Denbigh Ridge

Mid November ridge bashing at Denbigh. The weather has been very mild so far and allowed some nice flying. There was a very gentle laminar lift forward of the ridge but it was only going to about 4000'. 1/2 to 1 knot. just enough to allow pushing out over the valley South of the Clywd range.

[@SkywaySoaring]

Nice!

[@TheSoaringChannel]

What a wonderful by chance demonstration of Flarm to keep us safe at 8:30 and beyond. Yes it's going nuts... Because there's traffic out there! Nice job using the Flarm, spotting the traffic, and making the jog to the right to avoid being too close.

[@imsoaring]

A lesson from sailing, make a positive, noticable , aspect change so the traffic knows you have seen him and knows which way you are going.

[@TheSoaringChannel]

@@imsoaring yessir! That's a great thing to do! This kind of technique needs to be shared widely.

[@ricklederman]

Nice ridges for lift, maybe not this day. I tried the wave lift in my Stemme S12, over the waves in Lake Erie, in NW Ohio USA once, 6 foot waves didn't work :) so I am stuck with regular lift. Very cool landing!!!

[@markplain2555]

Hi Ian, Marco here. I posted an message to you which included a link to an advert (outside TH-cam) and I think TH-cam automatically deleted the entire message as a consequence. Let me post it again (without the link)
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Back at MGC we learnt to do an aerotow in the 'low-tow" formation. Just about every TH-cam video I have seen (including this one) shows the aerotow in the 'high-tow' formation. Can you pass any comments, preferences, etc?
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Do you know if there is any existing system that links the variometer and the GPS? In essence I wonder if it is possible to track out where there is lift and the strength of the lift simply as you fly . In my mind I think it could be possible to program out trends thermal shapes related to lift strength (possible even thermal locations, etc)
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Lastly I was offering, for Christmas, to buy you a "Pilot Pee Bag Kit" I can be "permanently attached" and has a special bag strapped to your leg - you can even use it when you are not flying - never face a stressed bladder ever again AND !!! in winter it doubles up as a "little warmer".

[@imsoaring]

Hi Marco, MGC = Magalies? My old club back in the day! Yes, the UK and a lot of other places use the normal, level tow position. I think the primary reason for using low tow is to avoid the glider kiting into a very high position quickly when flying in places with very big lift like Oz and South Africa. Tuggies seem to say that level tow is easier to manage so it's something that is decided by individual clubs I think. Personally I think there is merit in the low tow position in turbulence, even with a nose or forward hook position it only takes 2 or 3 seconds to get to a very high position, from low tow you have an extra second or two.
I have purchased a box of external catheters and intend to move to that method of 'dumping ballast' :) :)

[@imsoaring]

As far as mapping lift and thermals, the modern integrated flight systems are phenomenal in this regard with both real time and on line data available to the pilot both pre flight and as data feeds. Some of the latest innovations even filter out horizontal gusts and maps almost instantaneous real wind using GPS and an array of micro accelerometers and solid state gyros. We are now a world away from the old days of mechanical various. Although I have a mechanical, total energy Vario meter in my panel my electronic system, an LX V8 Vario integrated with an LX 9050 flight computer uses electronic compensation and is not even connected to the TE system.

[@markplain2555]

@@imsoaring You have obviously forgotten who I am (that's ok). I flew at MGC, am sitting in Canada now, wanting to get back into Gliding.
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I am very intrigued by the LX V8 Vario integrated with the LX 9050 flight computer. I'm going to research this. Thanks.
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Do you spend much time looking at the LCD screen to see where your next thermal is located or are you still more reliant on the old classic techniques of 'sensing' the thermal (when the vario shows low number - turn steep; when vario shows high number - turn shallow)?
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I guess you have so much experience flying by the seat of your pants that you perhaps use the new technology as an extra little assistance?
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Lastly you are flying a powered glider. Do you think you would ever go back to an un-powered glider? Ontario is not the greatest in "guaranteed weather" for long cross country flying - so I'm now researching pricing for powered gliders (to get back home). Comment?
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ps: 'dumping ballast' maybe a whole lot better than finding a 'dead pilot' in a compromising position. People would think something different - your tomb stone would read, "He died doing those TWO things he loved the most" ;-)

[@imsoaring]

@@markplain2555 Hi Mark ..... ahh ok gotcha now.
The LX is very good in wave ( Canada ) especially if you have a subscription to skysight.io as the predicted wave pattern can be overlaid on the map and frequently proves to be very accurate. The next thing skysight is good at is convergence zones. This is an area of lift that has largely been ignored for a long time.
I still find I fly more using the audio vario and 'seat-of-the-pants' in thermals. The LX does have a cross section dispay with varying sized dots and coloured segments but I think I use that as a confirmation glance to my standard techniques rather than chasing the screen display. All of these fancy screen based systems suffer from the same drawback as far as I am concerned and that it that when thermalling, having one's head in the cockpit rather than focussing outside is probably more dangerous imho than when pushing on with the glide. Thermals are where people bang into one another.
I do have a little project in the pipeline for something to try ............ keeping it on the QT for the moment though.
Given the choice, I would always go with at least a turbo ship, which is what the LAK is. I can't justify the extra expense of a self launcher, much as I'd like one for complete independence. Another thing to look at is span, the generation of gliders built for the 15m racing class ( ventus 1 etc ) are at a disadvantage when the weather gets weak ( hello UK ) and having made the switch to 18m I doubt I'd want to fly anyhting else now. My old 26m Nimbus 3 was tremendous at 60:1 but the 50:1 of 18m given the simplicity of rigging etc just makes it an obvious way to go. A self launching HPH Shark 2 strikes me as about as good as it gets.... 2 seats because you can take people for rides or, use the back seat for a small tent, some clean underwear and a credit-card, and one could take off on a tour of Europe, The Balkans, Morocco etc for the ultimate expedition. Ship it over to the US and do likewise. Of course a JS2 revenant would be the stuff of dreams .......... Ahhhh, lottery money! :)

[@markplain2555]

@@imsoaring You've already given me good advice - thank you. I wanted to focus on getting an ASW20 as a starter.. I came across a couple deals for about US$15,000 - I will need to repatriate them to Canada though (a serious ordeal).
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But I may just start looking for a deal on an 18m instead (given what you just said). There are many American manufacturers of gliders with names I have never heard of - there may be jewel in the rough among those American brands. ... on second thought, maybe I should take baby steps - get back into gliding in the 15m class and then progress into the 18m class?
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Talking about lottery wins to buy a glider - what route did you go through to buy a glider? cash or financing?