the May issue of RC Soaring Digest has a lengthy article on lift.

May be an interesting article for discussion considering recent threads.

Man... Every time I turn around I find that somebody has a previous claim on one of my ideas

--Norm

Let's see-- warm air rises -- cold air sinks ---- anything which creates a pressure difference can create lift and or drag -
that's about it -

(but let's not confuse lift with buoyancy)

Originally Posted by DPATE

(but let's not confuse lift with buoyancy)

Agreed. I did some slope soaring in the distant past and was told to watch for the 'standing wave' about twice as far out from the normal slope lift.

Launched, did the usual pass up and down the slope for a while, (it was actually a quite large disused railway embankment), then decided to land in the field ahead.
As the model flew out from the slope slowly descending, it suddenly climbed and sat on a 'wave' some distance out from the slope. It was quite a strange experience to be soaring so far out from the slope, and considering it was a single channel glider, a little worrying, 'how do you get it down ?'

But like many things, sooner or later you fall off, but great fun at the time.

I'm glad we can't 'see' air, as it would take all the fun out of hunting for thermals, and lift in general.


Found a picture of the slope in question -