I found a sink elevator yesterday!

[Michael Heer]

Our club had a thermal contest yesterday, Sunday, and I loaned my friend my Trick Foamie 72" EPP glider and he did very well skying out twice. I took my all molded plane and had a great first round first round of only three minutes and had to scream down to catch my time. My next two rounds I launched into the strongest sink I have found in California in 24 years of glider flying. We had a cold front going through with skies partially cloudy and there was great sink that literally pushed the plane down like you were on an electric stairway going down to the bargain basement floor. I had a zoom launch and in the strongest sink was back on the ground in under two minutes. The plane was trimmed great. It was just a sight to see and feel as it got much colder in that approximate two minute period. Timing is everything. Mike

[flybaby2000]

Whoah , " A sink elevator" , Our aussie temonology is a "Cold Boomer" , A few months ago here i was thermalling my 2Metre gold eagle glider and all of a sudden i got a Cold boomer so strong that the wings folded , also noting my 2 metre glider was full carbon spar job , also contributing to the fact was i was hi-starting from a slope face so something about the wind that slopers use for ds may have something to do with it , like dead air and lift air , you may have found the ds of thermaling , if only you could see the dead air patches , wooot!

cheers
Doug

[Ollie]

The JFK airport, with a jet landing approach, because a crash from strong, cold shear.