I am on duty as instructor, so it is bound to be good - and it is - particularly on Sunday. Saturday should be good to practice getting away from a winch launch and Sunday, well on Sunday you should be pushing for a real long flight out of FAWC.
The forecast looks like this
Saturday
Surface wind - SE20, 5000ft ESE 30, 10000ft N 10, 15000ft W 30, 20000ft W40
EXTREME surface turbulence and light CAT from 5000ft upwards
Moderate lowlevel wind shear
Wave at 17000ft and higher
Cloud BLUE, but expect some development inland (much like Friday afternoon)
Max 29 Dewpoint 13.2 Trigger 26.5
Expect 1.2 ms - 1.9 ms to 6800 ft T - 2 to 5000ft
Excellent day for flying of the winch
Sunday classic front ridge day
BUT THERMIC CONDITIONS SHOULD ALSO BE STUNNING
Surface wind - NW 10, 5000ft NW 20, 10000ft NW 40, 15000ft NW 50, 20000ft NW 40
Light Surface CAT, Wave only from 14000ft - it may just blow out like it did last weekend.
Cloud 3/8 with bases at 9600ft ;-) tops at 12500ft
Ordinary storm cells likely (more likely inland).
Max 35.2 !! Dewpoint 12 Trigger 32.9
Expect 2.9 ms - 3.8 ms to 12200ft with 3/8 cu at 11800ft T - 2 to 7800ft
IT DOES NOT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!!
EY
Friday, 27 February 2009
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
IGC online pilot survey
The IGC is conducting an online survey
The survey aims to better understand the issues faced by glider pilots in different countries, assess the quality of experience enjoyed by members of our sport and map out the nature of the global soaring community.
I think we all need to fill this one in. Please do so. It is at http://igc-survey.fai.org/
EY
The survey aims to better understand the issues faced by glider pilots in different countries, assess the quality of experience enjoyed by members of our sport and map out the nature of the global soaring community.
I think we all need to fill this one in. Please do so. It is at http://igc-survey.fai.org/
EY
EX in Vinon
The video of EX (that famous LS8) made by Volker Fiebig is now available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHCIFZHKVCg
Regards
EY
Regards
EY
Monday, 23 February 2009
Not a fluke ... Leo does it again
Just to show that the flight last Thursday was no fluke, Leo does it again: 1057km at 140kph for a second day leading the OLC worldwide. Leo posted as follows
"A great ridge day after Thursday's exceptional ridge conditions only three days ago. Today was relatively weaker and with diverse weather segments along the course. The north end of the Sequatchie Valley saw snow in the AM hours with white-out conditions. The south end was blue all day. Cloudbases for the transitions to/from Lookout Mountain on the first pass were more challenging than Thursday. PM brought some gorgeous streeting to the west of the Sequatchie. Amazing weather for February. Bodes well for the rest of the Appalachians this Spring."
The link is at http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=-1588860836
Great going for the JS1 (and you will need one to keep up with Leo) If you want to order one: leo@jonkersailplanes.com
EY
"A great ridge day after Thursday's exceptional ridge conditions only three days ago. Today was relatively weaker and with diverse weather segments along the course. The north end of the Sequatchie Valley saw snow in the AM hours with white-out conditions. The south end was blue all day. Cloudbases for the transitions to/from Lookout Mountain on the first pass were more challenging than Thursday. PM brought some gorgeous streeting to the west of the Sequatchie. Amazing weather for February. Bodes well for the rest of the Appalachians this Spring."
The link is at http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=-1588860836
Great going for the JS1 (and you will need one to keep up with Leo) If you want to order one: leo@jonkersailplanes.com
EY
Friday, 20 February 2009
Le weekend 21 February
It is Christelle's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTELLE - so i won't see you guys out at the airfield this weekend.
This afternoon, stuck on De Waal drive - the Hottentots Holland looked just like i imagined it would when i looked at the weather on Tuesday - a 1000km day in the making - and i am stuck in court.
Interesting weather this weekend, the stability index shows some very good flying on Sunday, but it is not reflected on the map displays. Saturday is a classic ridge day, but for those interested in their height gain badges, it will be the day. Beware the risk of a blow-out - so get going early. Sunday brings southerlies with a westerly component higher up - which makes for good flying. The soundings looks as follows
Saturday
Surface wind - W20, 5000ft- w 30, 10000ft W 50, 15000ft W 60, 20000ft W 60
Shear at 10ms per 4km EXTREME surface turbulence
Wave from 8500ft at 2.1ms to 2500ft DIAMOND HEIGHT DAY !!
