After a morning with some instability and few overdevelopments in the area, the afternoon was clearing out. I decided to have a try from Unnelandstoppen, the lowest take off in our flying area, only 200m from landing level. I took off at the wrong time, when the hill was in shade. I was upset that I did not find the lift I expected and I had no intention of going back and forth in front of the takeoff, so I was thinking to call it a day... when, suddenly, the sun came on the hill. One minute after it started to work. After 10 minutes I was on top of my climb some 600m higher then where I started. It is a bit more difficult to manage a thermal in a windy day. The wind is pushing it around more, the gusts will reflect also in the position of the lifting air so you have more often transitions from +2 to -2 in the climb. More glider control required. In addition, you need to be confident that you will find a place to land once you go behind your take off. Will there be a rotor, windshear? How strong will that be and at which altitude you will encounter them? Where is your second source of lift once you fall out of the bumpy thermal? Once up, what will you do with all the height you have been accumulating?
12 сен 2024
