Make your own thermals!

[Ray280]

Just wondering if anyone has flown over bonfires? I have a vacant lot on the water were I have been clearing major trees and brush. This has led to some bonfires with flames as high as 30' that produce some significant heat.

Seems as though this would be a natural for some fun flying. Pic is of my brother near a "mini" bonfire. The bigger "Oger" fires were 4-5x the size.

So has anyone tried it?

[Skid]

Our club field is located on the cap of the county landfill. At the end of our runway there is a big methane burner that puts out a flame the same size or a little bigger than the one in the pic. I've tried to catch the thermal down low with my old HLG and my new Spinner. It's a strong updraft and will take you up like a frieght elevator, but I have found it is extrememly turbulent down low and is difficult to stay in the thermal and can really pitch the glider. Up high I am sure it's smoother and just a strong. Give it a shot and have fun playing, just don't fly too low :).

Lee

[Ray280]

Lee it's good to know there has been at least one trial by fire. Sorry for the pun, couldn't resist.

But yes, you are absolutely correct in the not too low advice. When a large fire is going you can't get within 25' of it on the ground. That would easily melt your wings if approached without respect!

Now that it is about -5° here, I am tempted to give it a try as I would be able to land on the ice of the lake, and the temperature differential would be incredible!

The fire would be safer as well surrounded by snow.

[Jim Poor]

"Icarus" comes to mind :D

[ajroahkni]

Oh man...VI-DE-O, VI-DE-O, VI-DE-O

:)

Do you have enought area to do a "ring of fire"?

That'd be cool

[Ray280]

Yeah, I could do a ring of fire, but usually i just tee pee stack 30-40 8-10' long, 8"-10" diameter logs with brush underneath. The heat is unbelievable. Can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!

The only sailplane I have is electric, so no worries about hand launching over the fire. Have never been able to fly it at the lake though due to no landing area and lots of trees. Now there is plenty of ice runway though. Hmmnnn.....

And yes, I can do video if only I could convince a buddy to stand out on the frozen tundra with me!

I have a print photo of one of the bigger fires around somewhere, I'll see if I can find it this weekend to post.

[AeroD79]

just make sure that the whole place dont catch in fire. Especially in California, Arizona, Colorado

[rb765]

u guys are so lucky that u can do that without an Air Pollution Control Board on your case. I was directing traffic at a fire scene once where an old wooden house caught on fire. The APCB guys were on it like stink on poop giving the fire captain a ration of poop because they were not putting the fire out fast enough. Two firemen were hurt on that fire (not severly thank God) and the Captain had decided to let it burn. Them paper pushing pollution control people were simmering...

[Ray280]

You do need and I did get a brush clearing permit, they don't let you burn just anything which is good. I also don't burn them without at least one other person there and water buckets.

[Grejen]

I was able to get a nice long flight last spring with some help from a burning house! The local VFD was practicing on a small abandoned house next to the field. At about 40 Meters AGL or so I headed for it (well above the flames) and the old GL jumped like it had run into a vertical conveyor belt!
The lift was way to tight and turbulent to stay in but it lifted so well for that second or two it was well worth the drag to turn back and cross it several times until I got to about 100 meters or so and could circle around the edge of it.

[flyingdogtwo]

just make sure that the whole place dont catch in fire. Especially in California, Arizona, Colorado

LOL You could become that lady park rangers' cell mate.

Reminds me of the US F3J Team trials, held at our field, last year. Across the road, someone was burning brush or a building. Guess where lot of the planes went?

[akmoose43]

Got a lot of nice little holes in the monocote from a grass fire!!

..........R..........

[stephen.s1]

Plane, Winch, Toolbox, Firewood, Kindling...

[Angelo]

I got some good lift last year over a debris fire - in my full size hang glider. I was already around 2,000' from another thermal when I wandered over toward the fire. It wasn't as turbulent as I thought it would be, but like I said I was already 2,000' over and I'm sure that mellowed it out a bit. I was a little worried about the air quality, but it didn't smell too much, apparently a lot of fresh air had mixed with it by then.