Transcript Soaring 101

Soaring 101
An Introduction to Soaring Flight
Scott Alexander, Wolf River, TN
Outline
Fundamentals
History
Records
Sport
Gallery
Fundamentals: Forces
Fundamentals: Performance
Glide Ratio
Forward/Down
AirSpeed/SinkRate
Lift/Drag
Fundamentals: Energy
No engine
No energy in fuel tank
Altitude = potential energy
Air Speed = kinetic energy
Drag force saps energy (altitude)
Always sinking relative to the air
Rising air lifts the glider - "fuels it up"
Must harvest energy where you find it
Fundamentals: Controls
www.aerospaceweb.org/question/design/q0101.shtml
Ailerons = Bank = Turn
Elevator = Pitch = Speed
Rudder = Yaw = Align Fuselage
Fundamentals: lift
Ridge Lift
Thermals
Wave
Other
www.abqsoaring.org/MoriartySoaring
Mike Abernathy and Brian Resor
Fundamentals: Ridge lift
http://carrier.csi.cam.ac.uk/forsterlewis/soaring/
Fundamentals: Ridge lift
www.thefullwiki.org/Gliding
Fundamentals: Thermals
www.aerospaceweb.org/question/nature/q0253.shtml
Flight Basics: Thermals
Fundamentals: Wave Lift
www.aerospaceweb.org/question/nature/q0253.shtml
Fundamentals: Wave Lift
http://vimeo.com/17233830
Fundamentals: Other Lift
Gravity Waves
Morning Glory
netchicken
Barry Slade, Australia
Fundamentals: Other Lift
Sea Breeze Front
www.winningwind.com
Fundamentals: Other Lift
Sea Breeze Front
www.winningwind.com
marathi.wunderground.com
Fundamentals:
launching
Bungee Launch
Ground Launch
Aero Tow Launch
www.scalesoaring.co.uk
www.flyingpodcast.co.uk
pernickexag.livejournal.com
Fundamentals: Self launching
www.boonahgliding.com
Fundamentals: Self launching
www.bornrich.com
Fundamentals: Landing Out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliding
Outline
Fundamentals
Basics
History
Records
Sport
Gallery
ijustwanttofly.com
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
quest.arc.nasa.gov
Otto Lilienthal
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.aerofiles.com
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
www.601st-615th-acw.org
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.scalesoaring.co.uk
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.fiddlersgreen.net
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.fiddlersgreen.net
Horton IV
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
www.fiddlersgreen.net
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.fiddlersgreen.net
Horton IV
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
www.fiddlersgreen.net
Wood, Metal, Fabric
Construction
Soaring History
Earliest Gliders
Wright Brothers
Versailles Treaty
World War II
Post War
Post 1969
Scott Alexander, Wolf River, TN
Composite Construction
Glide Ratios > 40:1
Outline
Fundamentals
Basics
History
Records
Sport
Gallery
www.museumofflight.org
Soaring Records: Altitude
Steve Fossett: 50,671 ft (2010, Wave)
www.museumofflight.org
www.inyokernairport.com
Soaring Records: Distance
Klaus Ohlmann: 1,870 mi (2011, Wave)
Soaring Records: Duration
Charles Atger: 56:15* (1952, France)
http://sportslife7.blogspot.com
*Duration records no longer kept, too dangerous.
Soaring Records: Glide Ratio
Eta Glider: 72:1
Outline
Fundamentals
Basics
History
Records
Sport
Gallery
www.seattlepi.com
Soaring Sport
Training (dual)
Solo Soaring
Private License
Local Soaring
Cross-Country
Records
Competition
www.womensoaring.org
Outline
Fundamentals
Basics
History
Records
Sport
Gallery
Coleen Koenig
Ground Handling
Launch Grid
Waiting My Turn
Ground Crew
Preparing for launch
Ground Roll
On Tow
Oops!
Camaraderie
Helena Bridge
Marks, MS
Sharing a Thermal
Joining the Thermal
Cockpit View
Land Out
A Sport For Families
A Sport For Women
A Sport For Men
Video Clip from Competition Flight
Further Reading
Richard Lancaster, Principles Of Glider Flight:
www.carrotworks.com/documents/PrinciplesOfGliderFlight-LiftDragPerformance.pdf
Glider Flying Manual:
http://store.ssa.org/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=802450
Mississippi State University Soaring Club:
www.ae.msstate.edu/~msugclub/
Memphis Soaring Society:
www.memphis-soaring.org
Copyright Statement
Some images were taken from the Internet and credited to their
sources. All other content is Copyright 2012, Jim Hendrix. Permission
is granted to download this presentation for viewing and projection for
non-commercial purposes only. Permission is not granted to modify or
distribute this presentation for any purpose whatsoever, without written
permission.
Jim Hendrix,
Revised: 3/18/2012
The End
www.paulvillinski.com
Jim Hendrix
www.standardcirrus.org