Crazy Mountain Wave: Flying my glider at redline and still going up
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- Опубликовано: 24 ноя 2024
- What do you do when you're flying your glider at redline, and the wave is so strong, it's about to push you into class A? Join me on this winter wave flight to find out.
Discover what flying sailplanes is really like. This is the story of a full glider flight, from take-off to landing, shown in time-lapse. It includes voice-over commentary, 3D visualizations, instrument overlays, statistical overlays, 360 video, and post-flight analysis.
Flight trace: www.weglide.or...
3D visualization: www.sportstrac...
Learn to fly gliders! www.ssa.org/le...
I think I should have done a better job of explaining why I chose to turn upwind to stop climbing, versus other possible solutions. I wasn't climbing very quickly, so I only needed to reduce my vertical speed by a small amount to avoid going into class A. Turning upwind quickly got me into lift that was less strong, which is all I needed to stop my ascent. Turning downwind to get into the sinking part of the wave would definitely have worked too, but it would have been overkill. Once you're in the sink, the only way to get out of it is to fly back upwind, which will take a long time and cost a lot of altitude, or fly far enough downwind to transition to the secondary wave, or out of the wave altogether. Either way, you're going to lose a lot of altitude and/or end up somewhere you didn't want to be. As I mentioned in the video, the sky downwind was not clear, and it would not have been safe to go there where I could be trapped on top or be forced to descend through the clouds blind. Could I have opened the spoilers instead? Technically yes, but that's a risky and inelegant solution to the problem. The POH for the LS6c does allow the spoilers to be opened at VNE, but it's not a great idea unless you truly have no other option. At high speeds, the spoilers can be suddenly sucked open, putting huge stresses on the airframe. Even though they may have been designed for it, I'm not keen to test whether they will stay together under such extreme conditions. Why push your luck when all it takes is a slight turn upwind, losing no altitude, and continuing on your merry way.
Also, many people have commented that VNE decreases with altitude. Yes, I know. When I say I was flying at VNE, I mean I was flying at VNE adjusted for altitude, which in the case of my LS6c, is 118 knots indicated at 18,000ft. At sea level, my VNE is 146 knots.
Foehn is just a way of spelling Föhn where there's a umlaut over the letter O. It's pronounced the same way as fern. That's Germans for you! :-)
your solution was definitely a simple an elegant one, knowing exactly what you need and how much is a show of a professionally attuned mind, sleek to the task.
have to wonder though, what would you do, if, as the question in the title suggests, you were in a situation where the lift is significantly more than you can manage without over-speeding the aircraft? do you work your way behind the wave, or is that just a situation you use your better judgement to avoid in the first place?
It depends on how close you are to 18K. If you're going up like a rocket, but still thousands of feet below 18K, then it's not a problem. If you're say, 1,500ft below 18K, then you'd better already be planning what you're going to do to stop climbing. If you're 500ft below 18K and you haven't already taken action to stop climbing, it might be too late. In that situation, turning downwind into the sink could work, but could also be dangerous depending on the conditions. The best thing to do is to plan ahead so you don't need to take any drastic action at the last minute.
If you’ve still got some headroom can’t you just slow up and spin down?
At altitude the effective area of the vertical tail fin is reduced. Spin characteristics change. @@speedbird300
I love of feeling of pointing the nose into wind and slowing your ground speed down to zero while sitting in your stationary elevator in the sky
I love watching pelicans do this. It's like witchcraft.
Buy a helicopter. Lol
@@user-vb8os3sf7xUnless it's a helicopter with multiple engines I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you're aware of the risks involved.
In a very slow glider you can do that, in a lot of wind. Up there, there is far more wind than on the ground. And it feels weird, it's like your plane is in reverse. You got that irry feeling you don't have a rear view mirror. Better drop the nose and go faster.
@@user-vb8os3sf7x Or buy an autogyro. Those can often fly pretty slow.
