FS How to Thermal - Information that Works

[kewhite]

Ive read books on soaring,they didn't make it any easier they left out too many important facts and left you guessing.My information tells you what to do and more than that it shows you a way to do it without having to guess.My freind Ken Churkey is 62 years old and gets nervous alot, only flies polyhedral he's been using my technique for 1 year and has never switched back and says " youre right its easier this way".You will thermal I guarantee it , You will remain in the thermal and not lose it, and you will out to a tiny dot using this information, ( its not a book). I use this ,,
,,OK ..
Attention i have recently attached a tow hook on a (heavy)sig ninja slope soarer and i have specked it out off a high start using my technique,,and my technique doesnt need 114 pages of space,,its simple, and straightforward ..



money back guarantee.
7.95..pst paid ., ,cash ,check,money order

Keith White
3227 green tee# 132
pantego tx,76013

I also offer private instruction in fortworth Texas...any questions send a pvt message.

[target]

Keith-
Who wrote it, when, and how may pages? Sounds like you ARE the author(?).
I'm interested.

Thanks, Target

[theween]

Keith,
You have an order from me going in the mail this morning.
Dennis

[kewhite]

this is not a book its information and i have diagrams that you use to copy when flying step by step..the last book i had on thermaling was 115 pages and there wasnt any mention of anything im going to tell you in my guide.

[RobZ]

Hi Keith.
I'm interested in your book but I'd like a bit more info about it.
Your Friend Ken sounds like a novice (as we all have been at one time), is your book aimed at the novice soaring pilot?
Does the info you offer apply to RES ships and aileron planes?
Is there info on how to do better in T.D. contests, I.E. timing and landing accuracy?
Is it paper back? What format 8 1/2 X 11 ?
Thanks Keith.
Rob.

[kewhite]

yes its apllies to aileron and poly ships...and TD contests.

[nuevo]

kewhite,

You're pretty vague on details. How about posting a table of contents, and a sample chapter?

[mdennis]

Does it come with a money back guarantee?

[theween]

Keith,

If you have an electronic copy (.pdf or something) that you could shoot me once you get my order, I would be glad to give some feedback in this thread once I looked at it a bit.

Dennis

[tim hooper]

Threads merged.

Although this thread should really be located in the New Products forum (as it's a commercial product as opposed to a private sale), it's being allowed here for the time being as it's very much sailplane-specific.

tim hooper (Moderator)

[theween]

Received the How To Thermal material from Keith today. Keith is providing techniques for finding and riding out thermals before, during, and after launching a sailplane. His information can apply to most any model sailplane but is not really directed toward slope soaring.

This material is in the form of two sheets of paper. The first page is all text describing the techniques. The second page consists of hand-drawn diagrams and a little more text on the techniques while referring to the diagrams. The text could use some spell-checking and paragraph reformatting but these are only a minor distraction.

The techniques Keith describes sound pretty good to me. I will not disclose any of those in this thread. Doing so would not be appropriate. It would also not be appropriate to provide a complete review unless I have tried the techniques a few times at the field. I hope to do so tomorrow.

So far, I would say that some of the techniques provided by Keith were either new to me or at least provided a reminder of techniques I had forgotten or had forgotten to employ. And, I can honestly say that the fancy DVD about thermaling from a well-known vendor that I just finished watching provided only a little bit more new or forgotten information...to me anyway. The DVD was much more entertaining of course. By the way, a club memeber loaned me the DVD.

There is not much "thermal science" in the material provided by Keith. However, initially anyway, this material seems to be good for a beginner and a reminder for other pilots. I can see why this information would work well for Keith as an instructor.

I have about 5 years experience flying electric models, electric sailplanes, hi-start sailplanes, hand-launch & DLGs, and slopers. I am just an intermediate pilot who mainly competes in club events and an occasional major contest. Last year I took 2nd place in Speed 400 Class at the F5J Electric Soaring World Challenge hosted by my club. That is as good as I get.

I still learn things from the more experienced club members and expect this will continue. I have already learned from the material from Keith. Now it is time to put this new information to use.

The question that probably remains is: Is the information worth a $10 investment. That is a tough one. If you expect bulk quantity for your money, then two pages of non-fancy copied text and diagrams probably does not justify the $10. You might be one who thinks that if only one of the techniques help, then $10 was only a small price to pay. Me, I side with the latter.

