Crazy Mountain Wave: Flying my glider at redline and still going up
2024 ж. 28 Ақп.
211 249 Рет қаралды
What do you do when you're flying your glider at redline, and the wave is so strong, it's about to push you into class A? Join me on this winter wave flight to find out.
Discover what flying sailplanes is really like. This is the story of a full glider flight, from take-off to landing, shown in time-lapse. It includes voice-over commentary, 3D visualizations, instrument overlays, statistical overlays, 360 video, and post-flight analysis.
Flight trace: www.weglide.org/flight/363760
3D visualization: www.sportstracklive.com/en/tr...
Learn to fly gliders! www.ssa.org/learn-to-soar
I think I should have done a better job of explaining why I chose to turn upwind to stop climbing, versus other possible solutions. I wasn't climbing very quickly, so I only needed to reduce my vertical speed by a small amount to avoid going into class A. Turning upwind quickly got me into lift that was less strong, which is all I needed to stop my ascent. Turning downwind to get into the sinking part of the wave would definitely have worked too, but it would have been overkill. Once you're in the sink, the only way to get out of it is to fly back upwind, which will take a long time and cost a lot of altitude, or fly far enough downwind to transition to the secondary wave, or out of the wave altogether. Either way, you're going to lose a lot of altitude and/or end up somewhere you didn't want to be. As I mentioned in the video, the sky downwind was not clear, and it would not have been safe to go there where I could be trapped on top or be forced to descend through the clouds blind. Could I have opened the spoilers instead? Technically yes, but that's a risky and inelegant solution to the problem. The POH for the LS6c does allow the spoilers to be opened at VNE, but it's not a great idea unless you truly have no other option. At high speeds, the spoilers can be suddenly sucked open, putting huge stresses on the airframe. Even though they may have been designed for it, I'm not keen to test whether they will stay together under such extreme conditions. Why push your luck when all it takes is a slight turn upwind, losing no altitude, and continuing on your merry way. Also, many people have commented that VNE decreases with altitude. Yes, I know. When I say I was flying at VNE, I mean I was flying at VNE adjusted for altitude, which in the case of my LS6c, is 118 knots indicated at 18,000ft. At sea level, my VNE is 146 knots.
Foehn is just a way of spelling Föhn where there's a umlaut over the letter O. It's pronounced the same way as fern. That's Germans for you! :-)
your solution was definitely a simple an elegant one, knowing exactly what you need and how much is a show of a professionally attuned mind, sleek to the task. have to wonder though, what would you do, if, as the question in the title suggests, you were in a situation where the lift is significantly more than you can manage without over-speeding the aircraft? do you work your way behind the wave, or is that just a situation you use your better judgement to avoid in the first place?
It depends on how close you are to 18K. If you're going up like a rocket, but still thousands of feet below 18K, then it's not a problem. If you're say, 1,500ft below 18K, then you'd better already be planning what you're going to do to stop climbing. If you're 500ft below 18K and you haven't already taken action to stop climbing, it might be too late. In that situation, turning downwind into the sink could work, but could also be dangerous depending on the conditions. The best thing to do is to plan ahead so you don't need to take any drastic action at the last minute.
If you’ve still got some headroom can’t you just slow up and spin down?
At altitude the effective area of the vertical tail fin is reduced. Spin characteristics change. @@speedbird300
Airplane pilots: "You should stay away from mountain waves. They're dangerous." Glider pilots:
I love of feeling of pointing the nose into wind and slowing your ground speed down to zero while sitting in your stationary elevator in the sky
I love watching pelicans do this. It's like witchcraft.
For those that don't know Class A (Alpha) airspace in the United States is from 18,000 feet - 60,000 feet in altitude (MSL). To enter Class A airspace you have to be IFR equipped and IFR Certified with an IFR flight plan active. His glider does not meet those requirements so if he entered Class A airspace he would be "busting airspace" and that means you get into a whole heap of trouble both legally and financially. Also for flights above 12,500 feet you are required to have supplemental oxygen due to hypoxia (he has supplemental oxygen).
