The Art of Low Cloud Base Gliding
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
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Flying with low cloud-bases is always tricky but this day turns out pretty well for your intrepid Ventus cT pilot. Flying an Enterprise task across the Canterbury plains, dodging airspace, finding the ocean for bonus points, collecting turn points and thermalling with other gliders. This flight was a lot of fun!
Results from this flight available here:
www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/spr...
Flight track here:
seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6f...
Equipment Used to Make this Video:
GoPro Hero 8 amzn.to/3kvPZZc
(Hero 9 now available! amzn.to/33HOOyT )
Sony ZV-1 amzn.to/2FRAF9Y
SPOT 3 Satellite Tracker amzn.to/307w8rB
iPhone 12 Pro Max amzn.to/3hjBbMU
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Launch
01:29 Task Explained
02:55 Tracking South
06:34 Tracking North
08:41 Strategising
11:58 Tracking to the Ocean
17:13 Going Home
23:58 Final Glide and Landing
25:02 Lessons Learned 
Спорт
"I've got a 5 and a half hour flight ahead of me, so I've brought an apple" lol
:)
Do you guys never need to pee?
@@MelindaGreen We do, we are human after all :) stay tuned for a whole video dedicated on how we do that!
@@PureGlide Keep it G rated, Tim! Lest we find our favorite channel getting spanked. lol (I'll be looking forward to it lol)
@@PureGlide My favorite: 6h flight and no plastic bags on board. Preparation is everything ;)
"Well let's continue and we'll see if we head into the mountains or head over the ocean." - Proceeds to play the song "Where Do We Go" by STRLGHT over the time lapse. Well played sir! Don't think no one noticed, even a year on!
Haha subtle eh :) glad you picked up on it!
Next episode - how to fold a paper map... And sticky tape it back together after it disintegrated after 3 days flying.
Haha that's impossible.
great view of the upper Waimakariri road bridge on the way to Springfield!! thanks for taking us along on the ride ....
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks for the video. I am an RA pilot considering a glider endorsement, it looks like a heap of fun. I enjoyed your thinking process and the clear way you explained what you were doing. 5 hours flying for nothing but the price of a tow, and an apple, sounds like a great deal. 🙂👍
It is a great deal isn’t it!
The glacier water is so beautiful
It is isn't it!
So exciting, I liked especially the return part from the Ocean, across that river over there. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
Hey no worries, and thanks for watching!
Nice to meet you here Tim.
Great learnings!
Thanks a lot.
Thanks for watching Alberto!
I have 70 hrs of sailplane time from Wellington (Paraparaumu) club in the 90s. Blaniks, K6Cr and Libelles. Not a day goes by and I am reading the sky. Love your vids and the commentary that is so relateable.
Thanks for sharing, and so pleased you enjoy the videos! Cheers
Here in the UK a 3000" cloud base means a good day!!! Superb Tim, you are my new number one RUclipsr!! Thank you!!!
Wow, thanks!
absolutely perfect the other day, had a 5500' cloud base near Gloucester :) some good soaring was had.
@@beeblebug Hi David, Did you fly out of Nympsfield??
@@aehsrose Aston down. Flew over to Nympsfield but it didn't look too great :)
@@beeblebug On a course with Sam Prin??
what I have learned from this videos: I'll never take a fold-out paper map with me in a glider ^^
Haha we're meant to have them legally. So practical :)
Excellent video Tim!
Many thanks!
Great video, thanks for sharing :) You were (still are) a big inspiration to me and pushed me over the edge to start getting a SPL.
Hey that's awesome to hear!
Well done on your win, Tim.
Ah the beautiful green rolling hills of Canterbury, brings back memories... :-)
Cheers mate!
Another interesting flight Tim over varying terrain. Good win.
Cheers David!
Yeah man that right there was awesome to watch! Thank You!
Glad you enjoyed it, cheers!
Great to fly along with you. I found myself thinking the same things you were saying. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for taking a great video on a great, great soaring flight!
Thanks David! Glad you enjoyed it
Amazing flying keep um coming!!
Cheers glad you liked it!
Holy mackerel you can practically reach down and grab pattern altitude! I'd be one nervous Turkey boy. "I think I'll stop here and grab 500 feet before I go into the murk" .... when 500 feet is huge... Love it!