Cloud BLUEMax 28.2 Dewpoint 6.8 Trigger 25.9 T-2 to 5000ft!!! Expect 1.2 ms - 1.9 ms to 6800ft
Sunday
Surface wind - SE20, 5000ft SE 20, 10000ft SW 30, 15000ft WSW 40, 20000ft WSW 50
Strong surface turbulence and mild from 6000ft upwards.
Wave from 12000ft upwards
Cloud BLEU
Max 25.8 Dewpoint 7.6 Trigger 23.3 Expect 1.2 ms - 1.9 ms to 6700ft T-2 to 5200ft
EY
This afternoon, stuck on De Waal drive - the Hottentots Holland looked just like i imagined it would when i looked at the weather on Tuesday - a 1000km day in the making - and i am stuck in court.
Interesting weather this weekend, the stability index shows some very good flying on Sunday, but it is not reflected on the map displays. Saturday is a classic ridge day, but for those interested in their height gain badges, it will be the day. Beware the risk of a blow-out - so get going early. Sunday brings southerlies with a westerly component higher up - which makes for good flying. The soundings looks as follows
Saturday
Surface wind - W20, 5000ft- w 30, 10000ft W 50, 15000ft W 60, 20000ft W 60
Shear at 10ms per 4km EXTREME surface turbulence
Wave from 8500ft at 2.1ms to 2500ft DIAMOND HEIGHT DAY !!
Cloud BLUEMax 28.2 Dewpoint 6.8 Trigger 25.9 T-2 to 5000ft!!! Expect 1.2 ms - 1.9 ms to 6800ft
Sunday
Surface wind - SE20, 5000ft SE 20, 10000ft SW 30, 15000ft WSW 40, 20000ft WSW 50
Strong surface turbulence and mild from 6000ft upwards.
Wave from 12000ft upwards
Cloud BLEU
Max 25.8 Dewpoint 7.6 Trigger 23.3 Expect 1.2 ms - 1.9 ms to 6700ft T-2 to 5200ft
EY
Leo Benetti-Longhini 1065km at 155kph in the JS1
At the top of yesterday's OLC results is Leo Longhini in a JS1: 1065 km at 155kph - ridgerunning at its best. Leo is the agent for JS1 in the USA - and what better way to demonstrate the JS1's capabilities than this?
Leo's comments on OLC
"Fantastic ridge day in the Sequatchie Valley. Seven gliders (1-26, Silent 2, LS-3, LS-4, LS-8, ASW-27, JS1-A) all had memorable flights. Four flights over 750k."
lots of green (again)
Leo's comments on OLC
"Fantastic ridge day in the Sequatchie Valley. Seven gliders (1-26, Silent 2, LS-3, LS-4, LS-8, ASW-27, JS1-A) all had memorable flights. Four flights over 750k."
lots of green (again)
The flight is at
http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=-1846785325
and if you want to order a JS1 contact leo@jonkersailplanes.com
EY
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Monday, 16 February 2009
Why Tornado drivers need Flarm
... and another video clip
"AMAZING cockpit video footage has emerged showing an RAF Tornado coming within a split-second of hitting another aircraft at 500mph. "
This clip has been removed from YouTube, but you can still see it here (for a while) . This all would not have happened if they were flarm equipped.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article2240203.ece
"AMAZING cockpit video footage has emerged showing an RAF Tornado coming within a split-second of hitting another aircraft at 500mph. "
This clip has been removed from YouTube, but you can still see it here (for a while) . This all would not have happened if they were flarm equipped.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article2240203.ece
Stormfront video clip
The video clip of the stormfront flying at the 2008 SA Nationals is now posted on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPS1RzcWG-c
EY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPS1RzcWG-c
EY
Friday, 13 February 2009
Le weekend - 14 February 2009
The weekend forecast for Worcester is as follows
Saturday
Interesting,with a katabatic coldfront at 9000-10000ft!! the front is 100km NNW moving at 10kts NNW
Surface wind - SSE 20, increasing with altitude to 30; 5000ft SSE 20, 10000ft SSW 30 (above the frontal layer boundary), 15000ft SSW 50, 20000ft SSW 80
Extreme surface CAT, and moderate Low level wind shear indicated
Wave from 14000ft upwards
Cloud BLUE
Max 24.5 Dewpoint 7.9 Trigger 21.5 Expect 1.5 ms - 2.2 ms to 7000ft
There is a strong inversion at 6800ft and the lower layers are indicative of strong thermic conditions with T -2 to 6500ft
Expect cloud with dropping bases and even rain towards George
Sunday
The front is gone, but the strong inversion, now at 5-7000ft remains.
