Amazing soaring facts?

[Doug Easton]

Looking for some help from the group... I'm putting together a presentation
(might be overhead viewgraphs and/or a series of posters) for the general
public on soaring and I want to catch their interest and imagination. For
instances might be: the world altitude record for a glider is close to
50,000ft OR gliders have been used in WWII to deliver troops and equipment
to the battlefield OR you can solo a glider at age 14; before you can get a
drivers permit OR famous people (astronauts) who soar because of the
challenge OR....??

If you have material and or just ideas I'd welcome them.

Thanks in advance

Doug Easton

[tango4]

A shade over 3000km in the time from sunrise to sunset.

Ian

"Doug Easton" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Looking for some help from the group... I'm putting together a
presentation
> (might be overhead viewgraphs and/or a series of posters) for the general
> public on soaring and I want to catch their interest and imagination. For
> instances might be: the world altitude record for a glider is close to
> 50,000ft OR gliders have been used in WWII to deliver troops and equipment
> to the battlefield OR you can solo a glider at age 14; before you can get
a
> drivers permit OR famous people (astronauts) who soar because of the
> challenge OR....??
>
> If you have material and or just ideas I'd welcome them.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Doug Easton
>
>

[George Vranek]

"tango4" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> A shade over 3000km in the time from sunrise to sunset.
>
> Ian

Why are record trials of gliders and motor gliders limited by the time from
sunrise to sunset? Motor planes does not have such restriction.

George

[Stefan]

George Vranek wrote:

> Why are record trials of gliders and motor gliders limited by the time from
> sunrise to sunset? Motor planes does not have such restriction.

First, in most countries, gliders are allowed to fly day VFR only. Ok,
there are some countries where day IFR is allowed, and at least in
Poland, night VFR is an option too, so this isn't the reason.

The true reason is another. There were several duration flight records
in the sixties? seventies? Anyway, the IGC decided to not longer honour
duration records because there have been a couple of fatalities when the
record attempting pilot simply fell asleep. So the daytime rule was
introduced.

Stefan

[John H. Campbell]

That's an interesting theme. Neatly plays off public ignorance of what we
do/have done.
Here follow some surprising thoughts that spring to mind easily (a mainly
USA perspective).
For more, see my blogs at:
www.soarcsa.org/ssa/ssay/soarfaq.htm
www.soarcsa.org/ssa/ssay/sailyth.htm
www.greeleynet.com/~jhpc/FAQ.doc
www.greeleynet.com/~jhpc/Interview.doc


Records:
- The first human soaring flight of 1 minute was in 1903 (USA)
- " " 1 hour was in
1922 (Germany)
- " " 1 km up was in 1926
(Germany)
- " " 100 km across was
in 1929 (Germany)
- " " 1,000 km across was in
1964 (USA)

Nature:
- About half of all animals (and most insects) fly. Of those animals that
fly, most soar.
- The larger and heavier the animal, the more flapping flight gives way to
soaring.
- The scale of atmospheric convection is about 5:1 cell width to height,
which means that entities
with glide ratios well above that can soar all summer day with reasonable
probability.
- The scale of low level winds is such that upwind progress can easily be
made.
- Conjecture: the sailplane (1930s on) is better tuned to take full
advantage of the
atmosphere than later devices (Hang-gliders 1970s, paragliders 1990s) that
make
concessions to cost, portability, launchability, physicality, and "being
in the wind".

Science:
- Many Aerodynamics stars (Von Karman...) worked in the fields of sailplanes
and soaring.
- Many Atmospheric scientists (Kuettner...) soar, forecast for pilots, or
gather data from them.
- Soaring is mainly Galilean relativity: gliding downwards through air
moving upwards.
- Soaring is solar-powered from convection and advection, the power source
is external.
- A 40:1 L/D sailplane weighing 900 lb, moving 60 mph, requires only 3 kW (4
HP) to fly level.
- A typical thermal entrains tons of air with MW of power 4 times faster
than the sailplane sinks.

Engineering:
- The modern sailplane, with lift/drag (glide) ratios near 70 is the most
efficient aircraft ever.
- A 30m wingpspan, 1 m wide and 10cm thick is a structural, let alone aero-
engineer's dream.
- fiberglass aircraft were common in the early 1960s as sailplanes, carbon
fiber in the1980s.
- Natural laminar flow airfoils (NACA for WWII military) are "natural" on
sailplanes (1960s on).
- Engineers famous in academics (MIT, Illinois...), industry (Boeing,
Lockheed...), government (NASA, JPL) have done much in or with soaring:
Paul Bikle, John McMasters, Burt Rutan...
- The much-heralded Paul MacCready, Jr. was World Soaring Champion in 1956.

