US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Our forum has addressed several aspects of thermals, yet a topic thread focused on detecting thermals by any method has yet to be started. So, here we are: Detecting updrafts, thermals. Explore any and all known means of detecting thermalls.
Lidar
Radar
Temperature differences
Variometers
Watching other gliders
Colver variometer
Interpreting turbulence changes and character
Thermal snooping
Humidity visibility
Particulate visibility
Interpreting ground-level markers
AI over all available data
Cloud clues
Buddy drones kept in one's neighborhood; drone behaviors interpreted. Drones return to mothership HG for recharge and then sent out again.
Detection by calculation
Historical betting
Pilot reports
Bird watching
Visibility clues
Odor clues
??
Study text of

To assess air currents to find lift day-glow coloured rice paper cones could be used to seed the search area and when lift is encountered the cones will centre the lift automatically. I have not tried this in flight but it works when they are launched from a high point. Once the cone is established in lift simply follow it in flight. The cones are biodegradable so need not be collected as they will desolve when it rains.

Edible too, I read. Good add, ARP !

Team seeding....> ???
Sacrificial pilot might stream a line of cone drops; then other pilots could reap the benefits!

Couple of thoughts on rice paper cones: What angle of cone would fly best. The smoker's cones are sharpish. Maybe a wider cone would fly better.
I wonder if aspect ratio 4 or 5 rice-paper rectangles might fly even better; autorotation occurs in such confetti-like paper gliders. Fertilize the fields. Feed the animals. Enrich the land.

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Could infrared binocular or cameras come into play to detect thermals?

Auto rotating strips would not have a self centring mechanism that cones have with the dihedral that draws the device into the core of the lift. The angle of the cone would have to be determined by trial and error to optimise the surface area to stability factors.

The edible or biodegradable element could also have another feature added with actual seeds embedded into the rice paper to sow wild flower seeds as an aid to improve the nature of the area.

ARP wrote:Auto rotating strips would not have a self centring mechanism that cones have with the dihedral that draws the device into the core of the lift. The angle of the cone would have to be determined by trial and error to optimise the surface area to stability factors.

The edible or biodegradable element could also have another feature added with actual seeds embedded into the rice paper to sow wild flower seeds as an aid to improve the nature of the area.

An autorotating vertical axis device that has blades that form a cone would work but they would add to the complexity and not stack as well as cones which could stack inside a delivery container for easy deployment.

FEELINGS, BEING OLD NOT BOLD, SPEED TO THERMAL BY

You Guys know how when You are flying an Xc Route, Well There You are Flying along. You-I are looking for the indications of Possible places where LIFT MUIIGHT BE OCURING SUUCH AS A dark plowed Field that is bordered by a Lush Green line of Green Foliage. It was this dividing line that I would Zig Zag, back and Forth along. I would maintain as light a touch on the Control Bar as Possible. I would try to be very sensitive to if one side of mY Wing experienced lift compared to the other side of mY Wing. When one side of My Wing would rise. that was the side that I would initiate a turn towards. mY EARLY XC Flights I would Slow down substantially rom having been on Glide after having Left the Previous Thermal. As the Years wore on. i got to where I became more sensitive to how My Wing responded. Therefore I would be able to Fly faster between Thermals. But I tended not to just plain miss the effect of having just plain Flying, and not sensed what had just happened. Even though I would be Flying quite fast. When I felt My Gliders say Port wing Lift. I would immediately initiate a Firm left Turn. I truly do wonder if I will have lost; "THE TOUCH", I wonder if I will still be as sensitive as I once was. wherm i asl John about How well I will Fly no that I am a Post-Twelve and a Half Years now Predator Pilot. John said; I don't lnow. You must remember that You are 60 Years old now. Well that was a Year ago. I am now 61 Years Old. I have no intention in Being "OLD AND BOLD". O;ld and Being a PHOENIX PILOT IN THE SKY, Oh MY, OH MY! That Moniker is a nick-name that I can embrace. but i do not want to be: OLD AND BOLD.

