Glider Crash - Minden?

Edward Winchester wrote, re traffic avoidance:

...for the thermalling case,
I'd amend that to put the top rudder on the floor and
the stick in the opposite corner, at least at first.
You'll lose hundreds of feet in 10 seconds, and not
gain a ridiculous amount of airspeed.

The quickest directional change comes from your elevator. With the
ailerons and rudder, put the vertical axis of your ship on the same
plane as the place you want to be, and pull, or push, the nose to that
point with the stick. The wings are designed to produce positive-g
lift -- they do it very well -- use them that way. If negative-g is
all you have time for, then push. You'll create separation with
traffic a lot faster this way than you will by entering an
uncoordinated maneuver.

If a slip entry is what you are describing, you are asking the ship to
enter a gravity-powered trajectory in which you are abdicating most of
your directional control, and committing yourself to a relatively slow
change of direction, when in fact a quicker change is what you need.
Why take "ten seconds" to accomplish what can be done in a small
portion of that time with a coordinated maneuver using the momentum of
the ship to take you where you want to go?

Soaring is all about energy management, so use yours to get you to a
safe place, rather than waiting for gravity, or grace, to save you.


Jack

Zooms maintain total energy, assuming no losses.

Total energy = potential energy + kinetic energy = mgh + 1/2 mv2.

If v(elocity) reduced from 80 knots to 50 knots then
Gain in h (eight) = 170 feet.
From 100 knots to 50 knots then gain = 330 feet.

Hence those pull-ups into thermals and after racing finishes.

If you were at 80 knots and dived 350 feet, then you would
Accelerate to 120 knots.

However if you are low and slow at 50kts then a pull up
Will only give you 40 feet before you stall at 40 knots.

Rory


Author: Edward Winchester
Date/Time: 16:10 07 September 2006
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If you're cruising fast between thermals, it may work better to put the
stick in your lap, which would zoom you at least a couple hundred feet.
(don't ask me how I know this.)