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Old June 11th 07, 10:28 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting
Tuno
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Posts: 640
Default Gliders in the Grand Canyon

If you _did_ have a safe place to land, somewhere, would there be enough
rising air in the canyon to safely lift you out after gliding some distance
below the rim? If so, how low could you go? I don't know much about sources
of rising air for gliding, so the question may be naïve.


The answer to your first question is Yes. I have thermalled over the
canyon once, I have friends who have thermalled over the canyon a
number of times, and those thermals had to have originated on the
canyon floor, where daytime heating would be good.

Next time you're there in warm weather and you see cumulus clouds
forming over the canyon, visualize lines from their bottoms down to
the ground, adjusted for winds. You'll see that many of the CUs
originated from thermals by the river bank.

Good thermals, too. Making it to the Canyon is a real treat for
Arizona x/c pilots. I hope to do it again in a few weeks en route to
Parowan, UT.

-ted