VFR pilot here: Thank you for this clarification, but _what if_ there is an avoidable excursion into Class A airspace in a glider? In aquatic vessels, there is an extensive protocol for when powered ships encounter a sailboat -- and considerable wordage acknowledging sailing vessels are just not capable of entirely being in control of their immediate fate. In like matter, is there no better accommodation in FARs than to demand, _Just don´t do it or you´ll be in a heap o´ trouble_ ?
@@brianhiles8164 What spartan said is mostly but not ENTIRELY correct; for gliders SPECIFICALLY, you can do VFR in Class A with a mode c transponder and a two-way radio. Idk what protocol for gliders without that equipment is, though. If you did accidentally bust into Class A without intending to and without proper equipment, the correct response would be to file a NASA report, and that would probably be the end of it.
I think suggesting that it would necessarily put you into a heap of trouble legally/financially is dangerously misleading. This situation could be considered an emergency. Flying over Vne or into weather to avoid airspace will 100% of the time be a poor balance of risk in my view. Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you have comms, declare and squawk. If not, when you land fess up with a NASA and move on with your life.
@@barryplemmons6695 Declaring an emergency for breaching Class A due to thermals in a glider.... yeah that is not going to go over all that well even with a NASA report filed in advance. His video shows that he knew he was riding that thermal wave, he knew his altitude, and he made his decisions. Had he made the decision to continue like he had he would have busted airspace and been found liable for the airspace violation, he didn't due to good ADM. Yes busting airspace CAN get you into a whole heap of trouble both financially and legally. There is a good reason why SPL and PPL pilots get airspace requirements and WX minimums pounded into our heads during training.
You're not getting it@@Spartan536. Gliders can enter class A airspace without requiring a flight plan or instrument ratings via prearrangement in the US.
When I flew in the Adirondacks, there was a letter of agreement with Boston Center defining two boxes that allowed sailplanes to fly waves up to 25,000 feet VFR
For a glider pilot who’s scraped the 10k ceiling twice with O2 this was a beautiful flight. 🤩
Flew in gliders twice. What a blast. The local club gave pilots a special break on the price and handed over the controls after release from the tow plane. It could be addicting.
It sure is addicting. There's nothing like getting your altitude for "free".
I once stood in a hangar and heard Bob Harris describe his Record Wave Flight.(49,009') "Pressure Breathing forced tears from his eyes that froze. He said it felt like worms were crawling around in his legs.
Flew the wave out of Boulder to 31,000’ in the Blanik, utilizing the wave window granted us by Denver Center…
Great video on wave flying. Please note that your Vne speed gets lower the higher you get. Flying beyond the red line at this altitude has a high risk of flutter and rapid glider disassembly. Stay safe!
Well done! Thanks for all the graphics and time you put into making this video, Ben!
Nice flight and commentary... I rarely get to see wave where I glide and certainly not of that scale. Thanks for sharing (and making me jealous)!
I've been waiting for this, Ben! It did not disappoint. My, what a flight you had! Somehow I missed you'd departed from KCVH, and to my mind, that made the flight that much sweeter. PY would have really enjoyed those conditions, but her pilot had to work! What a day that was.
EDITED: I thought that the word foehn gap came from the German word Föhn (ö = oe; meaning hairdryer). The wind system "Föhn" is southern wind blowing over the alps, accumulating moisture in front of the mountains which is cooling the air less, than the air warms in the lee of the mountain. Then Munich can have up to 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine with strong windy in winter. However it is actually the other way round. The hairdryer is named after the wind, as the answer below corrected me, so better read that xD
its to do with the adiabatic lapse rate...
Not exactly. It is actually derived from the latin word favonius and the old high german word phōnno wich means some kind of "warm westerly wind". The name of the wind Föhn origins from that. The hair dryer "Foen" was a brand name of the german company Sanitas from 1908. It became synonymos for all hair dryers in Germany and was named after the wind.
@@johannesschmidt9580Also in Italy we call hairdriers Phon😊
@@ThedoctvIn Holland too😅
It must feel incredible harvesting the airstreams to fly like that :) It already feels incredible to go sailing in a sailboat harvesting the wind for your propulsion.