For those that don't know Class A (Alpha) airspace in the United States is from 18,000 feet - 60,000 feet in altitude (MSL). To enter Class A airspace you have to be IFR equipped and IFR Certified with an IFR flight plan active.
His glider does not meet those requirements so if he entered Class A airspace he would be "busting airspace" and that means you get into a whole heap of trouble both legally and financially.
Also for flights above 12,500 feet you are required to have supplemental oxygen due to hypoxia (he has supplemental oxygen).
VFR pilot here: Thank you for this clarification, but _what if_ there is an avoidable excursion into Class A airspace in a glider?
In aquatic vessels, there is an extensive protocol for when powered ships encounter a sailboat -- and considerable wordage acknowledging sailing vessels are just not capable of entirely being in control of their immediate fate.
In like matter, is there no better accommodation in FARs than to demand, _Just don´t do it or you´ll be in a heap o´ trouble_ ?
@@brianhiles8164 What spartan said is mostly but not ENTIRELY correct; for gliders SPECIFICALLY, you can do VFR in Class A with a mode c transponder and a two-way radio. Idk what protocol for gliders without that equipment is, though. If you did accidentally bust into Class A without intending to and without proper equipment, the correct response would be to file a NASA report, and that would probably be the end of it.
I think suggesting that it would necessarily put you into a heap of trouble legally/financially is dangerously misleading. This situation could be considered an emergency. Flying over Vne or into weather to avoid airspace will 100% of the time be a poor balance of risk in my view. Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you have comms, declare and squawk. If not, when you land fess up with a NASA and move on with your life.
@@barryplemmons6695 Declaring an emergency for breaching Class A due to thermals in a glider.... yeah that is not going to go over all that well even with a NASA report filed in advance. His video shows that he knew he was riding that thermal wave, he knew his altitude, and he made his decisions. Had he made the decision to continue like he had he would have busted airspace and been found liable for the airspace violation, he didn't due to good ADM.
Yes busting airspace CAN get you into a whole heap of trouble both financially and legally. There is a good reason why SPL and PPL pilots get airspace requirements and WX minimums pounded into our heads during training.
You're not getting it@@Spartan536. Gliders can enter class A airspace without requiring a flight plan or instrument ratings via prearrangement in the US.
When I flew in the Adirondacks, there was a letter of agreement with Boston Center defining two boxes that allowed sailplanes to fly waves up to 25,000 feet VFR
Yes, that's called a wave window, and it's one of the only legal ways to enter class A.
Airplane pilots: "You should stay away from mountain waves. They're dangerous."
Glider pilots:
I use them whenever possible during cross country flights in my ag plane. I need all the help I can get lol
You have to understand the vortex but yes that ridge flying is dicey. Always lift on the sunny side of a cloud.
Adds a lot
I once stood in a hangar and heard Bob Harris describe his Record Wave Flight.(49,009')
"Pressure Breathing forced tears from his eyes that froze. He said it felt like worms were crawling around in his legs.
I had a wave flight decades ago in Vermont in a Pilatus B4. Some people that day were up over 20,000 (with ATC permission) and I could see them way up there. But I had to turn back at 11,000 because I had left my Oxygen mask in my car!. It was also very cold. I needed to have the spoilers out and lower the gear to defeat the 1000 fpm climb I was in. I zig zagged back and forth in the gap because there was 100% cloud cover everywhere else and so it took a while to get down. Then at about 3000 AGL I could duck under the clouds and head for the airport. It was very turbulent and I alternated between holding full spoilers and then both hands on the stick to damp out the PIOs. It had been beautiful, smooth, and quiet up there, but I was glad to get back on the ground.
Flew in gliders twice. What a blast. The local club gave pilots a special break on the price and handed over the controls after release from the tow plane. It could be addicting.
It sure is addicting. There's nothing like getting your altitude for "free".