Celebrities:
- Aviation: 1930s figures took up soaring or at least cooperated in
publicizing glider flying as an avenue into aviation for youth: Charles
Lindbergh, Frank Hawks, Amelia Earhart...
- Space-flight. Some astronauts are or have been sailplane pilots and/or
owners: Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong, Pete Conrad, Story Musgrave...
- A few media stars have been glider pilots: Christopher Reeve, Cliff
Robertson, Hugh Downs...

History:
- With the public news of the Wright Brothers and the first airshows, glider
building and flying became a fad among youth and University students ca
1909-1913, but soaring was limited.
- Soaring grew by leaps and bounds in the 1920s in Germany, as a flying
outlet under post WWI restrictions for air-minded pilots, engineers,
scientists, and students. Despite a desperate and scary start, it worked so
well it quickly came to be thought of as sport and education.
- Between WWI and WWII (the peace decades of roughly 1920-1940), all the
modern elements fell into place -- sailplanes developed from hang-gliders,
the full variety of launch menthods, two-seat trainers, durations in days,
altitudes in kms, distances in 100s of km. A rare case, some might say, of
aviation progress not being spurred by war.
- WWII saw the use of gliders as delivery means for troops and materiel,
first by the Germans, then by the Allies. The D-day invasion required
training hundreds of combat glider pilots, for which all USA civilian
gliders were requisitioned and hundreds more gliders purpose-built.
- The Soaring Society of America was founded in 1932 and grew to a
membership of 16,000 in the mid 1980s. SSA sanctions Regional and National
competitions in several classes.

--JHC

[Marc Ramsey]

George Vranek wrote:
> Why are record trials of gliders and motor gliders limited by the time from
> sunrise to sunset? Motor planes does not have such restriction.

This is not correct. From FAI Sport Code Section 3:

====
4.5.4 Night Flight

A flight which continues beyond the hours of legal daylight in the
country concerned shall not be validated, except where the glider
and pilot comply with the laws of that country for night flight.
====

Night flights by glider are permitted in the US (and likely many
other countries) if the gliders airworthiness certification is
not restricted to day only, and it is equipped with navigation
lights.

Marc

[Bob Kuykendall]

Earlier, "Doug Easton" > wrote:

> ...I want to catch their interest and imagination...

Sailplanes are powered by a large nuclear fusion reactor. Energy is
transmitted from the reactor to the vicinity of the sailplane via a
wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Every year, millions of
people recieve first- and second-degree burns from stray radiation
from the reactor.

Of course, it's really just the Sun...

Bob K.

[bsquared]

I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes are "powered" by gravity, not
the sun.

Bravo-Squared

"Bob Kuykendall" > wrote in message
om...
> Earlier, "Doug Easton" > wrote:
>
> > ...I want to catch their interest and imagination...
>
> Sailplanes are powered by a large nuclear fusion reactor. Energy is
> transmitted from the reactor to the vicinity of the sailplane via a
> wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Every year, millions of
> people recieve first- and second-degree burns from stray radiation
> from the reactor.
>
> Of course, it's really just the Sun...
>
> Bob K.

[Evals]

Forgive me for disagreeing in return. On a non soaring flight, sailplanes
are powered (mostly) by the internal combustion engine. Gravity just
reclaims the energy expended by the use of fossil fuels. Any gain in height
after launch is indeed "nuclear" powered.

Evals

--


All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton Antivirus software
"bsquared" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes are "powered" by gravity, not
> the sun.
>
> Bravo-Squared
>
> "Bob Kuykendall" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Earlier, "Doug Easton" > wrote:
> >
> > > ...I want to catch their interest and imagination...
> >
> > Sailplanes are powered by a large nuclear fusion reactor. Energy is
> > transmitted from the reactor to the vicinity of the sailplane via a
> > wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Every year, millions of
> > people recieve first- and second-degree burns from stray radiation
> > from the reactor.
> >
> > Of course, it's really just the Sun...
> >
> > Bob K.
>
>

[Bob Kuykendall]

Earlier, "bsquared" > wrote:

> I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes
> are "powered" by gravity, not the sun.

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. To say that gliders
are powered by gravity would have to involve a definition of power
with which I am not familiar. :)

Bob K.

[Mark James Boyd]

Doug Easton > wrote:
>Looking for some help from the group... I'm putting together a presentation
>(might be overhead viewgraphs and/or a series of posters) for the general
>public on soaring and I want to catch their interest and imagination.