So, hopefully tomorrow, I will try some of the techniques in the material from Keith and report here again.

Dennis

[theween]

Well, I did not get a chance to try any of the techniques from Keith today. It will probably be at least two weekends before I do get a chance.

Dennis

[kewhite]

the wind died down here in texas we had long flights today

[kewhite]

hey

[theween]

Keith,

Planning to fly on Sunday. Will report back then.

Dennis

[theween]

Finally did get to fly today. However, there was a lot of wind. Basically the conditions were: lots of lift or lots of sink...mostly the latter. Most everyone just "kited" into the wind for much of the time.

I did try some of the techniques described by Keith when I could. I fly an old Drifter II that does not like windy conditions. It is lightly built at about 19 oz. So far so good. I can see where Keith is going with his recommendations but this was "work" today.

We were launching off a high-start constructed of 50' rubber and 150' line. In the conditions most of the time, if I didn't get a decent "bump" of lift right away, the best thing to do was to just slide back and forth perpendicular to the wind direction. A turn downwind was risking a long walk to retrieve the plane.

So, another report another day. I do not have other opportunites to fly other than the weekends. It will be at least two more weeks, most probably three, before "life" lets me try again.

Dennis

[RobZ]

"FS How to Thermal,a book that works "

The title calls what he's selling “a book”. Two pages is a darn thin book in my opinion. That plus his evasive answers to my (and others) questions sure makes me think some thing does not ring true.
Why call it a book when it’s really just a two page fact sheet?
Rob.

[soholingo]

because 'fact sheet' sounds like it should be free...

[kewhite]

youve never asked me a question ROB post it and i will reply for all to see,
and my add clearly states its not a book you never read past the title

[soholingo]

Maybe you should ask the mods to change the title...

[kewhite]

okay lets see a report on trying what i told you.

[soholingo]

I take the plane out Saturday...

Report no later than Sunday...

[theween]

Ok, my results as I finally got to fly last weekend...been a while...

Bottom line, the techniques Keith proposes have worked for me.

Practicing for an upcoming club F5J event, I got to altitude using electric power. I then used the techniques to locate lift and thermal. I got a total of about ten flights using two different models. The toughest task was to use just the techniques proposed by Keith while ignoring my own techniques for the flying site.

While Keith's techniques work, they are not perfect. I did not find lift on every flight. However, I really do not think there are any perfect techniques. I got plenty of altitude in 40 second motorized climbs. However, lower launches with a hi-start would limit the time available to cover the sky as suggested by Keith.

I think the techniques suggested by Keith are valuable, especially for someone who is new to thermaling a sailplane. I think the techniques must be adjusted for the flying site. Some sites can have thermal generators and if you ignore them you are not flying smart. Having these additional techniques in your "bag of tricks" to try at a flying site would be valuable.

Is this information worth $7.95 ? For me, sure! $7.95 is not going to "make" or "break" me financially. Keith has made the effort to put down, on paper, what works for him and works for others around him. This information works over and over again for him, no doubt.

Will you be happy spending your money for 2-3 pieces of paper? Beats me. As with most decisions like this, if you have ANY doubts, do not spend the money.

And, please do not ask me to make a copy of the information and send it to you with an offer to share the cost. That's not fair at all and I will not do it. If you want to post a question here I will try to answer it in a way so as not to give out any information from Keith for free.

Dennis

[soholingo]

Good deal Dennis... I am itching to try the techniques out with a hotliner (nike mh32 airfoil)...

j

[tim hooper]

As this thread has now gone far beyond the usual remit of a classified ad, it's going to Product Announcements.

Tim Hooper (Mod)

[planekrazy]

I take the plane out Saturday...

Report no later than Sunday...

Did you get a chance to post a report anywhere?

[soholingo]

unfortunately no...

I meant to order the info as the bit he did impart to me seemed valuable, but I inadvertantly deleted his messages. So I will make good and order it. Suffice it to say, that I don't know diddly about thermaling, and I haven't studied it, so if I can thermal on this info anyone can.

j

[planekrazy]

No worries Jay, I was just wondering how this info compared to more traditional thermal hunting/flying methods... like those described on the first couple pages of this thread (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208889&page=2&pp=15)

Take care,
Mehrdad