It is fantastic. Avoid those billionair clubs, unless you are one. There must also be "down to earth" people doing their hobby for only 2 thousand a year. Go to Germany. Next to ALL towns is such a club, owning some two seaters for training. And a GREAT two seater for cross country. And the rest of the fleet depends a bit. Do you see? When everybody helps keeping the tractor and the winch and the planes in good order, when there is a team of certified club members in charge of all that, it is a fantastic hobby. Yes, it takes lots of weekend days, you get kind of married to your club. That is, if you catch the virus. You just need to TAKE THAT FIRST STEP. Emigrate to Germany, that saves you a lot of dollars. 😂
I flew paragliders to 18,000 ft in the Sierras and would love to transition to sailplanes in the next few years. I did not realize that such sophisticated tools were available that could accurately predict wave lift. That is just so rad! Love your channel.
@@sergeig685 yes, the forecasting tools have really improved. There are lots of former paraglider pilots flying gliders. Join us!
18,000ft with a paraglider. That is epic, would love to see your track log if you have it?
EDITED: I thought that the word foehn gap came from the German word Föhn (ö = oe; meaning hairdryer). The wind system "Föhn" is southern wind blowing over the alps, accumulating moisture in front of the mountains which is cooling the air less, than the air warms in the lee of the mountain. Then Munich can have up to 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine with strong windy in winter. However it is actually the other way round. The hairdryer is named after the wind, as the answer below corrected me, so better read that xD
its to do with the adiabatic lapse rate...
Not exactly. It is actually derived from the latin word favonius and the old high german word phōnno wich means some kind of "warm westerly wind". The name of the wind Föhn origins from that. The hair dryer "Foen" was a brand name of the german company Sanitas from 1908. It became synonymos for all hair dryers in Germany and was named after the wind.
@@johannesschmidt9580Also in Italy we call hairdriers Phon😊
@@ThedoctvIn Holland too😅
In Alberta, these winds are called "Chinooks" (after the Indigenous people). They mean you can go from -30C one day to above freezing the next!
7:20 theres something magical about standing in the air at 0 GS, especially in a glider. just pure peacefulness
As a SEPL, SEPS rated pilot with two glider flights in a Grob logged, I find your video a wealth of knowledge and glider talk lingo. I can learn a lot from you and thank you for your channel. Looking forward to viewing more of your flights.
Flew the wave out of Boulder to 31,000’ in the Blanik, utilizing the wave window granted us by Denver Center…
It must feel incredible harvesting the airstreams to fly like that :) It already feels incredible to go sailing in a sailboat harvesting the wind for your propulsion.
I love sailing too. A lot of sailors find their way into gliders because the concept has some parallels.
I just found your channel, it’s great! I am a fixed wing and helicopter pilot. I flew in gliders a few times as a kid. I remember it being very peaceful.
Flying in class-A airspace with a glider is sometimes allowed.
In Great Brittain it is possible with two sided radio contact and S mode transponder. In Austria a local block of air is sometimes temporarily reserved to gliders. You can go for you 5000 m altitude gain.
In France it is often denied, but not allways, also if all equipent is on board.
It is surplus workload for the upper airspace ATC controllers, which are only accustomed to airliners flying in straight lines and constant speeds, helped by computer survailance. So it caused unknown workload for them (the do not know it) and they see it as a risk. Easy for them to say no with out explanation.
Gliding in Europe has its limitations.
In France class A is only for the Paris TMAs and they'll say no 100% of the time guaranteed. The rest is class C or D but it doesn't mean they'll let you in, depends on the traffic load at the time.
Nice flight and commentary... I rarely get to see wave where I glide and certainly not of that scale. Thanks for sharing (and making me jealous)!
For a glider pilot who’s scraped the 10k ceiling twice with O2 this was a beautiful flight. 🤩
Best boots I've ever owned (and I still have my Belleville Combat Boots from 2003) is the " CHOUPO - Manathan Men's Winter Boots with Swivel Cleats ".