Haha exactly! Every bit counts when you're so low...
Thank you, Tim - very interesting video about low cloud base gliding and very precious your comments during and after flight. Even when I do not fly right now - it is very interesting for me to see how more experienced glider pilots fly in demanding weather conditions and how decision making process looks like during the flight. Take care on you and have nice & safe flights!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
what a beautiful flight, just skimming under the base of the clouds !
the variometer sounds like the 'upwinds' are just barely keeping you up.
that was nice flying !
Hi from The Rockies in Canada. I am a paramotor and paraglider pilot for 28 years. Love your vids, great flying you did today., loved the low save over the river, the best feeling. You guys do lift in knots, thats cool. Most maintained lift on my pg I have been in, 10ms, to 10000 ft. Highest on pg just shy of 15000', ppg 12200' Blue skies friend, cheers Jerry
Hey thanks for watching! I've got some more mountain videos coming up so you'll feel back at home soon :) Yeah we do everything aviation in knots, feet and miles, and then everything contest in km and km/h. The rest of NZ is metric :)
Get yourself over to Invermere and take a ride in a sailplane. Seen 2000ft/min in the Rocks and 16000ft. Guys fly up to 1000km regularly there...
Great video and i really liked the tips at the end.
Thanks for the feedback!
Beautiful country. Nice lesson on low flying.
Thanks 👍
Great video as always. Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Very nice. As a long time hang glider competition pilot, I can relate. No doubt that having a motor to save the day has opened the usable envelope considerably. Not dissimilar to the ability we have to work all the way down, still looking for the low save at or below 300 ft. We have been working microlift for several decades when necessary and have learned, as well, that it's not over until the ground comes up and makes us land. Yes, low cloudbase days mean close spaced lift, but on any day, the lower one gets, opportunities often increase as the small bubbles of micro drift along, join into lift lines, sometimes drifting for miles before building enough energy to make a real climb. This is where never giving up can make all the difference. It's the only way to gain the confidence to turn a 2 or 300 ft potential save into a great day. With that motor for backup, saves below 500 ft will become much more common for folks so equipped.
As you say, It is quite amazing what lower performance machines can do. My current glider, An Atos VR, at 13.8 m span, can climb in a mouse fart and also handle the big air of the western US mountains. pretty cool, though it makes 20 to 1 at best. At 130 fpm sink rate and with an excellent circling polar, micro lift is real. I've actually had a handful of saves from 100 to 150 ft, and one below 50 ft. Many from 300 ft. Only the most stubborn of us even know it exists.... I've been enjoying your video's.
Hey thanks for that! If only we could turn as tight as a hang glider sometimes :) I was flying with one the other day in a normal thermal, and *almost* kept up with his climb rate!
@@PureGlide Heh heh, I've spent many hours thermalling with sailplanes on the flats between Chelan, Spokane, and Moses Lake Wa. While I can hang in there with them at times climbing, when they decide to go on glide, it's like they vanish. I'll see one head off, and look for them the next circle, and they are gone. These are typically serious racers, flying contests in big air, so very high interthermal speeds...A few decades back, in the mid '80's, we were flying a contest out of Chelan, and the sailplanes were flying a big meet out of Moses lake, so our tasks crossed daily out on the flats. This is dust devil country, big and small, where it is not uncommon to head for a dusty that stands from the ground at 2500 ft to the cloud at 12,000+ ft. real boomers where you are sometimes flying thru chunks, dust, grass, small pebbles, etc several thousand ft above the ground. Anyway, one day I noticed a sailplane chasing his shadow around this big barren field that was trying to go off, with tiny disturbances swirling and disappearing. This guy starts diving the field, dusty's spinning off his wingtips, zooming up and circling, trying to trigger it. He hung in there for ten minutes or more, gaining a couple hundred ft a time or two, then diving again, before he landed in the field, which was typical, with fluffy dust and grit above the ankles to wade thru. About the time he landed, disappearing in the cloud of dust, it finally kicked off and got me up. Saved my day. Good times, Thanks for triggering the memory....JE
Awesome!!!! I wish I were there in the cockpit!!!
Me too! already!...
