Originally Posted by Trisquire

So for our purposes, a cloudless sky is as good as a cloudy one?

An observation of mine -- (I fly DLG exclusively) -- I have yet to find a day where there is simply no lift. And I've flown every month of the calendar, in Minnesota.

Some days there are easy pickings, but there is always movement in the air, your job is to find it.

Originally Posted by Trisquire

So for our purposes, a cloudless sky is as good as a cloudy one?

Clouds are indicators, not gurantees. There may be thermals under those clouds but whether you can reach them or not is another matter.

Clouds also offer contrast and reference points that are missing in a clear sky. It is easier to judge if you are climbing or sinking with clouds in the sky. And planes are often more visible against the clouds then the blank blue sky.

I like some nice white fluffy clouds in the sky when I fly. If nothing else, they look nice.

There is a real wealth of information under the Thermal Soaring section .
The beginner section has a huge amount of informatiion that is good for even us experienced sailplane pilots to reread....time to time.
The best part of RC Sailplane soaring ...is the many things you get to read in the air, its a finese. A test of you, your sailplane, and the river of air right in front of you. It's different everytime you fly.
Read all you can....join a group of sailplane flyers....you will love the sport.
Have fun,
John

Originally Posted by mndlg

An observation of mine -- (I fly DLG exclusively) -- I have yet to find a day where there is simply no lift. And I've flown every month of the calendar, in Minnesota.

Some days there are easy pickings, but there is always movement in the air, your job is to find it.

I prefer the easy picking days myself.

Originally Posted by aeajr

Clouds are indicators, not guarantees. There may be thermals under those clouds but whether you can reach them or not is another matter.

Clouds also offer contrast and reference points that are missing in a clear sky. It is easier to judge if you are climbing or sinking with clouds in the sky. And planes are often more visible against the clouds then the blank blue sky.

I like some nice white fluffy clouds in the sky when I fly. If nothing else, they look nice.

I wasn't necessarily suggesting that we should get our models up under those cumulus clouds. That's for the big boys. I do, however, get the impression that cumulus clouds indicate the presence of lift on a particular day. Cloudless days are more likely to have uniform air temperatures throughout an area. Cumulus clouds indicate pockets of higher temperature and pockets lower temperature.

see lee murray's article on page 22
http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/pdfs/...SD-1999-09.pdf

The best days are when, if you really pay attention, you can just barely stay up for a long time.

When wife says "Yes darling, sure you can go" and weather cooperates...

Your in Greece. It always cooperates.

Lol, thats true...

I'm still waiting for one of those perfect days when the lift is everywhere and there's no sink. Then after four hours I can call my doctor and say " Doc,I've had it up for 4 hours,what should I do".

You won't be able to do that. If the lift is everywhere, all the air will go up, none of it will be going down, and you'll be trying to breath vacuum. But don't worry about it, because if by some quantum mechanical fluke it happens, you won't have any problems anyway.

And don't try tying anything around your field....

All seasons? In Minnesota? Have you ever thought that you may have been creating some of those thermals?

If you have someone turn up the thermostat and then fly over the house, you'll look like a genius. I know from experience that an oil furnace on a medium sized house sends up enough heat through the chimney to keep a two meter up.