Much needed for the sudden ice storms we get here, and have kept my feet warm without external heat sources in -30°C.
Always nice to have a sip at the wave bar 🍻🏄♂
Well done! Thanks for all the graphics and time you put into making this video, Ben!
Great video on wave flying. Please note that your Vne speed gets lower the higher you get. Flying beyond the red line at this altitude has a high risk of flutter and rapid glider disassembly. Stay safe!
Awesome
Thanks for taking us with you on this remarkable trip.
Nice way of telling the story.
I've been waiting for this, Ben! It did not disappoint. My, what a flight you had! Somehow I missed you'd departed from KCVH, and to my mind, that made the flight that much sweeter. PY would have really enjoyed those conditions, but her pilot had to work! What a day that was.
I used to use those exact heaters for my ski boots, but they only last a couple years as the cords wear out and the batteries lose ability to hold charge. I recently switched to heated socks made by the same company. Much better, and the batteries last 3X as long as my sole heaters.
As a powered-flight pilot I didn’t think this video would be interesting, but I loved it & it gave me a better appreciation of some of the conditions that may influence my flights. Thank you for a great video 😊👍🏼
I like your piloting style, always compensated and coordinated, parsimonious movements.
i used to fly the LS8 a lot and always wanted to try the ls6 with its flaps. What a beautiful glider! Also great storytelling and narrating
One of the coolest videos I've seen in a long time. Loved the editing!
Thanks Ethan! I enjoyed your recent video about losing your prop too.
nice video and beautiful flight! thanks for sharing!
Wow, that was an awesome video. I know of wave through paragliding but that was crazy. I'll just settle with a few thousand feet, lol.
Awsome! Thanks for this fantastic time lapse of your wave flight!!
Very nicely done. I'm a fixed pilot, but I've always wondered about soaring. I appreciate the explanations.
What a fabulous flight! Mountains are much cooler than I thought.
What an awesome flight. Makes me realise just how high I will be when I reach Everest Base Camp.
Best of luck
@@Beythoven Thank you.
I'm a glider pilot about to first solo. I've heard about wave but never actually seen or understood it. Great video you earned a sub!
@@AirJoe good luck on your solo!
@@BenHirashima thank you!
Nice flight! Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic video. So very educational. Keep it up.
Flying gliders is a great hobby. Did it many many years ago.
To dump altitude...... our gliders had airbrakes.... though I've heard friends having difilculties even with those deployed.
The LS6 is, in my opinion, simply the best glider out there! My diamond height was gained at Sisteron, France, I managed 27,000 in an Astir!
Wow ! What an impressive flight ! I'm too old and too broke to take up this sport now, but I sure wish I could !
Amazing flight ,well done
whoa; I did NOT know that a wave set up that far WEST of the sierra; I thought that it started just east of the 5 freeway?
I guess it's like my grand daddy always said "lift is where you find it"
Yes, this wave was being generated by a west wind coming over the coastal mountain ranges. There is also great wave east of the Sierra Nevada range with west wind. Rarely, the wave will set up west of the Sierra Nevada with an east wind.
I've been soaring hang gliders for 43 years; but wave flying is not possible with such an aircraft; I was made aware of the "great wave east of the Sierra Nevada range with west wind." long ago via the book "Sierra Sierra " about an epic sailplane flight from the cascades in northern California to the Mexican border @@BenHirashima
What do I do? I move a little upwind or downwind! When there is lift, there is also sink close by.......... Congratulations on the great flight!
Great video. Informative and a mellow vibe.
With all that excess lift you could have a deployable wind turbine to generate electricity to warm your toes😂.
Super video, many thanks for sharing!!!
Same thing as when you stick a wingtip in a dust devil in a hang glider ,you go up as fast as a mil jet .
O Wingtip in a dust devil ! I fly RC gliders and have done exactly that, used the elevator lift to get into some serious thermals, have flown the range in back of Santa Barbara to 5K+, this was before on board cameras and full electronics like now days. Then there was California Valley, dust devils into thermals and away we go up !!