Still the most amazing thing in the world to me is
that I can fly, in a glider, for hours on end, WITH NO ENGINE!
Last weekend I finally had to land after 3 and a half hours because
I had to pee (I naively didn't bring any nifty relief devices).
And this in a less than $10,000 Blanik L-13! Where else in aviation
can you fly a two-seat aerobatic aircraft that spins 70 deg nose
down, has lots of space, good vis, is quiet, and costs under
$10,000 to buy and $7 a flight to rent (sure sure, plus tows :P)?

$10 an hour for flying (then split between 2 people so really
$5 an hour) is really cheap, challenging fun. And what
a challenge of skill! If you do it right, you get hours
of quiet flying long distances. If you do it wrong, you land
safely, but earlier than you wanted.

And how about selling it to parents of teenagers? With all the
teenage vices, isn't it nice to offer an alternative which
a teenager can enjoy and really learn from? I can't tell
you how many kids get really inspired by their "first flight."
Grades go up, they start liking math and science, and
the imagination soars...
--

------------+
Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA

[George Vranek]

"Bob Kuykendall" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
om...
> Earlier, "bsquared" > wrote:
>
> > I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes
> > are "powered" by gravity, not the sun.
>
> Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. To say that gliders
> are powered by gravity would have to involve a definition of power
> with which I am not familiar. :)
>
> Bob K.

Just imagine: You are flying a glider equipped with a gravity switch. So
long, as you let the gravity switch is in position "on", everything is as
usual. But what happens, if you switch the gravity off? Due to the drag, the
speed will go to zero, the controlls became ineffective and the glider will
float uncontrollable as a free balloon. It means: Without the gravity, no
gliding and no soaring is possible. What a horror imagination!!!!

George

[Doug Hoffman]

Evals wrote:

> Forgive me for disagreeing in return. On a non soaring flight, sailplanes
> are powered (mostly) by the internal combustion engine. Gravity just
> reclaims the energy expended by the use of fossil fuels. Any gain in height
> after launch is indeed "nuclear" powered.
>

Actually Bob K. had it right to begin with, even on a non-soaring flight.
Where do you think those fossil fuels came from? All life on Earth derives,
either directly or indirectly, sustenance from the Sun. Plants use
photosynthesis to convert the Sun's energy into food. Animals then eat the
plants or other animals that ate the plants. And so on.

Regards,

-Doug

[Bill Daniels]

"George Vranek" > wrote in message
...
>
> Just imagine: You are flying a glider equipped with a gravity switch. So
> long, as you let the gravity switch is in position "on", everything is as
> usual. But what happens, if you switch the gravity off? Due to the drag,
the
> speed will go to zero, the controlls became ineffective and the glider
will
> float uncontrollable as a free balloon. It means: Without the gravity, no
> gliding and no soaring is possible. What a horror imagination!!!!
>
> George
>
>

It does make one wonder about guys who keep talking about ever lighter
gliders.

I don't want a switch that turns gravity off, I want one that tilts the
local gravity vector about 2 degrees from the vertical.

Bill Daniels

[Tom Seim]

(Bob Kuykendall) wrote in message >...
> Earlier, "bsquared" > wrote:
>
> > I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes
> > are "powered" by gravity, not the sun.
>
> Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. To say that gliders
> are powered by gravity would have to involve a definition of power
> with which I am not familiar. :)
>
> Bob K.

Potential energy is stored in a gravitational field by raising a mass
to an altitude. This is analogous to storing energy in a capacitor
using a voltage (height) to create an electric (gravity) field. The
heavier the mass the greater the energy (which is why we use ballast).

But the storage mechanism is not the source of the power used to lift
the mass to altitude. This (usually) comes from the Sun. I say usually
because I have used nuclear powered thermals.


Tom Seim
Richland, WA

[F.L. Whiteley]

