Longest glide?

[Jonathan St. Cloud]

I was reviewing my log books the other day and was reminded of an amazing flight I took team flying with another glider. I was flying an ASW-24 and the other glider was a Janus C. There was limited signs of lift yet as we struggled North from the Glider port, most others turned back. We got to the only cu over the end of our local mountain range (30 miles from home). At this point with the only two remaining cu's in the sky one 15 or so miles away on top of another mountain range and the other about another 45 or more miles away on top of yet a third mountain range. All the other gliders wisely decided to head back home for local soaring. We (the Janus and in the ASW-24) crossed the pass and made it to the next thermal with only minimal lift between. Once we climbed up to cloud base (about 14,000 ft) the janus headed for the only other cu miles away. I would have never done this flight had I not had another glider to share the misery of a sure landout. I followed suit and at best glide we reached the furthest cu. We both took this to cloud base of 14,500. There was really no other lift or signs of lift so we set off at best glider for home. We flew 60 minutes in completely still air! Not really sure what struggles if any the Janus went through but after 60 minutes it was clear I would not make home without some help. I tucked into the nearest foothills and worked pretty hard for 30 minutes or so to get just enough altitude to dribble back home. When I landed and pushed back to the trailer the janus was already put away and her crew had left. But 60 minutes on glide in still air is my longest (and in a standard class glider). I have had longer final glides but it was because I knew I would hit much lift on the way home and could just dolphin in the lift..

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

Off the top of my head, I think ~49 miles is my longest.
I was doing general flying in our ASW-28 "OH", we had issues with the electrics (nav, radio's, etc.) but I had an analog vario and could look outside.
At one point, I managed to get a text off to my son (since the radio worked about 500'...)stating where I was and where I was headed (he was at the home airport) so at least they had a clue where to look at some point if need be.
I ended up over the Delaware water gap (at the NJ/PA border)and did my final climb (late in the day) over a forest fire to ~8500' MSL (home is ~520' MSL).
I turned towards home, did some "rough calculations" in my head and thought, "I'm basically final glide home, unless I hit sink."
I set a cruise speed a bit over best glide, set the trim & watched the terrain slide by at a rather slow pace.
When I was a few miles out, and was SURE I had the airport made, I sped up a bit..... landing long after anyone else that went away from the airport.

While I hit a "few bumps" on the way home, it was pretty flat. At least most of the terrain was landable with no issues..... if needed.

[gkemp]

I have had near 100 miles in a Nimbus 3 out of Tonopah, NV

gkemp "NK"

[Ramy[_2_]]

Around 120 miles final glides few times from the Sierras to Byron. From 18K to see level in dead air.

Ramy

[[email protected]]

On Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 12:46:40 PM UTC-5, Ramy wrote:
> Around 120 miles final glides few times from the Sierras to Byron. From 18K to see level in dead air.
>
> Ramy
Ramy takes the prize!
Can't beat that! Except maybe going from 18k to below sea level? Anybody for a landing in Death Valley?

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Sun, 08 Mar 2015 15:29:15 -0700, herbkilian wrote:

> On Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 12:46:40 PM UTC-5, Ramy wrote:
>> Around 120 miles final glides few times from the Sierras to Byron. From
>> 18K to see level in dead air.
>>
>> Ramy
> Ramy takes the prize!
> Can't beat that! Except maybe going from 18k to below sea level?
> Anybody for a landing in Death Valley?

I flew a F1A towline model glider at the lowest point in Death Valley
with 60 seconds on the d/t timer and found a nice bump before launching.
It almost made it to MSL before the d/t popped and it came down. Does
that count?


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[Mike Oliver]

Somewhere I have a see-you trace of a flight in France a couple of years
ago where the stats show a final phase of 3 hrs 56 minutes and a glide of
525k. It started at fl 190 and included following a couple of wave bars and
following ridge lines as we descended. Glider was Nimbus 4 and P1 Alain
Poulet.

[[email protected]]

I had one flight with two especially long glides in my Discus 2.
196km @ 85:1 (12000ft to 4000ft)
190km @ 260:1 (13500ft to 11000ft)

Not in wave, in thermals.

(http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=171034633)

[[email protected]]

On Monday, March 9, 2015 at 8:35:47 PM UTC+11, wrote:
> I had one flight with two especially long glides in my Discus 2.
> 196km @ 85:1 (12000ft to 4000ft)
> 190km @ 260:1 (13500ft to 11000ft)
>
> Not in wave, in thermals.
>
> (http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=171034633)

Actually, going further back I found a couple of better ones.

224km @ 237:1 (13500ft to 10500ft).
145km @ -856:1 (7700ft to 8300ft).

In the venerable LS4!

(http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=169742621)

Turning was probably unnecessary at all on most of those days, but it's faster if you turn in the strong climbs and then cruise faster than slowing up and not turning at all. So it's a bit of a silly thing to judge your flying on really ;)

[[email protected]]

On Monday, March 9, 2015 at 12:29:16 AM UTC+2, wrote:
> On Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 12:46:40 PM UTC-5, Ramy wrote:
> > Around 120 miles final glides few times from the Sierras to Byron. From 18K to see level in dead air.
> >
> > Ramy
> Ramy takes the prize!
> Can't beat that! Except maybe going from 18k to below sea level? Anybody for a landing in Death Valley?