Nice work!
Very informative .... interesting commentary and great videography... !!
Beautiful, thanks for sharing 👍🤗🤗
You should keep in mind that the flutter speed is according to TAS and not IAS. You should slow down and use airbrakes, wheel down whatever.
I should of read your comment before I made one on the same topic.
Are you sure about that? Genuine question, I don't fly gliders. It just doesn't make sense to me for that to be the case, for two main reasons. 1: IAS is a direct measurement of dynamic pressure, which is what is most important when it comes to the structural limits. 2: it's preferable to express these things in IAS to reduce workload on the pilot.
@@tissuepaper9962 actual airspeed is the flutter concern. That is why the U-2 at altitude had a narrow range between Stall Speed and Redline.
(About 15 knots?)
@@randytolle6706I'm not a pilot so had to think about this for a bit. Bridges make a good analogy, when wind causes them to sway it is due to its resonant frequencies and the airspeed. The bridges harmonics don't change with air pressure so it is directly tied to wind speed. Higher pressure (sea vs mountain bridge) will increase the force, rate of amplitude gain and peak sway. With heavy dampening a higher pressure might give enough force for collapse, gliders unlike bridges don't have millions of tons of steel/concrete shock absorbers so even a low pressure flutter speed can amplify out of control.
Isn't this why aircraft designers just lower the Vne of IAS above certain altitudes?😉
Cool AH. Got 6 hrs in sailplane at Boulder. Need to go back. Totally different flying experience. Get a little nervous without an engine. Lol
Dude that's cool, you flew pretty close to a cabin my family visits in New Idria. I was a security guard during the construction of the Panoche Solar farm, what a sweet spot!
There's a dirt strip near the Panoche Inn that gliders use sometimes. Good conditions in that valley. There are usually thermals above the solar farm.
Sailplanes: What a great use of technology. :-)
I’m working on my CFI over Al Hayward right now. Man I would love to add on a glider & a helo rating some day 😭
Have oxygen bottle on stand by , and hope the line don't freeze????? Just guessing as I had no idea of alt reached requiring o2 ( comment made before watching the whole clip, and reading others comments) fascinating video..and great viewers coments. Thank you all... learned some things today......
A superb flight. Not often where oxygen consumption might become a priority. Lucky man to live near all that lift.
Love your videos!
That looks so peaceful up there.
Thanks for the video. I flew the wave out of Minden many years ago, but for the last 20 years have been flying power out of E16. From a collision avoidance perspective, do most gliders flying out of Hollister squawk (and have ADSB out). Over the years, I’ve only seen gliders once, but do I need to be more aware of them, as I frequently fly in the same airspace.
Yes, most gliders flying around Hollister have transponders. Some have ADSB-out; usually the newer ones.
Thanks Ben!
WOW! INCREDIBLE! I've been a private pilot since age 25. 75 now. I've always said real pilots fly gliders.
This was such a cool video! Awesome!
I really enjoy this kind of content, and I've realised I never even interacted, so here's a comment to keep some interaction's up on the channel
Beautiful video. How do you get the footage from ahead of the glider?
I use a Insta360 X3 camera on a stick
@@BenHirashima Where is the stick attached? R (Australia)
That was relaxing. :)
your videos are amazing
Quality video! How did you get the shot of the entire glider?
I stick a 360 camera out the window on a stick
Beautiful, thanks.
Thank you for the experience
Do it in a flat land thermal ,trying to stay below 18000. Or for more fun ,stick a wingtip into a dust devil ,bank over to about 80 ° and turn/ spin around with your vario screeming at 8000 to 10,000 ft up.
In a hang glider ,no less
The Perlan Project uses battery power to heat the batteries which extends their useful power output duration.
I wear a pair of mucluks for nice toasty warm feet when flying the wave.