7:20 theres something magical about standing in the air at 0 GS, especially in a glider. just pure peacefulness
As a SEPL, SEPS rated pilot with two glider flights in a Grob logged, I find your video a wealth of knowledge and glider talk lingo. I can learn a lot from you and thank you for your channel. Looking forward to viewing more of your flights.
Always nice to have a sip at the wave bar 🍻🏄♂
Nice flight! Thanks for sharing.
I just found your channel, it’s great! I am a fixed wing and helicopter pilot. I flew in gliders a few times as a kid. I remember it being very peaceful.
nice video and beautiful flight! thanks for sharing!
Super video, many thanks for sharing!!!
Fantastic video. So very educational. Keep it up.
One of the coolest videos I've seen in a long time. Loved the editing!
Thanks Ethan! I enjoyed your recent video about losing your prop too.
Amazing flight ,well done
Great video. Informative and a mellow vibe.
Best boots I've ever owned (and I still have my Belleville Combat Boots from 2003) is the " CHOUPO - Manathan Men's Winter Boots with Swivel Cleats ". Much needed for the sudden ice storms we get here, and have kept my feet warm without external heat sources in -30°C.
I like your piloting style, always compensated and coordinated, parsimonious movements.
Love your videos!
Nice work!
I used to use those exact heaters for my ski boots, but they only last a couple years as the cords wear out and the batteries lose ability to hold charge. I recently switched to heated socks made by the same company. Much better, and the batteries last 3X as long as my sole heaters.
That was relaxing. :)
Awesome
Flying in class-A airspace with a glider is sometimes allowed. In Great Brittain it is possible with two sided radio contact and S mode transponder. In Austria a local block of air is sometimes temporarily reserved to gliders. You can go for you 5000 m altitude gain. In France it is often denied, but not allways, also if all equipent is on board. It is surplus workload for the upper airspace ATC controllers, which are only accustomed to airliners flying in straight lines and constant speeds, helped by computer survailance. So it caused unknown workload for them (the do not know it) and they see it as a risk. Easy for them to say no with out explanation. Gliding in Europe has its limitations.
your videos are amazing
Sailplanes: What a great use of technology. :-)
I really enjoy this kind of content, and I've realised I never even interacted, so here's a comment to keep some interaction's up on the channel
Same thing as when you stick a wingtip in a dust devil in a hang glider ,you go up as fast as a mil jet .
Thanks for the video. I flew the wave out of Minden many years ago, but for the last 20 years have been flying power out of E16. From a collision avoidance perspective, do most gliders flying out of Hollister squawk (and have ADSB out). Over the years, I’ve only seen gliders once, but do I need to be more aware of them, as I frequently fly in the same airspace.
Dude that's cool, you flew pretty close to a cabin my family visits in New Idria. I was a security guard during the construction of the Panoche Solar farm, what a sweet spot!
There's a dirt strip near the Panoche Inn that gliders use sometimes. Good conditions in that valley. There are usually thermals above the solar farm.
Flying gliders is a great hobby. Did it many many years ago. To dump altitude...... our gliders had airbrakes.... though I've heard friends having difilculties even with those deployed.
What an awesome flight. Makes me realise just how high I will be when I reach Everest Base Camp.
Best of luck
@@Beythoven Thank you.
impressive...😊
What do I do? I move a little upwind or downwind! When there is lift, there is also sink close by.......... Congratulations on the great flight!
That looks fun.
What a view
"What do you do....?" - "Full air brakes, open canopy, turn the radio up, stick both hands out, give me full flaps spoilers reverse thrust, deploy parachute! and if you're still climbing... well... guess people should have come out to the glider port today instead of saying "I dunnnooooo it might be tooooo winndddyyy""
whoa; I did NOT know that a wave set up that far WEST of the sierra; I thought that it started just east of the 5 freeway? I guess it's like my grand daddy always said "lift is where you find it"
Yes, this wave was being generated by a west wind coming over the coastal mountain ranges. There is also great wave east of the Sierra Nevada range with west wind. Rarely, the wave will set up west of the Sierra Nevada with an east wind.