Welcome to my world... south Florida is usually at BEST 5000' cloud bases lol That's a wonderful day for us! Typical is 2500-3000. Way too humid. Nice flight and video, Tim! Ya know: I'd love to see a video that discusses your aircraft tracking on your cell phone, and the apps and equipment you use on your cell during your flights. Maybe it would be a bit more technical but it would be so helpful for us newbies to XC flying. Congrats again on the excellent flight and video man.
I´m planning to use Naviter Oudie
@@90secondsofaviation86 I have one myself. It's an Oudie 2. I don't particularly like it. But that could be because I don't understand it. I like devices that are intuitive.
@@TheSoaringChannel I Dont trust my crappy phone enough, so imma not having any other choice really
Yeah I'll definitely do that sometime soon!
@@TheSoaringChannel Never liked the Oudies, even though I occasionally use SeeYou to analyze flights. But maybe that's because most of our club gliders have some nice LX gear in them... Not looking forward to downgrading from that if I ever get a glider of my own. :)
Cool, bravo !
Thanks!
You worked hard for that one !!!
Sure did! The getting home again was the tougher bit than I thought it would be :)
Cats craddle type task ! I hate it ! 🤣
lol
Amazing video!!! very interesting and didactical...As usual in your channel 😀. At 17:45 for some seconds your situation looked very similar to me to some moments of my last flight...(The one that ended with an outlanding...) But you made it much much better than me!! All the video is really interesting, but the last part is the best. LET THE GLIDER GLIDE!!!!
ha well I thought I was going to outland (or at least start my engine) to do that last little bit, but ended up OK! Doesn't take much of a weak climb to make things better :) Cheers!
Good stuff thanks for sharing 👍🇺🇸
Thanks for watching!
Hey that tow planes JTA! The memories I have in that plane!
Awesome!
Well done Timbobski 👍
Cheers Ian!
Very Enjoyable. (I'd like a closer look of the task and the wind direction) - I think I've figured you orient you electronic chart in the glider to north which is helpful to see. Well done - what a great flight ! The number of times I've made a turn point only to think ..... 20 minutes later & that wouldn't have been possible. Thanks.
Exactly right, North Up, so I can see where I am in the airspace :) If you load up the video in 4k on a computer screen, and pause the screen you can probably read the full task :)
Early ;)
I have been watching quite a lot of your videos while I can't fly in real life. Hope to go solo soon!
Glad I can entertain you for a bit until you can fly!
Big shout to you glider guys for doing as norm what we power guys are scared to do.
Thanks, I love it!
Very exciting - why I fly without an engine? Because I can! Nothing to compare to the feeling, when you see the wide eyes of the ants :D But how does my old instructor say? "Thermal end is reached, when the wheel rolls." Thank you for this thrilling and instructive clip, Tim!
Lars
Thanks Lars!
Such an interesting task type. Here in Europe it's really only regular speed tasks and AATs. I've seen some other interesting ones on your videos too but can't really remember too much about them. I would hope the task types got more creative here too.
Yes most of our contests are the normal speed and AATs, but occasionally we have an enterprise contest, which is primarily based on distance flown, rather than speed
Dutch weather! We have such days very often during spring, done a few competions and cross country flights with even lower cloud bases than that. Lots of fun!
Yeah it was really enjoyable I have to say
“…even lower cloud bases…”
Yeah, but in your part of the world AGL and ASL are pretty much the same thing.😉
Great video and commentary. A little like UK conditions. The thermals are closer together with a low cloud base. That helps a lot.
Thank you!
Ventus cT: Has 2 yaw strings
Me: This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!
When you see 4 you know you should do something
Low Cb gliding, or as we call it, an ok UK day... ;)
Haha yeah yeah everyone says the UK is low all the time, I suspect it's not that different to NZ :) Normal for us is 3000-4000 AGL
@@PureGlide "Normal" he says. :) Here in central Sweden, we get 2000 or so on a great day.
This guy is flying at an altitude where many people would be looking for an outlanding spot. Lol
Needs Balls
Ikr
I was definitely looking for outlanding spots continuously, luckily it's all decent fields around the plains! So plenty of options.
I mean, at 1000m I'm definitely making sure I'm within range of something I can land on, but you can still get pretty far before you need to start picking out a field from that altitude. :)
The portable outlanding spot machine must help with the sphincter condition a little.
