Bit off subject but, Cal City used to have a photo of a Pawnee panel, engine stops and the vertical speed indicator indicating up (no sure how much but I kind of remember 500 ft/min). Have many times used ridge lift in a helicopter or wave lift in a heavy pressurized twin. Now if I could only find a thermal while flying a glider


On Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 12:10:48 PM UTC-8, ND wrote:
Power pilots have a different name for what glider pilots call lift - turbulence. I can't imagine any serious power flight deciding to run glider lift lines to save energy or gain speed.

errrm....

"In 1947, two pilots from Bishop began a flying service in the area and soon were spending much of their time exploring the dynamics of the Bishop Wave, as it was initially called. In 1950, one of the pilots, Bob Symons, flew his P-38 powered aircraft into the Bishop Wave, cut the engines, feathered the propellers and soared for more than an hour on the powerful lift. Afterwards, several entities joined forces to sponsor the Sierra Wave Project, the first international meteorological study of these amazing mountain winds."

I also heard of a guy who thermalled a j3 cub on his check-ride and actually gained altitude after the examiner cut the engine on him. examiner was speechless.