No sure if this counts, but a couple of years ago I tried a final glide of just 35km (~20miles) from 2800' down to the lowest airfield anywhere: Massada at 1230' *below sea level* :-)
It's not "Death Valley", but it is the "Dead Sea" ...
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=1089616531

Uri
4X-GGG
PS: made a "save" and landed in Arad at 1950 above sea level

[Jim White[_3_]]

John Williams just claimed a UK 500k record flying 503k at 121Kph in
Scottish wave. His longest and final glide was 506k.

Trace is available on the BGA ladder.

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

So, I guess the question is..... "What's the longest still air glide", not, "How far did you go without turning"?

A few replies are the 2nd type, I think JSC wanted the 1st type.....

[[email protected]]

On Monday, March 9, 2015 at 8:23:30 AM UTC-6, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
> So, I guess the question is..... "What's the longest still air glide", not, "How far did you go without turning"?
>
> A few replies are the 2nd type, I think JSC wanted the 1st type.....

I flew with KS back from a leg to Nevada at Parowan a few years ago. I think we were cruising near VNE most of the way without a turn but there was this EERIE WHISTLING SOUND FILLING THE COCKPIT! It sounded like Yankee Doodle Dandy!ZB

[Ramy[_2_]]

Longest glide means just that, the longest glide of the flight, without any climb, typically the final glide. Otherwise this is not a glide, but straight flight with no turning, which is also interesting number when not done in wave or ridge lift.

Ramy

[Bob Pasker]

what does this mean?

On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 3:45:27 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> could just dolphin in the lift.

[Nick Kennedy]

What this means to me is that Ramy Yanetz is quite possibly the winner. Ramy flys a ASW 27 and in my opinion is one of the very best long range, go for it, damn the torpedos, XC thermal pilots in the world.
Very few pure glider pilots are in his league and it has been that way for a long time.
120 mile final glides from 18k in the Sierra to Byron?
His latest flight up to the far Northern California coast and then out to sea in the middle of nowhere near Ft. Bragg and return + more, raised my eyebrows for sure, again.

[kirk.stant]

On Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 8:12:57 AM UTC-5, Bob Pasker wrote:
> what does this mean?
>
> On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 3:45:27 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> > could just dolphin in the lift.

Bob, to "dolphin" is when lift (or less sink) is detected while on a glide, you pull up and slow down to gain altitude (energy) without turning. Some "S" turning is OK but the point is to not stop forward progress by circling. Especially in long-wing gliders, a final glide can be started well below the theoretical altitude needed, and by careful dolphin flying (or "bumping up" the glide) you can work your way up to a nice comfortable finish. Also works under cloud streets or along energy lines.

One has to be careful not to overdo it during fast inter-thermal cruise and pull on the stick every-time the vario beeps - this "technique" pretty much guarantees that by the time you slow down to min sink, you will be IN SINK!

So best used on days with well marked thermals (clouds, dust devils, gaggles) or late in the day when on a slow final glide and broad areas of light lift or reduced sink are common.

Kirk
66

[Gliding Guru[_2_]]

At 16:26 11 March 2015, Nick Kennedy wrote:
>What this means to me is that Ramy Yanetz is quite possibly the winner.
>Ramy flys a ASW 27 and in my opinion is one of the very best long range,
go
>for it, damn the torpedos, XC thermal pilots in the world.
> Very few pure glider pilots are in his league and it has been that way
for
>a long time.
>120 mile final glides from 18k in the Sierra to Byron?
>His latest flight up to the far Northern California coast and then out to
>sea in the middle of nowhere near Ft. Bragg and return + more, raised my
>eyebrows for sure, again.
>

A Mark Holiday from South Africa also had an impressive flight some years
back. Flew Something like 300k at an average speed of 250kph without
turning. Must have been a nice convergence or something like that.

See flight -
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=1591979

[Bob Pasker]

cool, i didnd't know there was a word for it. the book jus says "slow down in lift, speed up in sink"

On Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 12:44:23 PM UTC-4, kirk.stant wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 8:12:57 AM UTC-5, Bob Pasker wrote:
> > what does this mean?
> >
> > On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 3:45:27 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> > > could just dolphin in the lift.
>
> Bob, to "dolphin" is when lift (or less sink) is detected while on a glide, you pull up and slow down to gain altitude (energy) without turning. Some "S" turning is OK but the point is to not stop forward progress by circling. Especially in long-wing gliders, a final glide can be started well below the theoretical altitude needed, and by careful dolphin flying (or "bumping up" the glide) you can work your way up to a nice comfortable finish. Also works under cloud streets or along energy lines.
>
> One has to be careful not to overdo it during fast inter-thermal cruise and pull on the stick every-time the vario beeps - this "technique" pretty much guarantees that by the time you slow down to min sink, you will be IN SINK!
>
> So best used on days with well marked thermals (clouds, dust devils, gaggles) or late in the day when on a slow final glide and broad areas of light lift or reduced sink are common.
>
> Kirk
> 66

[[email protected]]

It was Friday of a regional at Sugarbush,Vt. in 1973. There were no contest days yet. In those days, Saturday and Sunday could be used to make a contest. The day looked bleak and some pilots were starting to leave. All of a sudden, a lennie appeared right over the airport. I climbed to 15,00 ft. That was the end of the lift for the day. I glided 113 miles close to the coast. It was a contest day. The next two days were good and we had a contest. Thanks lennie!

Blll Feldbaumer 09