Works great
I might have to try that. The nice thing about electric warmers is that you can turn them off on the ground so your feet don't get too hot. I'm not sure that's worth the extra complexity though.
At Very High altitudes, indicated redlines and actual redlines do not meet. I would strongly advise you look into this. Aeroelastic flutter can tear you apart.
Do you know about NASAs aviation safety reporting system? If you ever accidently bust class A airspace you can submit a report online that is anonymous and keeps you from getting in trouble, simply explain what happened and why you busted the airspace(ex: I was soaring and accidently caught too much lift, I tried to head towards an area of less lift to sink but my glider was nearly at Vne)
Ur voice could put children to sleep. I feel asleep at my desk at work.
Yep, I want dirigibles to come back. It would be awesome to have an air cruise.
This is super interesting. I love flying and I like sailing. This seems kinda like both together.... Looks like I need a glider rating!
There's a lot of overlap with sailing. I started with gliders, then got into sailing. We have a lot of sailors that come to gliding. Join us!
"For some reason, my camera stopped recording"
That's code for "I turned it off and said Class A here I come"
So awesome to see how this works. I live in Hollister and see you guys getting towed all the time. Really neat to see what it is you do. How did you get that external fisheye shot, was that your friend taking that shot? Thank you for uploading.
Thanks! Glad to meet a Hollister local. I'm sticking a 360 camera out the window on a stick. The software automatically edits out the stick.
You need some new batteries for your insoles? Looks like Hotronic. I bought new S4+ batteries for my wife's ski boots from Utah Ski Gear. Decent prices and 10% off if you sign up for emails.
4:45 just wow , incredible
It took me a second to see the little window open and realized that he had a camera on a stick LOL.
@@heraclitus6100 😅
Gliders always make me realize we are all in a giant ocean of air
Man, would I like to learn soaring from you. The things you show and explain, the technology you use and the visuals, your knowledge is amazing. Do you offer instructions or flights?
Thanks! I'm not a licensed instructor, but I do plan on producing more educational videos, so stay tuned. If you want to find an instructor in the US, the SSA website can help: www.ssa.org/learn-to-soar
That looks fun.
An even better title could be "Flying my glider at redline and still going up #FullGliderFlight"
But cool video, and congrats on a breakout video for you!!
that looks so surreal to do that with no engine, i wish
nice flying. If you like you can pronounce the "Föhn Gap" like "firn" just whithout the "r" sound.
What ... You altimeter didn't break?
For some reason, listening to the pilot who won the previous day describe his flight, there was always a broken altimeter involved...
try chemical toe warmers on top of the foot, possibly supplementing the electrical i find they have more heat and more longevity
Just bought some! They're much simpler and less likely to fail.
simply amazing.
Hi from Africa and I Love your channel, I wish to know more about your Glider is it motorized ? And how much would it cost?
Hi. It's an LS6, and it doesn't have a motor. Gliders can cost about 20,000 USD to over six figures.
I am a VFR Private Pilot. Is it reasonable, if you are being pressed into Class A space, to pull the spoilers out a little? I assume that. like Flaps, there is a max spoiler speed so if you pull up to loose air speed, you must make the spoiler decision well in advance of the 18000 ceiling?
It's better not to use spoilers. See my pinned comment.
How are you not anoyed by the beeping? Is it just me? Good work!
@@garakatsamol Glider pilots learn to love the beeping. It means we're in lift, and that's a very good thing.
@@BenHirashima i get it for pilots but i had to mute it after a while and enjoy it with subs :)
What a view
Do you have a heater in that glider??? No? how do you stay warm in such cold temps - below freezing for sure...
@@penrynbigbird the greenhouse effect with the canopy is strong enough to keep you warm, except for your feet, which are not in the sun.
I'd notify the FAA immediately!! I'll let others decide if that's a joke or not.
Huh? You on drugs again?
Can you clarify what "too much moisture" means? Does it mean cloud cover or something else?
That's correct
Radical!