"Larry Pardue" wrote in message
...


As for this part, Dick Johnson gave an interesting talk about it at a
safety
talk at the Region 9 Championships this year. He gave aerodynamic and
safety reasons to always use a small slip while thermaling. I can't
recall
all the details, but have been doing it ever since then and I like it.

Larry Pardue 2I

Dick's point was that a glider with dihedral has an increased angle of
attack on the leading wing in a slip. (Try bending a #10 envelope to
simulate a wing with dihedral. Look at it from the front and then yaw it as
in a slip - you'll see the AOA difference between the wings.) If you use a
slip instead of top aileron, the wing's airfoil works better without the
deflection of the ailerons. You are also holding top rudder, which in the
event of a stall, would make the glider roll out of the turn - easier to
recover.

Really good talk, Dick.

Bill Daniels