Surface wind - ESE 20, 5000ft E 30, 10000ft E 10, 15000ft ESE 20, 20000ft SE 30
Wave - a weak wave at 16000ft
Cloud blue
Max 27.1 Dewpoint 7 Trigger 24.5Expect 1.1 ms - 1.8 ms to 6200 ft with T-2 to 5800ft
The thermic outlook, again, is very good.
The upper layer winds are consistent (and should not swing more northerly). It should therefore be quite feasible to go quite far east using the east facing ridgelines.
Safe flying
EY
Saturday
Interesting,with a katabatic coldfront at 9000-10000ft!! the front is 100km NNW moving at 10kts NNW
Surface wind - SSE 20, increasing with altitude to 30; 5000ft SSE 20, 10000ft SSW 30 (above the frontal layer boundary), 15000ft SSW 50, 20000ft SSW 80
Extreme surface CAT, and moderate Low level wind shear indicated
Wave from 14000ft upwards
Cloud BLUE
Max 24.5 Dewpoint 7.9 Trigger 21.5 Expect 1.5 ms - 2.2 ms to 7000ft
There is a strong inversion at 6800ft and the lower layers are indicative of strong thermic conditions with T -2 to 6500ft
Expect cloud with dropping bases and even rain towards George
Sunday
The front is gone, but the strong inversion, now at 5-7000ft remains.
Surface wind - ESE 20, 5000ft E 30, 10000ft E 10, 15000ft ESE 20, 20000ft SE 30
Wave - a weak wave at 16000ft
Cloud blue
Max 27.1 Dewpoint 7 Trigger 24.5Expect 1.1 ms - 1.8 ms to 6200 ft with T-2 to 5800ft
The thermic outlook, again, is very good.
The upper layer winds are consistent (and should not swing more northerly). It should therefore be quite feasible to go quite far east using the east facing ridgelines.
Safe flying
EY
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Contour flying in Chile
... some of our pilots in the Western Cape do a lot of it, so the rest of us can immediately appreciate and admire a master at work in ridge flying - this is the map and the barogram from a flight by Carlos Roca V in Chile - the barogram shows a lot more green than we are accustomed to!
The flight was 852km - in essence a perpetual beat up ;-)
http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=1487314966
EY
The flight was 852km - in essence a perpetual beat up ;-)
http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=1487314966
EY
Monday, 9 February 2009
Lightning in the Peninsula
... got the lightning bit right (thanks to roab) in the Saturday forecast.
"Thunderbolt: The hot weather led to a spectacular display of lightning on the way to Cape Point."
Photo: Chad Chapman, Cape Times
"Thunderbolt: The hot weather led to a spectacular display of lightning on the way to Cape Point."