I've been soaring hang gliders for 43 years; but wave flying is not possible with such an aircraft; I was made aware of the "great wave east of the Sierra Nevada range with west wind." long ago via the book "Sierra Sierra " about an epic sailplane flight from the cascades in northern California to the Mexican border @@BenHirashima
I’m working on my CFI over Al Hayward right now. Man I would love to add on a glider & a helo rating some day 😭
The LS6 is, in my opinion, simply the best glider out there! My diamond height was gained at Sisteron, France, I managed 27,000 in an Astir!
The Perlan Project uses battery power to heat the batteries which extends their useful power output duration.
This is super interesting. I love flying and I like sailing. This seems kinda like both together.... Looks like I need a glider rating!
There's a lot of overlap with sailing. I started with gliders, then got into sailing. We have a lot of sailors that come to gliding. Join us!
So awesome to see how this works. I live in Hollister and see you guys getting towed all the time. Really neat to see what it is you do. How did you get that external fisheye shot, was that your friend taking that shot? Thank you for uploading.
Thanks! Glad to meet a Hollister local. I'm sticking a 360 camera out the window on a stick. The software automatically edits out the stick.
Have oxygen bottle on stand by , and hope the line don't freeze????? Just guessing as I had no idea of alt reached requiring o2 ( comment made before watching the whole clip, and reading others comments) fascinating video..and great viewers coments. Thank you all... learned some things today......
Man, would I like to learn soaring from you. The things you show and explain, the technology you use and the visuals, your knowledge is amazing. Do you offer instructions or flights?
Thanks! I'm not a licensed instructor, but I do plan on producing more educational videos, so stay tuned. If you want to find an instructor in the US, the SSA website can help: www.ssa.org/learn-to-soar
Do you know about NASAs aviation safety reporting system? If you ever accidently bust class A airspace you can submit a report online that is anonymous and keeps you from getting in trouble, simply explain what happened and why you busted the airspace(ex: I was soaring and accidently caught too much lift, I tried to head towards an area of less lift to sink but my glider was nearly at Vne)
An even better title could be "Flying my glider at redline and still going up #FullGliderFlight" But cool video, and congrats on a breakout video for you!!
I wear a pair of mucluks for nice toasty warm feet when flying the wave. Works great
I might have to try that. The nice thing about electric warmers is that you can turn them off on the ground so your feet don't get too hot. I'm not sure that's worth the extra complexity though.
Yep, I want dirigibles to come back. It would be awesome to have an air cruise.
Ur voice could put children to sleep. I feel asleep at my desk at work.
With all that excess lift you could have a deployable wind turbine to generate electricity to warm your toes😂.
4:45 just wow , incredible
It took me a second to see the little window open and realized that he had a camera on a stick LOL.
@@heraclitus6100 😅
You did the right thing by avoiding Class A. The FAA is salty and hard to like when dealing with that sort of airspace incursion.
Beautiful video. How do you get the footage from ahead of the glider?
I use a Insta360 X3 camera on a stick
@@BenHirashima Where is the stick attached? R (Australia)
that looks so surreal to do that with no engine, i wish
Definitely a Diamond-C day
You should keep in mind that the flutter speed is according to TAS and not IAS. You should slow down and use airbrakes, wheel down whatever.
I should of read your comment before I made one on the same topic.
Are you sure about that? Genuine question, I don't fly gliders. It just doesn't make sense to me for that to be the case, for two main reasons. 1: IAS is a direct measurement of dynamic pressure, which is what is most important when it comes to the structural limits. 2: it's preferable to express these things in IAS to reduce workload on the pilot.
@@tissuepaper9962 actual airspeed is the flutter concern. That is why the U-2 at altitude had a narrow range between Stall Speed and Redline. (About 15 knots?)
@@randytolle6706I'm not a pilot so had to think about this for a bit. Bridges make a good analogy, when wind causes them to sway it is due to its resonant frequencies and the airspeed. The bridges harmonics don't change with air pressure so it is directly tied to wind speed. Higher pressure (sea vs mountain bridge) will increase the force, rate of amplitude gain and peak sway. With heavy dampening a higher pressure might give enough force for collapse, gliders unlike bridges don't have millions of tons of steel/concrete shock absorbers so even a low pressure flutter speed can amplify out of control.
