Watching thermals

[s14slide]

I was just wondering if a very large steam plume could be used as a way to watch how a thermal works. I say this because there is a factory that I can see from work that makes jet engine turbines. Well from part of their process, they have a building that releases a very pretty large steam plume. The base of the plume is probably about 10X10 meters and I've watched the plumes rise as high as 2000 feet at the cloud base. Also the steam seems to be on for up to 30 seconds at a time. So what do you think? Is this something I could/should use to study how a thermal moves, since I'm a begginer in soaring and still am working on finding time to try and catch a real one. Lastly, this plume is right on the fringes of my flying field, do you think it would be dangerous to try and catch a manmade thermals of this intensity? It doesn't swirl like a dust devil or anything, but more so rises like a booming cloud.

[rogerflies]

I'd be wary of getting close to that steam plume. It's likely to be very turbulent. I used to fly a Cessna 172 on trips that went over a steam generating plant in Georgia. It only took me on pass near the (invisible to me) plume at 3000+ feet to learn to stay well clear of it.

I don't think watching the steam plume is going to give you much useful info about the thermals you'll be using with your glider, either. The concentration of energy differs by a huge factor.

I worked for a turbine engine manufacturer in the late-'60s. We had test cells where the engines were hooked to "water brakes", and the water for the brakes circulated through a large cooling tower. That sometimes produced a plume of steam, but it was usually lasted for the duration of the test. I'm curious about what's going on to produce steam releases for short periods like that. Sounds more like something related to metal processing or heat treatment.

Roger

[Andy W]

Bubbles..
..a

[s14slide]

well I was told that it was a jet turbine manufacturing plant. I can't really see what goes on around there. I don't speak nor read Japanese, so the signs do me no good. I'm pretty sure that's what it was once referred (spelling?) to as, a water brake. It only steams heavily now that it's winter. In the warm months, the plume isnt' even as high out of as the tower is tall, which is maybe 30m. For me, the only thermal action I've really seen since I got back into rc was two hawks thermalling on each other to gain enough height to dive bomb the other. And it was only a little above 40degF out here too.

[Jurgen]

Avoid flying to/above industrial sites, when they see a rc-plane coming towards their area they start buzzing phones like mad and in no time you're in jail surrounded by musculled murderers who enjoy the new flesh ( yep that's you) entering their manic world.

Limit the stacks as indicators of thermal activity in general, do not go towards them or their plumes. When the smoke trail is scattered, non coherent, broken etc then there is thermal activity. The other way around: when the smoke trail is coherent, unbroken, constant etc then its a day to please your wife, tell her you want to fly badly but your love is so big that the day is for her only this time (nearly no thermal activity but don't say her :)). Or how a distant factory stack can save your mariage.

Jurgen.

[rogerflies]

I've found good thermals year 'round, even when there was some snow on the ground in South Carolina. It's not the temperature; it's the temperature differential from place to place on the ground that produces thermals.

Roger

[s14slide]

yeah, I got the technical aspects of what, where, when and how thermals work. The only thing is, I have yet to find the time or place to actually put it into practice. I do appreciate everyones input and advice on my question.

[Andy W]

Unless you're out flying every weekend, your progress will be slow. You can read and learn all day long, but it takes practice, hours spent reading your model and surroundings, and then what you've learned won't always apply..

..a