Great video, I'm about to take up gliding here in the South of England. I'm now 60 years old hope I'm not past it. I say about to start depending on lock down rules.
Take care to all
Chris
Awesome, you'll have great fun :)
Go for it, Chris. I was granted a GPL two years ago at age 71 and consider it one of my best achievements. It is not just the soaring, it is the global community of fascinating people who share the passion that make gliding worth pursuing.
@@rayahrens58 well said!
Which club Chris, Lasham? At 60 you’ll probably be one of the younger ones 😃
Hi,
No Channel gliding club in Kent.
Next time you have weather like that if you want to have a sleep in ,im more than happy to take your place.
Ha exactly! It wasn't that bad at all, and I think we often talk ourselves out of flying because the weather isn't 'perfect'. But this was still a LOT of fun.
HI ! This is Juan from Argentina, very new to gliding, so really enjoying every one of your videos. Trying to convince myself that I can do it! Many thanks for your time on recording/editing/uploading them, so much interest info. May I ask which sail plane you fly ?
Hi great to hear! You will love it, and although it is intimidating to start with, you will quickly develop the skills to get started, and over time you'll improve more and more.
I fly a Ventus cT, a 1987 vintage 18m glider. It has a turbo so I can escape from landing in paddocks (aka fields) when needed :)
@@PureGlide A 1987 glider is not vintage, a 1978 LS3 that's vintage .
Fantastic videos, a few questions… what’s a good slow speed for long distance? And links to sites about cloud formations and best clouds for thermals? Thank you 👍🏻
Thank you! What speed to fly is a very big topic in itself, and depends on a lot of factors such as the strength of the thermals, how much water you have on, what height you are. But as a rough guide I normally fly around NZ at around 70--80 knots! As for clouds, check out the cloud appreciation society on facebook, that's a good way to see lots of clouds!
The funny thing about saying "never give up" is that only the ones who succeed will repeat it.
Just like every high-risk investor who happened to get lucky.
Haha exactly right. The successful people are the ones who know when something is a lost cause too and move on :)
@@PureGlide That works too though I was referring to how you never hear from all the high-risk investors who fail. The lucky few who survive think it's because they're brilliant.
Excellent video. I originally learnt to fly in Gliders in 1982 before moving to powered fixed wing and rotary. Why do you have two yaw indicator strings on the canopy instead of just one??
Thanks John! You're in luck I have a video that explains that ruclips.net/video/OR9zJwcGxoQ/видео.html
Talanted guy!
Oh shucks, you're too kind
Great video, as usual!
Having an engine gives you some comfort that normally you would not have and you actually mentioned that. I think this is the key that keeps your mind calm and focused on task. Would you glide into the ocean if you did not have it? I think flying glider with engine even when not used is mentally different than flying glider without it.
I certainly did push myself in my DG-300 before this glider (with no engine), it depends a bit on the weather! In this case, not sure :)
I recently had the opportunity to fly an Arcus for a few years, and I found that the engine gave me the confidence to push much harder. I'd still set up for an outlanding before starting the engine, but I can't say I counted on having to land. The trick is to stay disciplined, and abort the flight at the same altitude you normally would, as if you didn't have an engine at all.
good job returning to the airfield.
I'm curious about out landing in your area, I can see many (a lot) of green probably soft places to out land if necessary, are they forbidden or just too complicated to be chosen ? Or you just prefer to land on designated airfields ?
thank for your time and videos, they are really interestings.
Hi that was the airfield we launched from, so definitely the goal! If I needed to I would have chosen any suitable field. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video ! Out of curiosity, what app/website do you use to spot the other gliders on your phone? Thanks in advance :)
It's New Zealand's glider tracking system, gliding.net.nz/tracking
Thank you so much for sharing these great videos, not a pilot but loving them. Can i ask what app you're using to track the other gliders? You put it on your phone at around 5:20 mark.
Hi that's our Gliding New Zealand tracking system gliding.net.nz/tracking. Not in NZ? Stay tuned...
@@PureGlide no not in NZ, the UK, but i'd love to visit one day. Thank you for showing what a beautiful country it is.
What type of GoPro mount are you using? Mine does not articulate to the side like that. Looks really nice to be able to pivot and look down the wing!