Photo: Chad Chapman, Cape Times
Friday, 6 February 2009
the Gauntlet forecast
For tomorrow's monthly club contest: the weather forecast:
the gauntlet prediction Saturday has a high dewpoint, with a northerly upper flow and plenty of cloud - quite a change to the weather we have been having. Surface wind - SE 10, 5000ft N 10,10000ft N 30, 15000ft N 40, 20000ft N30 [Martin knows where to go in the Northerlies
Cloud 3 - 5/8 from 9000ft to 38 000f, with 5/8 consentrated from 11000 to 20000ft [the skies are dark!!] with a prediction for lightning at 12 - 15 000ft and hail!!! with the possibility for ordinary cells, but the dry microburst potential is low (too moist for strong convective gusts) (i now have a clever dry microburst potential predictor in the beta version 6 of raob. No precipitation is predicted by raob, but NOAA shows some!! This is probable with the high surface dewpoint (17C)
Max 29.5C Dewpoint 15.9C Trigger 31.3C Expect little lift to 3200ft (there is a low level inversion
Sunday looks like a more classic W - NW blue day (with clouds probable on the front ridge - which will be working very well - saddle up for a nice 800k plus flight - and get going early, it may blow out)
Surface wind - W10, 5000ft WNW 30, 10000ft WNW 50, 15000ft W 60, 20000ft W 60
Wind shear is lowish 10ms per 4km and Dry microburst is low
Wave [there is wave, but the beta version will not show it :(
Cloud BLUE
Max 31.2 Dewpoint 13.4 Trigger 29Expect 2.5 ms - 3.5 ms to 10000ft
So - at the moment not so good for tomorrow, but SUPER for Sunday (one of those saloon of last chance opportunities for a 1000 late in the season)
EY
the gauntlet prediction Saturday has a high dewpoint, with a northerly upper flow and plenty of cloud - quite a change to the weather we have been having. Surface wind - SE 10, 5000ft N 10,10000ft N 30, 15000ft N 40, 20000ft N30 [Martin knows where to go in the Northerlies
Cloud 3 - 5/8 from 9000ft to 38 000f, with 5/8 consentrated from 11000 to 20000ft [the skies are dark!!] with a prediction for lightning at 12 - 15 000ft and hail!!! with the possibility for ordinary cells, but the dry microburst potential is low (too moist for strong convective gusts) (i now have a clever dry microburst potential predictor in the beta version 6 of raob. No precipitation is predicted by raob, but NOAA shows some!! This is probable with the high surface dewpoint (17C)
Max 29.5C Dewpoint 15.9C Trigger 31.3C Expect little lift to 3200ft (there is a low level inversion
Sunday looks like a more classic W - NW blue day (with clouds probable on the front ridge - which will be working very well - saddle up for a nice 800k plus flight - and get going early, it may blow out)
Surface wind - W10, 5000ft WNW 30, 10000ft WNW 50, 15000ft W 60, 20000ft W 60
Wind shear is lowish 10ms per 4km and Dry microburst is low
Wave [there is wave, but the beta version will not show it :(
Cloud BLUE
Max 31.2 Dewpoint 13.4 Trigger 29Expect 2.5 ms - 3.5 ms to 10000ft
So - at the moment not so good for tomorrow, but SUPER for Sunday (one of those saloon of last chance opportunities for a 1000 late in the season)
EY
EX in Vinon
... talking about traveling, I haven't been to Vinon, but i have flown a lot in EX (in Italy and Poland) and Volker Fiebig gave me a video of EX in Vinon ...
... a travel blog
Not all of life is gliding! Dear friends of ours have been on a world trip since the middle of last year , and Peter keeps an erudite blog - it is more than worth the read - a Graham Greene of the 21st century in the making. The link, appropriately, is http://changeinplans.net/
EY
EY
Thursday, 5 February 2009
OUCH!!
Accidents are never nice. Flying at Welkom we heard that a pristine DG got blown away in a storm at Gariep. Chris Way sent me this picture. Storms really do generate an amazing amount of energy. As you can see it was not a flying accident, the canopy cover is still on.
Monday, 2 February 2009
.. upping the ante
Down under they are still flying (as they are in Gariep, as well - it seems 133 (Mannie) has relocated there - he flew another 1000km triangle last weekend).
But really outdoing everyone this season is Terry Cubley (who flew in the standard class in Rieti) with a declared 1056 km flight in a LS3, giving him a 977 OLC points, (966 for the triangle) a massive score for a thermic (even if a seabreeze assisted the last leg)!!! Terry, somewhat laconically, commented on OLC,
"Blue for the first leg then good cu on the long leg. A quiet glide home, using a sea breeze to aid a little, Hard work but good fun"
"hard work" - certainly an understatement.
The flight is at
http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=705189638
EY
But really outdoing everyone this season is Terry Cubley (who flew in the standard class in Rieti) with a declared 1056 km flight in a LS3, giving him a 977 OLC points, (966 for the triangle) a massive score for a thermic (even if a seabreeze assisted the last leg)!!! Terry, somewhat laconically, commented on OLC,
"Blue for the first leg then good cu on the long leg. A quiet glide home, using a sea breeze to aid a little, Hard work but good fun"
"hard work" - certainly an understatement.
The flight is at
http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=705189638
EY
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