cirrus. Would you agree?
Yeah schemp-hirth in particular are good at not changing things unless they need to. So the cockpit is very similar between aircraft. And mechanisms used don’t often change.
Mark D. Thanks for the reply! If I lived in NZ, I would be taking lessons from you!!!
Do mention what kind of glider/configuration you are flying in your videos ( span, ballast, wing loading). Thanks!
Ventus cT, 17.6m, no extra ballast. Cheers!
In the US part 91.113 (d) Converging (2) A glider has the right-of-way over an airship, powered parachute, weight-shift-control aircraft, airplane, or rotorcraft. Does that apply the same way in NZ? I once heard on a radio tower arguing with a hot air balloon just lost all wind stuck there. The tower wanted him to climb he said didn't have the fuel to climb enough. Eventually they shut down the airport for awhile warning incoming aircraft of the hot air balloon. I remember heated discussion legal stuff to the tower about right of way made me wonder about gliders. The tower declared emergency on the balloon
Hi yes that is the basic give way rules here too, but under air traffic control they are responsible for maintaining separation so the give way rules shouldn’t be needed.
"Expedite descent... "
next time the reply is
"unable"
Exactly! In hindsight that's precisely what I should have done. Cheers!
Wow... Looks so amazing. As a guy with no previous experience in flying, I would really love to try this sport. Just a quick question, will they allow someone to sit in the back seat while wave flying 🤔
Maybe! usually your first flight or two will be local to the airfield, incase you get sick or anything like that.You'd of course need to go to a wave site. If you can travel to NZ at some stage, Milan will take you up in the wave! kahusoaring.nz
Wow... Sure. I would truly enjoy that
So where to you find "The Soaring Engine Two" in English. I have only found Japanese editions.
Hi you can contact G who wrote it directly here: thesoaringengine.co.uk
the website lists locations to buy it
Interesting...... at 19,000ft you're in possible conflict with other aircraft (is that just the one ? Ha Ha) and subsequently passing through 14,000ft you're instructed to expedite descent from controlled airspace. It would be fascinating to have the controllers perspective on that situation. I can fully empathise with ATC that without transponder contact, they are in the dark. On the other hand I would have hoped that 4,000 ft plus, of vertical separation would normally suffice. In the England if we'd have to keep 4,000 ft of vertical separation, most gliding pilots would either have to fly in Wales or Scotland or alternatively have to take up coal mining as a leisure pursuit ! P.S. Nice to be sponsored by G. ;) I hope he buys you a few beers when he's next down in the South Island. Great video. How long did it take you before you put on the O2 & what was your total flight time ?
Thanks Graeme, that plug for his wave book was completely unsponsored! Although might have a sponsored review of his new book coming soon, keep an eye out... I put the O2 on around 9000 feet usually, so it's ready to go at 10k. Cheers!
I couldn’t understand the ATC fellow, so maybe I’ve gotten the wrong impression, but I’ve got to call BS on the controller. In my experience, 20k is rather empty. That’s why I loved my Mooney. I could always get direct to destination between 18 and 21. Sounds to me like your ATC forgot who is paying. Maybe you were near a very common flight path, but I didn’t hear them talking to anyone else. Did you?
Hey no he's a nice guy, actually recently reached out to me after seeing the video. Keep in mind I edited out quite a bit to keep the video shorter, so yes there were other aircraft. Our smaller inter-city aircraft in NZ fly around the 19,000'-22000' level mark (e.g. Dash 8). He had to ask me to vacate as my transponder stopped working, that is their normal procedures. In hindsight I should have declined to vacate at that point or declared a pan so they would be able to help me as much as possible. Thanks for watching!
@@PureGlide That’s good. Felt to me like the treatment pistons get here around the Class B airspace. They simply have procedures, and only late at night do they make exceptions. Sky can be empty, but they will push you down to 3,000 ft, as soon as you are in their airspace just in case a jet might show up in the next hour.
Great video! I really hope I get to try this one day - we only have thermals where I fly. :) BTW, do you fly a Ventus? I recognize that canopy latch, but I can't see the flap handle...
Yes come to New Zealand for a gliding holiday when you can!
@@PureGlide I'd love to! As soon as we get rid of the plague, and I can get some time off. :)
That's an uncomfortable situation to find yourself in. Did you investigate how to improve your transponder reception?
Yes I knew what the problem was. I recently had to install lead in the nose, which was where the antenna was. Lead doesn't help radio frequencies :)
@@PureGlide Oops.
The most important questions of all: What if you have to go while you're up there? Do you have a bottle and a bucket with you? 😁
You’re in luck I made a video about that! How to Pee in a Glider 🌊😅
ruclips.net/video/n4NsWAc3DiU/видео.html
Is NZ a glider paradise? Greetings from Spain
It sure is!