"Mark James Boyd" > wrote in message
news:4076d3b1$1@darkstar...
> Doug Easton > wrote:
> >Looking for some help from the group... I'm putting together a
presentation
> >(might be overhead viewgraphs and/or a series of posters) for the general
> >public on soaring and I want to catch their interest and imagination.
>
> Still the most amazing thing in the world to me is
> that I can fly, in a glider, for hours on end, WITH NO ENGINE!
> Last weekend I finally had to land after 3 and a half hours because
> I had to pee (I naively didn't bring any nifty relief devices).
> And this in a less than $10,000 Blanik L-13! Where else in aviation
> can you fly a two-seat aerobatic aircraft that spins 70 deg nose
> down, has lots of space, good vis, is quiet, and costs under
> $10,000 to buy and $7 a flight to rent (sure sure, plus tows :P)?
>
> $10 an hour for flying (then split between 2 people so really
> $5 an hour) is really cheap, challenging fun. And what
> a challenge of skill! If you do it right, you get hours
> of quiet flying long distances. If you do it wrong, you land
> safely, but earlier than you wanted.
>
> And how about selling it to parents of teenagers? With all the
> teenage vices, isn't it nice to offer an alternative which
> a teenager can enjoy and really learn from? I can't tell
> you how many kids get really inspired by their "first flight."
> Grades go up, they start liking math and science, and
> the imagination soars...
> --
>
Yep, we snagged a B- geology major, showed him the way forward, he graduated
as a fine student, and along the way gained Glider, Commercial Glider,
CFI-G, Power, Instrument, and is now sitting in Corpus Christi waiting for
his Navy BPT to start next month. He still likes soaring best, especially
after Gogos and George Lee's mentoring course. Now if we could just find
another 6-7 like him;^) He's bringing his roommate (CFI-G from FL) here for
a week in April for some ground launching and high country soaring. I guess
their discussions of aerodynamics at Pensacola were a bit obtuse WRT the
course material.

Frank Whiteley
Colorado

[K.P. Termaat]

> > Earlier, "bsquared" > wrote:
> >
> > > I hate to disagree with you, but sailplanes
> > > are "powered" by gravity, not the sun.

Hello B^2,

I hate to disagree with you too. Gravity moves the glider forward and
slightly downward. The sun moves the glider upward if you as a pilot are
trained enough to use its effect on the atmosphere.
So we need gravity and the sun for our amazing nice sport.

Karel, NL

[Finbar]

This (usually) comes from the Sun. I say usually
> because I have used nuclear powered thermals.

You're referring to fission thermals, from nuclear power stations, I
take it, as distinct from the more usual thermonuclear-powered
thermals...

[CV]

George Vranek wrote:
>>Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. To say that gliders
>>are powered by gravity would have to involve a definition of power
>>with which I am not familiar. :)
> Just imagine: You are flying a glider equipped with a gravity switch. So
> long, as you let the gravity switch is in position "on", everything is as
> usual. But what happens, if you switch the gravity off? Due to the drag, the

This is switching the question from "what powers gliders" to "what factors
are necessary for gliding".

Many things are necessary: Take away the air, and gliding is also not
possible, but this does not mean that gliders are powered by the air.
CV

[Adrian Jansen]

Even the power for fission thermals came originally from a sun, just not
*this* sun.

--
Regards,

Adrian Jansen
J & K MicroSystems
Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
"Finbar" > wrote in message
m...
> This (usually) comes from the Sun. I say usually
> > because I have used nuclear powered thermals.
>
> You're referring to fission thermals, from nuclear power stations, I
> take it, as distinct from the more usual thermonuclear-powered
> thermals...

[Nyal Williams]

What happened to this thread? It was a call for interesting
(amazing) soaring facts (feats?) to help sell soaring
to the uninitiated. Astrophysics doesn't get it!

At 01:12 13 April 2004, Adrian Jansen wrote:
>Even the power for fission thermals came originally
>from a sun, just not
>*this* sun.
>
>--
>Regards,
>
>Adrian Jansen
>J & K MicroSystems
>Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
>'Finbar' wrote in message
m...
>> This (usually) comes from the Sun. I say usually
>> > because I have used nuclear powered thermals.
>>
>> You're referring to fission thermals, from nuclear
>>power stations, I
>> take it, as distinct from the more usual thermonuclear-powered
>> thermals...
>
>
>

[Adrian Jansen]

True, and I apologise for taking the subject even more OT than it already
was.

--
Regards,

Adrian Jansen
J & K MicroSystems
Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
"Nyal Williams" > wrote in message
...
> What happened to this thread? It was a call for interesting
> (amazing) soaring facts (feats?) to help sell soaring
> to the uninitiated. Astrophysics doesn't get it!
>
> At 01:12 13 April 2004, Adrian Jansen wrote:
> >Even the power for fission thermals came originally
> >from a sun, just not
> >*this* sun.
> >
> >--
> >Regards,
> >
> >Adrian Jansen
> >J & K MicroSystems
> >Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
> >'Finbar' wrote in message
> m...
> >> This (usually) comes from the Sun. I say usually
> >> > because I have used nuclear powered thermals.
> >>
> >> You're referring to fission thermals, from nuclear
> >>power stations, I
> >> take it, as distinct from the more usual thermonuclear-powered
> >> thermals...
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>