Dew point line??? (USA)

No real dew line that I saw today. Just a really good
soaring day at Hobbs. I was next to last in the Open
class with my 604 (84.5 MPH for nearly a 350 mile task).

I did get to see it and fly along the Dew Line this
spring at Marfa. Really fun. Good lift, in sometimes
pretty wide (several miles across, and many, many miles
long) areas. There was also lift on either side.
Just best along the convergence of the air masses.

Steve Leonard
Vintage Sailplane Racer

Vintage Sailplane Racer? Now that is COOL! My pal Tony Condon
(Cherokee II N373Y) and I were just discussing organizing a vintage/low
performance contest of sorts...

The Dew line/ Dry line usually moves east and downslope during the
daytime driven by convective mixing (as I understand it) and retreates
up-slope to the west during the nighttime hours. It can extend from
Marfa all the way to the Dakotas and often starts the day along
longitude 100 where the terrain is roughly 3000msl. It is a unique
atmospheric boundary in that it has a more or less vertical cross
section (unlike a cold or warm front) is amazingly sharply defined, and
often several thousand feet deep. As it churns eastward some sections
will move faster than others so it will develope bulges. When
thunderstorms form (on the moist east side) in the troughs between the
bulges they become isolated from other storms. This allows them to
grow without competition from other storms for moisture. With dry air
to the west, north, and south the storm structure can be easily viewed
and safely approached by researchers, photographers, stormchasers...

I've often wondered if sailplanes could be utilized to study the small
scale structure and movement of the dryline.


Steve Leonard
Vintage Sailplane Racer

This description of all the wonderful soaring conditions out west makes
my glider juices start flowing. Thanks for that. But what still
hasn't been explained that I can see is: Where does the lift come
from? What airmass is rising, and why does it do that?

Thanks,
Ed