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Tune into your surroundings
… Watch for birds and insects! Listen to and feel for sudden yet subtle changes
in the wind and air temperature. Soaring birds often appear miraculously when a thermal is present. Look
for groups of swallows or sparrows picking rising insects out of the air as a thermal passes by. Oftentimes
the wind will change suddenly and the temperature will rise a few degrees as a thermal passes through. A
thermal is like a large vacuum and will suck surrounding air towards it, so a sudden change in wind direction
usually indicates that a thermal is near and probably downwind of your location.
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A thermal
generally tries to push a soaring aircraft or bird away from its core where the lift is best. Thus,
the pilot has to work constantly to keep the glider centered within the thermal for the best chance of gaining
altitude. Note that the lower the altitude, generally the harder it is to "core" a thermal, so you’ll have to
concentrate and pay close attention to the signals your glider is giving you as it responds to the quickly
changing dynamics of the growing thermal. A sign that a thermal might be very close is if you notice your
glider suddenly being pushed or turned away from its current path. The common technique is to immediately
steer against and turn towards the invisible force that is pushing you away from the rising air. So, you’ll most
likely have to make constant control corrections to force your way into the thermal's core, since the thermal
will do its best to spit you out into the surrounding sinking air that feeds the thermal.
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Time of Day
is very important when it comes to flatland soaring with small, lightweight, hand-launched
gliders. Usually, the best time is middle to late morning before the wind starts to pick up. As the wind
increases in the afternoon, it becomes more difficult to navigate thermal lift as conditions get “blown out.”
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Location
is crucial when it comes to thermal soaring. Our best suggestion is to keep your eyes peeled for
soaring birds. They will always find the best lift! Just because a location looks good does not mean you will
find good updrafts there. Local wind patterns and topography have a large influence on the "soarability" of
locations and may cause a great-looking field to have turbulent and/or sinking air currents. If you see birds
soaring, not constantly flapping their wings, chances are you’ve found a viable soaring location.
We wish you good luck, good lift, and happy soaring!
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