Who needs thermal lift anyway??

[Rayven]

Since I'm sick and tired of always winning our local thermal duration contests, and at the goading of my flying buddies, I've decided to share with the flight community my secret weapon...its so simple I can't believe everyone isn't doing it. But if you do, you'll outfloat every other sailplane in the sky whether you latch into a thermal or not (at least until they catch on to the secret). The only catch is that your model must have a hollow-molded wing. Here's what you do: drill a tiny hole in the bottom of each wing half (assuming it is a two-piece wing with a divider at the root--if not, you need only one hole). Then insert a tiny hose fitting. Now, while no one is looking, attach a hose from the tank hidden in your car and pressurize each wing half with up to 40 psi of helium! Go out to the flight line and launch and you won't believe how much your plane will outfloat the competion in any conditions. In fact, in dead air while everyone is scratching for lift, you will float for as long as you want (Be careful not to be too obvious about it, though) CAUTION: Don't go over board on the psi's, however, or your plane may continue to float heaven-ward until the wings burst (around 25,000 feet usually).

Happy flying (at least for today anyway!)

Helium and tanks:

http://www.cylindercentral.com/helium.html

Fittings:

www.hosexpress.com

[ThermalBuster]

I used to use Helium but I changed to Hydrogen. The lift is measureably better. (Haven't had any problems with fireballs..... yet!)

Thermals :rolleyes:

[davidjensen]

Is this the same as the night vision gogles from last year??? April Fools?

[Andy W]

I thought you only had until noon..?
..a

[Daryl Perkins]

Or, a trick I use, is to just fly inverted when in sink.

[Batmanwpg]

We just fly 2 minute maxes at our contests! No problem getting your time. :D

[Rayven]

Is this the same as the night vision gogles from last year??? April Fools?
No, no, you get to midnight, and that's cool because its more fun to use hydrogen and then install a dethermilizer wick and then......

[element2tandem]

...it's time to build a new one!

[jcats]

Or, a trick I use, is to just fly inverted when in sink.

Oh crap! You do that too, eh?
It's amazing how fast it climbs inverted when in sink!

[Rayven]

Or, a trick I use, is to just fly inverted when in sink.

till you hit the permanently low ceiling....

[Jurgen]

You stay all day up with just a tape recorder, speaking repeatedly you're wife's voice: "When that plane comes down for landing, we go shopping all right?....... When that plane comes down for landing, we go shopping all right?....... When that plane comes down for landing, we go shopping all right?....... " Etc.
Jurgen.

[Accu157]

I heard that a greater volume of helium than 40 psi, like 300, will make your float eve more.... Liquid Helium is best.

Oh yeah, Helium isn't more buoyant than air, it's just an anti gravity particle.




;)

[nxtdoor]

I don't need the gases; I got some of them sunglasses that show the thermals...

[schrederman]

I just suck all the air out... Lighter than helium or hydrogen... Pardon me while I go get my boots on...

Jack

[wingsnapper]

Get everyone at the field to talking about their lowest saves, longest flights, past romances, and fish they may have caught. Presto... ready made thermal.
Jesse

[Oldcoot2]

Up here in the Panhandle of Texas the methane from the feedyards close to our flying field gives us so much lift that we have to be able to deploy drag chutes. Of course you have to be on your toes constantly to dodge the manure piles floating around. :p
Gerald

[Rayven]

Gosh, we got all the methane we need right here on the flight line....

[Libelle201B]

And a news report suggested on 4/1 that penguines have been seen walking in circles, obviously in lift.:)

[schrederman]

LOL

Jack

[Phoebusflyer]

That ain't no lie! Especially if you fly around Randall county feedlot! You can smell that sucker from the opposite side of Amarillo in the summer!



Up here in the Panhandle of Texas the methane from the feedyards close to our flying field gives us so much lift that we have to be able to deploy drag chutes. Of course you have to be on your toes constantly to dodge the manure piles floating around. :p
Gerald

[Oldcoot2]

You've got it! Our flying club is a group of dedicated members. Initiation procedure for joining the club is driving to the field past the feedyard with the windows rolled down!! :censored:
G

[schrederman]

Saaayyyy... Is that Miss Texas over Amarillo in your avatar?

Jack

[kentuckyglider]

You guys are showing the humor forum guys how it's done! :D

KG

[Rayven]

Somebody just told me that methane is heavier than air....guess I'll just have to stick with having to pay for helium!

[schrederman]

I think the methane is HOT... so it rises... The strongest thermal I ever witnessed was over a Muleshoe, Tx feedlot and it pegged my vario so I had to look at my watch and guage how much altitude I gained in a minute. It was 1550'. The stench was incredible, even at 16,000'! That was during the 1991 Region 10 contest at Littlefield, Tx.

Jack

[Phoebusflyer]

Somebody just told me that methane is heavier than air....guess I'll just have to stick with having to pay for helium!

Don't know who told you that!! Methane is definitely lighter than air. However, it tends to do like hydrogen, BURN!! And then hot air rises really fast.

Hey Jack, the only thing worse is thermaling over a burning wheat stubble field. If you don't have O2, you practically suffocate!

[dougmc]

Oh, helium is hardly a secret. How do you think people come up with the suggested weights of a kit/ARF? That's right -- it's put together with helium glue!

Here's a bit of chemistry for people ...

If you want to figure out if something is lighter or heavier than air, you take one molecule of the material and add up all the atomic masses and compare to that of air.

For Nitrogen, it's N2, 14+14 = 28.
For Oxygen, it's O2, 16+16 = 32. Air is mostly nitrogen, so figure 29 for air.
Water vapor is H2O or 1+1+16, 18. Significantly lighter than air.
Helium is He or 4.
Hydrogen is H2 or 1+1, 2. The lightest gas.
Methane is CH4, 12+1+1+1+1 or 16.
Carbon dioxide is CO2, 12+16+16 or 44. Heavy.
Carbon monoxide is CO, 12 + 16, 28. Same as nitrogen.

This all assumes the same temperature, of course. Water vapor tends to come off of liquid water, and this act cools the liquid water -- which is why lakes and wet ground don't make a much lift as a simple application of all of this might suggest.

[Oldcoot2]

Jack:
No, sorrowfully enough it isn't. Miss Texas lawndarted the field after blowing a wing on its 10th flight. Found out that the dang epoxy never cured in the D box.
I'm going to blame it on the methane from the feedyard . :(
Gerald

[Phoebusflyer]

Hey, Oldcoot2, where do you guys fly?

[Oldcoot2]

Phoebus:
Our club field is 1 mile straight south of the Randall County Feedyard.
Yep, it smells pretty bad at times....especially after a rain. You can knock them out of the air. However, my yard looks pretty green this spring....seems that I bring a truckload of smell home each trip. :rolleyes:
Flying is out of the question up here for the weekend however. Mother Nature just screwed me out of another peach, apple, and apricot crop. :o
Snow, and freeze for Easter.
Gerald

[Gil Gauger]

Hey DP, aren't you gonna let them in our secret. Joe owns all rising gasses, and for the right price........... :cool: