"T o d d P a t t i s t" wrote in message
...
"Morgans" wrote:

From what I have read, entering a real rotor, one would be lucky to be
spat
out with the wings still attached to the plane.

Rotors can be strong or relatively mild. It's fairly common
to use rotors to climb into the mountain wave in a glider.
They can be extremely violent, but the stronger they are the
more likely that you can see them, or wave phenomenon near
them, and stay out of the worst part. A strong rotor is
associated with a strong wave which will have strong up and
down drafts that open a wave gap (the "Foehn gap") in solid
overcast near the rotor. It's not uncommon to climb through
that gap and see solid overcast everywhere except in the
gap. Moisture in the air will produce lenticular clouds
marking the position of the wave, and that gives another
clue to the wave/rotor position. Often, the rotor will be
marked by a rotating cloud in the core.

Loss of control? Certainly.

I've been rolled 90 degrees on tow, even though I was
expecting wave activity.

Loss of plane? Perhaps.

I think "perhaps" is correct, it has happened, but it's
extremely rare. Experienced glider pilots regularly seek
out strong wave activity, and experienced tow pilots
regularly tow gliders to the front (rising) edge of the
rotor. Commercial glider operations in Colorado have made a
business of drawing glider pilots from around the world to
fly in the waves of the Rockies. The trick is knowing where
the wave and rotor are.

Thoughts? Some out here can discuss rotors with authority, I'm sure.


All of this talk about rotors makes me glad I fly in Houston Texas with the
closest mountain hundreds of miles away.

Danny Deger