Isn't this why aircraft designers just lower the Vne of IAS above certain altitudes?😉
try chemical toe warmers on top of the foot, possibly supplementing the electrical i find they have more heat and more longevity
Just bought some! They're much simpler and less likely to fail.
New to your chanel, great vid, about how much seat time do you have to make it look so easy ? Because am sure it isn't
Thanks! I have about 750 hours in gliders.
Quality video! How did you get the shot of the entire glider?
I stick a 360 camera out the window on a stick
gliders are cool, if not a bit scary recreational flight is dangerous enough with a powered aircraft
I'd notify the FAA immediately!! I'll let others decide if that's a joke or not.
Huh? You on drugs again?
You need some new batteries for your insoles? Looks like Hotronic. I bought new S4+ batteries for my wife's ski boots from Utah Ski Gear. Decent prices and 10% off if you sign up for emails.
What ... You altimeter didn't break? For some reason, listening to the pilot who won the previous day describe his flight, there was always a broken altimeter involved...
Can you clarify what "too much moisture" means? Does it mean cloud cover or something else?
That's correct
Brake - pull some brake!
Are you equipped with ADSB out?
Great video! Really love it! However one small detail I noticed about your antenna: for some reason you seemed to have it upright? It looks like 1/2 lambda. To the best of my knowledge, at the end of the Antennas it creates a funnel where the coverage of the antenna is close to none, meaning if somebody is approaching you from above, you will probably not see it on your screen, until he’s a few hundred meters away. My idea would be, to rotate it by 90 degrees, so the „toothpick“ lays orthogonal to the direction of flying and horizontal in relation to earth (left-right, not up-down😅). There is a perfect page explaining the (dis-)advantages of different antennas and positions. If I find it, I will link it below this comment. I hope I made a fair point about my intention… I just realised explaining physics and math not in your first language is quite more difficult than I thought😅😵💫
Closing speeds from above/below are typically much lower than from the front, so it's most important to have maximum range in front. The Flarm antennas are mounted on top of the glare shield so they are as high up as possible, giving the best line of sight to the front and sides. There are not a lot of great options for antenna mounting in my glider, and through trial and error I settled on the current location since it gives me the best coverage as indicated by the Flarm Range Analyzer.
@@BenHirashima Great if it works for you! I see you thoguht deeply about that topic :D. Didn't mean to piss you of, just be helpful :). I shared what helped me best. Love from Germany
I hope you are always wearing strong sunscreen up there.
got a few views on this one! congrats
Turn right 90 degrees!
as long as you can breath, sky's the limit.
nice flying. If you like you can pronounce the "Föhn Gap" like "firn" just whithout the "r" sound.
I am a VFR Private Pilot. Is it reasonable, if you are being pressed into Class A space, to pull the spoilers out a little? I assume that. like Flaps, there is a max spoiler speed so if you pull up to loose air speed, you must make the spoiler decision well in advance of the 18000 ceiling?
It's better not to use spoilers. See my pinned comment.
How are you not 1m subs?
I have never flown wave and obviously would LOVE to fly wave. Could I kindly ask if you clarify the issue of avoiding the down draft of the wave and the rotor. For example when you fly up wind and lost 5,000ft I am under the impression you were in the down draft. But by the time you reach the next updraft how do you know you are not going to be below the wave altogether or about to hit the rotor? . ps: thanks for the great video
Every wave bar has lift on the leading edge and sink on the trailing edge. When I made the upwind transition, I left the lift on the leading edge of the current bar and entered the sink on the trailing edge of the next wave bar. I lost 5,000 ft due to a combo of sink and headwind. Eventually, I got through the sink and back into the lift on the leading edge of the wave bar. I wasn't sure how much altitude I would lose, but I started at 17,500, and I knew that the wave would be working all the way down to at least the top of the mountains, which were only 3,000ft high. So I could afford to lose 14,500ft, which was way more than enough to work with.
