Birds do it too...

Interesting article at The Scientist. Parallels between behavior of soaring birds and soaring pilots (I almost wrote "soaring humans".

original url:

https://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...hsmi=63231246/


Short url:

http://tiny.cc/mutzty

On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 8:47:03 AM UTC-5, WB wrote:
Interesting article at The Scientist. Parallels between behavior of soaring birds and soaring pilots (I almost wrote "soaring humans".

original url:

https://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...hsmi=63231246/


Short url:

http://tiny.cc/mutzty

Purchase Access to this Article for 1 day for US$30.00
Hmmm...

BTW, between the lines, maybe the secret to so many successful Polish pilots in the history of soaring: Poland has the world's largest population of white storks (ca. 25% of the world's count), virtually all of them migrating every year back and forth between Europe and Africa. Flying with them in a thermal is a common experience in Central Europe (including around Leszno), although they are a little bit timid and probably not as good in centering upwinds as soaring birds of prey.

On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 10:48:18 AM UTC-4, Tom BravoMike wrote:
On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 8:47:03 AM UTC-5, WB wrote:
Interesting article at The Scientist. Parallels between behavior of soaring birds and soaring pilots (I almost wrote "soaring humans".

original url:

https://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...hsmi=63231246/


Short url:

http://tiny.cc/mutzty

Purchase Access to this Article for 1 day for US$30.00
Hmmm...

BTW, between the lines, maybe the secret to so many successful Polish pilots in the history of soaring: Poland has the world's largest population of white storks (ca. 25% of the world's count), virtually all of them migrating every year back and forth between Europe and Africa. Flying with them in a thermal is a common experience in Central Europe (including around Leszno), although they are a little bit timid and probably not as good in centering upwinds as soaring birds of prey.

I find downwinds easier...

While the original paper is behind a paywall, quite a bit more about the project and the findings are he
https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0524141655.htm
Summary: those with poor thermaling skills land out in a dump. (And the retrieve takes months.)

On Fri, 25 May 2018 07:48:16 -0700, Tom BravoMike wrote:

BTW, between the lines, maybe the secret to so many successful Polish
pilots in the history of soaring: Poland has the world's largest
population of white storks (ca. 25% of the world's count), virtually all
of them migrating every year back and forth between Europe and Africa.
Flying with them in a thermal is a common experience in Central Europe
(including around Leszno), although they are a little bit timid and
probably not as good in centering upwinds as soaring birds of prey.

I'm not so sure of that: from personal observation the best soaring birds
are storks and kites - both have an amazing ability to centre and climb
in thermals. During a Free flight event in Portugal in 1998 the field was
covered with small groups of storks. Very wary: they'd fly off if we got
within 50m of them and when they did I never saw them flap higher than
10-15m before snagging lift and cruising away - and remember that we were
making them fly rather than them picking their moment. Similarly, I've
seen kites regularly climb away from 5-7 m without any flapping. The only
US bird I've watched that comes near to this was brown pelicans ridge
soaring along ridiculously small ripples.

The other noticeable differentiator is that gulls, storks, vultures and
kites generally have good traffic management in thermals - they all tend
to circle the same way. Gulls in particular have always turned the same
way I'm turning when they've joined me, but hawks and buzzards haven't
any such manners: the only hawks I've met in thermals have been turning
the wrong way and not looking ahead: when they do see me, they've all
immediately closed wings and plummeted out of the pattern.

However, bigger raptors may be better behaved: one one flight out of
Boulder we were joined by a bald-headed eagle who sat well above and
inboard of our Grob's inner tip in a thermal while he looked us over for
some minutes before moving on.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 9:47:03 AM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Interesting article at The Scientist. Parallels between behavior of soaring birds and soaring pilots (I almost wrote "soaring humans".

original url:

https://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...hsmi=63231246/


Short url:

http://tiny.cc/mutzty

Add Anhingas to the list of good soaring birds!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhing..._in_flight.jpg
Yes, these dorky-looking birds that dive-bomb after fish and then sit in trees with their wings spread out to dry off. I encountered flocks of them over SC, flying in neat stacked V-formations, only to see them break into this chaotic fur-ball when thermaling. They also don't seem to care about the FARs since I have seen them climb right into the cloud only to see them emerge out of the side of that cloud back in their neat V-formation.
Uli
'AS'

On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 7:23:35 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 9:47:03 AM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Interesting article at The Scientist. Parallels between behavior of soaring birds and soaring pilots (I almost wrote "soaring humans".

original url:

https://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...hsmi=63231246/


Short url:

http://tiny.cc/mutzty

Add Anhingas to the list of good soaring birds!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhing..._in_flight.jpg
Yes, these dorky-looking birds that dive-bomb after fish and then sit in trees with their wings spread out to dry off. I encountered flocks of them over SC, flying in neat stacked V-formations, only to see them break into this chaotic fur-ball when thermaling. They also don't seem to care about the FARs since I have seen them climb right into the cloud only to see them emerge out of the side of that cloud back in their neat V-formation.
Uli
'AS'

Anhingas, otherwise known as "Water Turkeys", are my soaring totem. Three times I have been saved from landouts by spotting water turkeys thermalling nearby.

On Friday, May 25, 2018 at 9:05:21 AM UTC-7, Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 25 May 2018 07:48:16 -0700, Tom BravoMike wrote:

BTW, between the lines, maybe the secret to so many successful Polish
pilots in the history of soaring: Poland has the world's largest
population of white storks (ca. 25% of the world's count), virtually all
of them migrating every year back and forth between Europe and Africa.
Flying with them in a thermal is a common experience in Central Europe
(including around Leszno), although they are a little bit timid and
probably not as good in centering upwinds as soaring birds of prey.

I'm not so sure of that: from personal observation the best soaring birds
are storks and kites - both have an amazing ability to centre and climb
in thermals. During a Free flight event in Portugal in 1998 the field was
covered with small groups of storks. Very wary: they'd fly off if we got
within 50m of them and when they did I never saw them flap higher than
10-15m before snagging lift and cruising away - and remember that we were
making them fly rather than them picking their moment. Similarly, I've
seen kites regularly climb away from 5-7 m without any flapping. The only
US bird I've watched that comes near to this was brown pelicans ridge
soaring along ridiculously small ripples.

The other noticeable differentiator is that gulls, storks, vultures and
kites generally have good traffic management in thermals - they all tend
to circle the same way. Gulls in particular have always turned the same
way I'm turning when they've joined me, but hawks and buzzards haven't
any such manners: the only hawks I've met in thermals have been turning
the wrong way and not looking ahead: when they do see me, they've all
immediately closed wings and plummeted out of the pattern.

However, bigger raptors may be better behaved: one one flight out of
Boulder we were joined by a bald-headed eagle who sat well above and
inboard of our Grob's inner tip in a thermal while he looked us over for
some minutes before moving on.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

I have seen pelicans thermal in formation!