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Old October 29th 15, 06:57 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
son_of_flubber
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Default Alternative magnetic compass

I used my compass to advantage this Fall (for the first time ever) when working a narrow band of rotor lift at relatively low altitude with a head wind speed that was slower than my stall speed.

I'd fly out of the rotor lift and into sink after flying straight for about 20 seconds, turn around fast and fly downwind on the opposite compass heading to roughly above my ground reference point, then fly the same upwind compass heading repeatedly. I eventually climbed a couple thousand feet into weak wave. (I really enjoy working rotor).

Moving map was turned off. Perhaps the moving map would have made it too easy, and I would have missed the 'learning experience' of working rotor without the moving map.

I'd add that the 'compass swing' was irrelevant to this exercise as the headings that I used were just arbitrary (but repeatable) numbers.

Call me 'old school' but I also feel that it is beneficial to the improvement of my 'seat of the pants' skills for me to center thermals without 'Digital Thermal Assistants'.