@@BenHirashima Got you - thanks for the response. Is there a calculation that determines the lowest point of the 'lift bar'? oh and importantly the height of the rotor?
The rotor will typically be just below the top of the mountain range, but it's not always strong or dangerous. The lift will be upwind of the rotor. The lift can go almost all the way to the ground, but the good stuff will usually start at height of the mountain tops.
@@BenHirashima Huh!... "The lift can go almost all the way to the ground, but...." that is amazing to know. Thanks. . We recently discovered something crazy: in Ontario our land is as flat as a pancake. No chance for wave here... or is there? . On one particular day we were at the club and we saw lenticular clouds above our cumulous clouds. A few different pilots looked up and verified - there were in deed lenticulars. In fact I even found photos of lenticulars over Toronto. One pilot came up with a theory that we had a wall of cumulous clouds that acted like a mountain forcing a cross wind up and creating the wave. . Any comments on that theory?
@@markplain2555 Those clouds you saw above the cumulous clouds in Ontario were most likely Pileus clouds. These pileus clouds are a particular type of lenticular clouds. They form from the updraft of the cumulous clouds themselves as air layers get lifted. Pileus clouds do not indicate any terrain barrier waves. Lenticular clouds above Toronto however may well be wave clouds, the buildings will deflect air vertically like mountains do.
Too much moisture in panocha valley you say? I say you can never have enough moisture in the panoche
Speed limiting airbrakes?
“I was inverted”
What the heck do you do if you can’t find lift and have to land, far as recovering your glider???
You call a friend and have them drive your car and trailer to you. You disassemble the glider and put it in the trailer, and drive it back. Depending on how far away you land, it can be a small or large inconvenience. Glider pilots help each other out with retrieves, and we pay it forward to the next guy who needs help.
Erm, airbrakes?
Apologies for asking something dumb: is he flying vfr and is he a problem to vfr flights that high?
Yes, I'm flying VFR. VFR is allowed under 18,000 ft.
I thought there might be some technical reason you couldn't go above 18K ft, rather than the mundane "I can't file IFR and enter class A" 😆 But, "Vne or climb" is nuts!
If the USA is anything like Australia, above 18,000' is controlled airspace and requires an airways clearance to enter. Yes, it is possible to get such a clearance but for a glider needing fairly constant heading and height changes in controlled airspace not far from a busy terminal area it becomes very difficult.
@@peterlovett5841 Yeah, hence my comment. Had thought that you knew you'd be reaching some insane altitudes and therefore had possibly requested a clearance. I presume you'd also need a XPDR and nowadays possible even ADS-B capability?
BTW, you can’t just request clearance, both the glider and pilot must be IFR capable. If you do request clearance, and ATC approves, you are still not legal unless the requirements above are met, or you are in a predefined and approved wave window. ATC is not an enforcement body, but the FAA is.
@@cdeerinck That both pilot and glider must be IFR rated/equipped I took as a given. Not like I expected that gliders had a different set of rules from powered aircraft. However, the fact about a "predefined" wave window: seeing as such things are fickle beasts, how would you do that, such that ATC can give you a clearance? At best, I would have thought you'd be getting a pop-up clearance?
Wave windows are predefined, and the letter of agreement specifies the procedure required to open the window. After it is open, a pilot requests entry, and is given an altitude block (e.g. “Cleared to FL300”) and they must stay within the geographical boundaries of the window specified in the letter of agreement.
Do you mean VNE?
2:32 why is the moisture an issue? icing?
When glider pilots refer to moisture, we mean moisture that creates cloud cover. If it's too moist, there will be a risk of getting trapped in VFR on top of a solid cloud deck.
Go to the downside and take the elevator down. Wave goes up in front and down behind .
Why can't you do steep 360 degree turns to lose lift?
At the altitude the pilot was up, he couldn't climb, as you know. But he also couldn't speed up through a descent. It's this paradox that makes it difficult.
Does your glider have some sort of heating? I notice you don't need gloves.
Anything that's in the sun stays warm, like my hands. Only my feet get cold because the sun doesn't reach them.
What do you do? Pull the circuit breaker on your transponder….
Spin?