Australia its hot here.

[2StrokeMatty]

Some advice if you would,

I live in the Australian outback and I fly glo powered planes. However, the wind here seems to change direction all the time, (line up on final and whoops - wind changes direction!) and we also get what the locals call willy-willy's, they are tiny tornado's that form and then travel a short distance - picking up the red dust and funneling it up into the sky. They get to about 150- 500 feet high then sort of peter-out. Sometimes these willy-willy's plough right through our field, we have to go and hold everything down for a minute or so until it passes. It is hot here - 40'c summer, 27 winters, and the ground gets very hot too.
I read your threads with interest, and I think there must be some lift here, there are plenty of eagles here and they rarely flap their wings, I also have a big hill right near town too, reachable with a 4wd. So whats the go chaps., I have a spare flight set in another glo plane I could pull out. Should I try a elec plane or just a glider off this hill nearby. I dont have a winch etc. What's the thing you guys do at a site before the flying, how to test this hill?. Many Thanks. If you want I can take photo's and post them if this would help. Cheers Matt. :)

[macr]

Get your self an electric glider. You will not need a winch then. You will obviously get some good thermals. You have Perth as your location, but I feel that is incorrect. Where are you actually flying?

[portfoxdesign]

what about a hand launch, having those willy-willy's as you described, just flick it into one of those at a resonable height ( not near mother earth)
No bungee required and easy to build.

[2StrokeMatty]

Yes, Macr, I am up in paraburdoo in the pibara. The Computer only let me select perth.
I think an elec powered one sounds good too. I had one years ago and dropped a wing on a turn over tree's. Maybe i'll give it another go. Plus I have a lot more experience now anyway.

[SoCalGliderFlyr]

We call those mini twisters dust devils. Growing up I lived about 100 miles inland from Los Angles. We would get them during the summer. As kids we would chase them down on our bicycles and ride through them. Sometimes we would get knocked down. Mostly we would get very dirty. 100 degree plus daytime temps.

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I second an electrically boosted sailplane. Might go through a couple before you get a handle on it.

[macr]

As kids we would chase them down on our bicycles and ride through them. Sometimes we would get knocked down. Mostly we would get very dirty. 100 degree plus daytime temps.
I did that as an adult, when I was living the Northern Territory a few years ago :o

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I concur. One of my bug bears and the worst offenders, appear to be Americans. I think they should be also made to us .us as well, then we are all on level playing field.

Back on topic. A hand launched glider would be cool as well, but I still say, go for an electric glider.

[2StrokeMatty]

I liked the idea from a guy in the other thread, get a helium balloon and use a servo to release. How about a balloon teathered to a small reel with say, kite thread on it, attach sailplane to balloon, gently winch up to 500ft, then let it go. You could have the balloon thread on a little winch on the bullbar and run it off the battery with a switch for up and down.
I have had a few beers.

[flyonline]

My suggestion would be to buy or build a R/E 2M thermal plane, such as spirit, saggita etc and buy 20m of occy strap cord and 20m of string and bungee it off the flats or the top of the hill. I can get a reasonable height to fly around for a few minutes out of that set up, though I usually don't bother with the string. Its cheap ($100 for the plane, $20 for the rubber), will perform pretty well with the gear you've got already and you should have no trouble learning to fly thermal and slope as well. You can fly 100's of launches in a day, and it takes nothing to pull the bungee back and your plane will out fly an electric and will teach you to fly MUCH better than if you can cheat and use a motor.
Just my suggestion anyway.
If you see the raptors flying thermals, go and join them cos they'll be flying in the most productive air for sure, though I've had them come and join me on occasions.

Steve

[krash]

Yeah, where I live, we have flocks of seagulls, sometimes in the hundreds. They circle around in one specific spot, and dont flap a heck of a lot. I always figured that they were thermanlling, but I never got to try them as an indicator.

[macr]

My suggestion would be to buy or build a R/E 2M thermal plane, such as spirit, saggita etc <snip> You can fly 100's of launches in a day, and it takes nothing to pull the bungee back and your plane will out fly an electric and will teach you to fly MUCH better than if you can cheat and use a motor.Steve
I won't argue with that suggestion as I fly thermal as well and I am not that petty to write one off over the other! So what ever is your choice to get into those thermals, is good.

[Masterpiece]

what about a hand launch, having those willy-willy's as you described, just flick it into one of those at a resonable height ( not near mother earth)
No bungee required and easy to build.

Sounds like fun but ..... you would have to get to a REALLY good height to safely do this, due to willy willy's being very turbulant even at a good height :( , (HLG / DLG's are easily thrown around by a willy willy, and into the ground faster than a more larger thermal ship)

The good news though, is that willy willy's are as you'll know, a good sign of building thermals from the ground.

[flybaby2000]

You should go get a plan of a 2metre glider , some balsa some glue and sit with ya beer and build a nice lil glider , then get some elastic cord 110 foot of nylon and a plastic bag as a shute and launch it off the hill then follow the birds upwards , just remember not to drink and fly , unless you want to be a "youngman" and re-kit the glider before you learn how to use it..

cheers
Doug.

[olmod]

OH and dont forget to give it a good colour that you can see up high you will need it ;-)

[Masterpiece]

I just remember something. If you see the eagles circling around near the hill just outta town (???) and it is a calm(ish) day, you could just try your luck and skill by launching off the hill to catch a low level thermal. I did this once (with the help from a friend who had a nack for indicating thermal action), at my once local gliding club (since moved, ... I did). What happened was that I was sloping on a light breeze and came in for a landing (the action was very slow that day). Anyway my friend said to try and launch off the slope just after the next breeze dropped off and the temperature felt to warm a little (a HLG skill picked up) on my legs. So I did and what do you know launched out to the blue yonder with a good 5km valley below to eat up my glider if all went wrong (actually not as bad as I put it. We had a safety landing spot just in case), and my glider slowly rose into a low level thermal, with not a hint of wind for slope lift.
This was one time that really re-enforced the fact that gliding is an art in itself and all 5 human senses are used to do it. Sight; to see visual signs of thermals (eagles using it), hearing; to hear the increase in wind speeds, touch; the feel of the wind, etc