Hfx_Cdn
Well-known member
For Tom, and others who may be interested in bird stories, this article about condors might be of interest: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/andean-condor-flapping-1.5648657
Ed
Ed
Bird flies 100 miles without flapping it's wings
- Thread starter Hfx_Cdn
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SeilerBird
Well-known member
Thanks Ed
Actually Condors flap their wings once or twice to take off, once to land and a few weak beats to loose altitude. They beat their wings once gently and then hold them closer to their body as they loose altitude. Then when they get to the altitude they want they spread their wings out and another gentle flap. It is amazing to watch the whole thing.
Actually Condors flap their wings once or twice to take off, once to land and a few weak beats to loose altitude. They beat their wings once gently and then hold them closer to their body as they loose altitude. Then when they get to the altitude they want they spread their wings out and another gentle flap. It is amazing to watch the whole thing.
Ex-Calif
Well-known member
I was heavily involved in glider soaring in the late 70s early 80's.
My solo flight was, "Take a 1,000 foot tow, work your altitude to pattern altitude (about 300 feet) and land. If you find any lift, stay out and have fun."
It was a weekend encampment/fly-in with the college flying club. My solo flight lasted 4.5 hours with altitude from 1,000 feet to almost 10,000 feet. There were a bunch of the more experienced guys encouraging me to head out cross country but I was too chicken. If I had the recording instruments on board I could have earned a lot soaring achievement badges.
And yes I shared those thermals with California Condors - Glider pilot trick, "Follow the birds!"
Didn't flap my wings once - LOL...
If you never done a glider ride I can highly recommend it, especially on a good summer day with lots of lift. It's amazing going up in altitude realizing that there is no engine on your airplane.
My solo flight was, "Take a 1,000 foot tow, work your altitude to pattern altitude (about 300 feet) and land. If you find any lift, stay out and have fun."
It was a weekend encampment/fly-in with the college flying club. My solo flight lasted 4.5 hours with altitude from 1,000 feet to almost 10,000 feet. There were a bunch of the more experienced guys encouraging me to head out cross country but I was too chicken. If I had the recording instruments on board I could have earned a lot soaring achievement badges.
And yes I shared those thermals with California Condors - Glider pilot trick, "Follow the birds!"
Didn't flap my wings once - LOL...
If you never done a glider ride I can highly recommend it, especially on a good summer day with lots of lift. It's amazing going up in altitude realizing that there is no engine on your airplane.
Larry N.
Well-known member
Atmospheric lift can sometimes be amazing. Back in the '70s I was towing (and sometimes flying) gliders from Coronado Airport (now defunct) on the north side of Albuquerque, elevation 5270. There were times when the lift at and above 10,000 MSL was amazing. On more than one flight, once getting above 10,000 I could just go in a straight line slowly gaining altitude (perhaps 50-150 feet per minute), without working the ridge, working thermals, or riding a mountain wave. Since we had a policy to stay within gliding range of the airport (commercial operation, SGS-232, 32:1 L/D, that is, glide ratio), after several miles I'd make a gentle turn back towards the airport, ultimately making an almost racetrack pattern several miles long.
Ex-Calif
Well-known member
Larry N. said:
Yeah I crewed for a lot of guys chasing diamonds including my dad. He did diamond distance from basically Palmdale to North Las Vegas in almost a straight line in a Blanik!
He also held the Ca. 2-place altitude absolute and gain records for a while off a mountain wave day with electric socks and O2. "LA center this is Blanik N125DW requesting clearance for "casual" climb to 23,000 feet and we'll just be wandering around back and forth in terms of direction" - "WTF?"
I spent way too many weekends in HS driving glider trailers all over California and Nevada - LOL...
I remember one time we had the glider in at Cable airport and we did a few flights - we were flying the smog shearline - one wing in the LA smoke and one wing in the clear on a line from Upland, Ca to San Bernardino. Just able to hold altitude - LOL...
All good fun and memories.
msw3113
Well-known member
My one glider ride was a fun experience. Like sailing it was an unusual sensation of motion without motor noise.
In the shed where pilots gathered was a chalkboard with weather and wind information, plus this admonition:
"Maintain thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee."
In the shed where pilots gathered was a chalkboard with weather and wind information, plus this admonition:
"Maintain thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee."
Ex-Calif
Well-known member
msw3113 said:
We used to have little placards on the dash of the rental ships, "Fly Faster!"
There is a tendency for pilots to slow down when lift gets bad, but in reality you fall out of the best glide range. Students would get downwind of the airport and bucking a headwind slowdown to "save altitude" and make a perfect landing 1 mile short of the airport - LOL...
Larry N.
Well-known member
Yup, it's counter-intuitive, as are so many things in aviation: Slow down in the lift (you're in it longer), speed up in the sink.
I was sitting in my shop today, watching buzzards and thinking about how well they are able to soar the thermals. I also saw a Stearman fly over and made me realize how much I miss being in the air looking at the countryside. Flying since 1968, when I got my license and always enjoyed it. Never flew a sail plane, but watched many of them at WLD in Kansas when I was riding a tractor growing up on a nearby Farm.
Ex-Calif
Well-known member
BigLarry said:
Plowed fields are another great source of lift. The plowed field heats up faster than the green fields. What the farmer might call a dust devil, the glider pilot calls lift.
Just after sunset we would sometimes watch the owls - head to wind, no wings flapping, holding station over a spot in a field about 10 feet above the ground- not moving forward or back - just balanced. In a flash they would tuck wings and dive bomb a field rodent. Fascinating to watch.
SeilerBird
Well-known member
I was out bird watching at Elk Horn Slough Wildlife Area and I ventured into their visitors center which had a table full of items to touch and inspect closely including a number of large feathers from the area. I picked up a 12 inch flight feather from a pelican and waved it next to my ear. I could hear the whoosh whoosh with every wave. Then I picked up an owl flight feather and waved it by my ear. It was as silent as could be. Not a sound. This is how owls score so well.Ex-Calif said:
Larry N.
Well-known member
Few, if any others, Jackie. You might check out this neat video about that very thing.jackiemac said:
SeilerBird
Well-known member
I spent ten years living full time in the National Parks and I heard about it frequently. I went to every ranger walk and talk I could and the fact owls hunt noiselessly was brought up a number of times. That is why I was waving feathers by my ear when I found them on display.jackiemac said:
Heli_av8tor
Well-known member
I always prayed that my airplane wouldn't suddenly become a glider. (And it never did.)
Tom
Tom
PancakeBill
Well-known member
Having been a sailor for many years, I was drawn to the glider, took lessons for a bit but gave it up, didn't have enough time to really get comfortable or competent. Had I been able to keep up with at least a lesson a week, maybe, but my schedule was more like once a month. Not a good plan.
However, the sound difference when releasing the tow is something I will never forget.
However, the sound difference when releasing the tow is something I will never forget.
LarsMac
Well-known member
Ex-Calif said:
We have a pair of Swainson's Hawks that live nearby, and I have seen them exhibit similar behavior. Fascinating to watch. (and easier, given they are most active in the daylight.)