Chris wrote;
"I truly do wonder if I will have lost; "THE TOUCH", I wonder if I will still be as sensitive as I once was".

I can relate to you Chris in that we lost big time, some of our senses when the TBI "sheering" occurred, and our inner ears took a beating,
but in my case I noticed, that as I recovered, my tactile senses and my vision got much better, is it the same for you?

If your hands are "sensitive" enough now, and I know they are, to twist a wrench, play your guitar, type your great words, and swing your golf club, you will have no trouble gaining back that muscle memory for the control bar, especially if you can get some time in with your Predator in a stiff breeze, maybe tethered, and just, "dance with it".

I remember in 1980 when I heard Johns wires "singing" as he did 6 loops over my house.
What an awesome glider that Predator, and John, well... .

I think you could write a guitar piece about these old, but new, experiences,
and your Predator is a finely tuned machine isn't it?
Maybe an A-432 tuning...ha..



Stay safe out there.

C:+o)

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I truly do not know how My ability to Fly will have been affected by that pounding that I experienced Twelve and half Years ago. i was talking to john oh avbout a Year ago. I was thinking to Back before I Pounded when I would Fly My Predator. How when I Flew it,when say I would Feel say My Right Wing lifting, I would initiate a right turn, then as we all do I would go around and around managing the Predators ritection so as to end up centering Myself in the Core. Heck this is what all of us do, nothing New here, We all do this. I flew at times as if i were Wired for sound. The result gor this nearly 300 Pound Pilot, My last Flight in the morning after i got out of the Shower. I weighed 298 Pounds. But the Predator is such a great wing design, I would climb very well. Yes when I flew through a thermal. I was pure confidence that My Glider would climb. PREDATOR What an Glider!

"WEIGHTS AND MEASURES"

Well I was 298 Pounds Body weight on March 28th 2010. I flew that Day, I was about to Commit to flying XC. But Since I could get back to Launch without need to get lift along the way, well to be honest I might of had to regain a little Altitude in order to Make it back to the Juniper Ridge LZ. So anyways Where i was. i on the threshold of needing to Commit to leaving the Mountain. {Regarding my writing about flying xc] i almost expect Push back from when i write about flying Xc. i guess I just Yearnto when Flying to extend My Horizons. Heck I am not Down on flying say Ridge soaring at the Coast. But Flying the Coast, Flying back and Forth repeating the same pattern. This does not appease My Wanderlust. But as I have Said before; What Air You Fly Your wing in makes absolutely no difference to the Glider. I really do not know where I will Fly for the First time in at Present it has been 12 and a Half Years. I am not so sure what Glider that i will Fly either at this Point. but i am pretty darn sure that come next spring i will have proved to myself that i am airworthy once again. Heck Who knows Maybe at the end of that Fateful Day I will establish Myself as a Phoenix Dune Goon. i could certainly Live with a Moniker such as being a Goon. In Fact sign Me Up. I sure do hope that I have not lost the {Feel} {The Touch} where|regarding being able sense what type of Air My Predator will be Flying through. You see, I used to have as pretty sensitive touch.
Well as Doctors would tell My sister regarding how and if I would recover? Kathleen was told;: "Time Will Tell".

WEIGHT:

At Present I am just over a Hundred Pounds than The Day I Pounded. But I still want to loose more weight. If I can just loose another 20, or 25 Pounds more Weight. i will be officially light on My 158 Predator. Ok this is just Me doing some Fantasizing But if somehow, doing this would be a serious Fantasy by the Way. But if I were to Weigh 165 Pounds Hook-In. I would have flown My Predator with a spread of Hook-In weight of 200 Pounds! Would that be Wild? Yesame Glider, Same Pilot. But with a drastic Hook-In weight change. For Me to get My Body weight down to around One Forty Five. I know of one diet that would do it for Me. That is the: "POUND DIET"!

Jim Terry started a thermaling thread over at Sam Kellner’s Club page. There I too had added thermal locating tricks.