Yeah it’s great! That’s the go pro swivel mount on a normal suction cup mount. gopro.com/en/nz/shop/mounts-accessories/swivel-camera-mount/ABJQR-001.html
Did sheeps ever run out on the runway? :)
Sheep like to spread themselves out evenly over an airfield :)
Say, any videos in the community about the economics of this hobby? When to buy? How much? Annual running costs? Can one start off by just joining a club at first?
Not yet, but it’s a good topic!
In the UK 3500 is a good day 😂
So true!!
That was lovely, thanks! A motor does seem like an unfair advantage for exactly the reason you gave. What are the disadvantages?
Thank you! The disadvantages of a motor? They make the glider more expensive to buy, a bit more money and work to maintain, although a small sustainer motor like I have is probably less complicated than a lawn mower! (e.g. I don't have a throttle like a lawnmower would). The self launching glider motors are another step up in complexity and cost. Cheers
One disadvantage is it's extra weight that, unlike water ballast, you can't get rid of in weak conditions.
@@BruceHoult Not with that attitude
🤣 welcome to UK style gliding 🤣
Pretty much! I suspect NZ and the UK are quite similar a lot of the time
with "convergence line" you mean the "border" of the cumuli developement, right?
I just call everything in the sky a convergence. Sometimes it's true...
Say, do gliders have Elevator Trim? how does it work?
Sure do, some have a physical tab on the elevator. Others just have a spring on the stick to change the pressure. Cheers!
Noticed you had double yaw strings. Useful?
Here you go! I made a video about it ruclips.net/video/OR9zJwcGxoQ/видео.html
Would like a lesson of the convergence you are mentioning several times. Is there several wind directions inland and out to the sea that creates lift (clouds)?
Hi I made a webinar a while ago you can check out in the meantime, but yes I'll make a Pure Glide version of this sometime! ruclips.net/video/G6vHYHjc93A/видео.html
@@PureGlide Really worth watching the webinar, Good Information, Thanks Tim.
@@PureGlide Thanks, will watch the webinar
@@Johan-ex5yj Awesome!
Wht's the beeping noise, please? Rate of climb?
Yeah essentially, we call it a ‘vario’. Subscribe for future videos that’ll cover how they work!
Bummer having killed it only to have the day devalued.
Luckily it wasn't devalued - the enterprise contest works like this:
- Points per km
- Points for hitting the turn points
- Bonus points for hitting any ocean
So they just add up the points each day. No scaling to a day.
@@PureGlide Enterprise is something I would like to get into once I gain a bit more experience - in my K6!
Random question but is there a performance change when using the belly instead of the nose?
There's certainly a handling change. The performance I'd imagine is minimal. Many clubs are slowly requiring nose hooks and disallowing CG due to the handling change. You've really got to be on your game with some ships.
@@TheSoaringChannel Ah.. Hope my Standard Cirrus won't have to get that mod. Thanks for the info
You have to be a bit more active in flying the glider on tow. It won't 'auto' straighten like pulling by the nose will.
@@PureGlide Oh nice! I guess that's why my Cirrus has that huge flying stabilizer. Will definitely help. Thanks for replying!
@@wackaircaftmechanic2312 just for reference: my DG500 it's prohibited to aerotow with the CG, where many gliders that's all there is. In some technical notes from DG they have made retrofits for all aircraft they used to make without a nose hook. In the notes it really drives home the hazards of CG tows. Just be on your game.
Look up Seminole Lake Seniors 2021 accident and you'll see where one guy dipped a wing and it sort of water ski'd him into "an obstacle" (a truck) off the runway edge. Truck shouldn't have been there but the guy is done flying. Just be careful. I'd love a SC.
Which aircraft type please?
Hello, I'm flying a Ventus cT. Thanks for watching!
@@PureGlide Thank you.
A 50:1 Ventus helps................
It sure does :)
Home? With an engine? No problem I think...
Oh yeah, you're right it was never in doubt :)
Gotta love the comments from pilots accustomed to less privileged regions (like myself). 3500 ft should be enough for everyone ;)
:)
Of course thermals are closer together with a low cloud base, so 2000 to 3000 ft working height range. Typical UK conditions.
Nice channel bud. And instructive.
Thanks mate!