I'm sure Spain is a beautiful place to glide too! You must have wave systems from Sierra Nevada's. Greetings from England
Great Video! I find the topic of wave flying very fascinating. If you have more ideas for videos on this topic, please feel encouraged to produce them. Balleka's RUclips videos -flying high above clouds- were the original source of my fascination with gliders. I hope to start my training next season. Also thanks for including the landing. I always enjoy watching landings and they are a great way to end a video, i think.
Hi thanks for the feedback, glad you like them! I was thinking of making a video about using skysight and other weather tools for wave predictions. Would that be interesting to you? Thanks!
@@PureGlide Definitely! Also: How to find them, once in the air. How to approach and enter them. How dangerous are the rotor areas? Is the potential height of a wave dependent on the height of the mountains? Or the wind speed? Both? Sorry, if any of these questions make no sense. So far, it's all just theory for me. That said, as someone who wants to start the training next year and till then wants to study some theory on it: what books would you recommend? Maybe that's another video idea? I live in Germany, so for legal topics i have to read the german standards. But what about other books, like the one you showed in this video? Books covering more universal topics. Maybe stuff like good and bad habits that you should train/avoid right from the beginning of your training. Maybe, habits are worth a video, too? All just suggestions. Won't be disappointed, if you wont pick em up. ;) Really enjoy the channel. Keep up the good work!
I joyed your flight
Thanks!
Where you get the jumper?
Hi you can find the whole range at pureglide.nz cheers!
Soaring engine on amazon and kindle was japanese, any alternatives for english?
Do you live in a motor home? I have been up a couple of times in South Africa. What would it cost to go up here?
Sure do life in a motor home, very handy when driving between airfields all summer! Cost depends on which club, check the gliding.co.nz website to find a club near you
19,000' , come on now. That's a normal afternoon around here. I've made 39,000' in the wave!
But that was in an AIRBUS
i saw you still had phone connection at high altitude, how did you do that? do you have satellite provider?
Hi, no it gets worse as you get higher. So just a bit of luck if it's connected at 20,000 feet! Sometimes it might show it's connected, but not actually usable.
I took a DG 500 to 23500 feet in a wave once... had to get down early, it was way too cold
Yeah, nothing warm at 23500 feet!
From a fair bit of research, "Globally" I have seen plenty of case law and examples that If you are the Pilot in command of an aircraft, and the Ground based Controller asks you to do something that would likely endanger the safety of your aircraft, you are not required to reply anything other than "Unable." Unless you have a different ATC protocol set perhaps? 🤔🤔.
yeah I agree, I should have done that, our air traffic control are very helpful generally. Actually everywhere I'd argue if you tell them your problem they will try and help.
What is your callsign during this flight? I keep hearing ATC and you say it but I can't make out what you guys are saying at all, haha.
Hi I’m golf Oscar papa, cheers!
The thumbnail looked like this was a Rodney Dangerfield video.
😂
Where can I get one of those hoodies?
Hi I’m so pleased you asked! check out my online store at pureglide.nz
@@PureGlide thanks for replying! The ones I see online go at an angle, do you have any that go straight up and down like the one you’re wearing in this video?
Just wondering could you put ads b on gliders
We sure do, most gliders in NZ already have transponders and will be upgrading them over the next year to ADSB. Cheers!
@@PureGlide well you do same information on it and setups of good ADSB for gliders mate
While talking to ATC what were you using as a call sign? It didn't sound like a tail number or standard "alpha, bravo, charlie..." mnemonics. Something assigned by ATC for the flight? Thanks!
Once you got below 18,000ft MSL are you mandated by ATC to continue to descend? Here in the US we would not have had to when flying VFR. Could you have said, "Unable"?
My rego is ZK-GOP, I use "Glider Golf Oscar Papa" on the radio. In New Zealand, all regos that start with ZK-G are gliders, but it's still a very good idea to say 'glider' so the controller understands you are sans-engine!
Airspace ATC height was 9000' in that location, so yes I had to descend below that. It varies around NZ, at Matamata air traffic control is 4500' or 6500' for example because of our proximity to airports.
@@PureGlide Yep, I always preface my communications with "Glider ..." especially when landing at non-glider airports. Gets everyone's attention (and maybe some people get out of my way). After listening to your video again I could pick up "Golf Oscar Papa". We pilots just talk too fast!
@@PureGlide I should have added to my "Once you got below 18,000ft..." comment with "...unless ATC is controlling the airspace". Unsure of the height of the mountains you were flying over when ATC said expedite, but they did look T-A-L-L, so descending to 9Kft just wasn't an option.
What is the wave?
You're in luck, I made a video about how the wave works ruclips.net/video/VhDpoM5k2Qg/видео.html
"going up with full air brakes" And some say he is still up there, casting youtube with a green screen of home.....
😂
"Control, I'll start my descent gobuskibobar."
"Gobuskibobar you're all clear gobuskibobar"
wut?
Haha Golf Oskar Papa