[COUPERS-TECH] Fwd: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] FL to OSH

[Charles Waldo]

Folks

 

 I too will be going to Oshkosh....I have flown there many times from CT with no thermal problems, usually cruising below the clouds (and I'm a chicken VFR guy too)......of course that was when I owned a piece of a piper archer. My new steed (46C) is not ready to go cross country yet as I need more time with her to get her "right".....so I'll be taking the low road (aka: driving) in convoy of trailers...but next year..........

 

Question: Are the coupers going to get together out there? It would be nice to meet the folks on the other side of these emails.....

 

Chuck

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Darick,

 

That's no kind of official terminology.  It's what I call it.

 

Thermals start at ground level and develop structure as they go up.  They always top out at a certain level which depends on the temperature at each layer and the moisture in the air.  Early in the day, they'll top out at 2,000-3,000 and the level raises through the day as the temperature goes up.

 

When I went out West, I found that the really strong thermals they have there top out higher than Ercoupe fly.  I got under a cloud street of thermals, each topped with a cumulous cloud, and had trouble staying below 12,500' with no power.

 

Here, in the Midwest and Central states, the afternoon top of the thermals, thus the layer where the cumulous clouds are created, goes up to 7,000 and sometimes higher.  I can't remember seeing it higher than 9,000 around here.

 

What I call the bump layer is the base of the cumulous clouds.  That flat bottom of the clouds is right at the place where it gets smooth as you climb up between them.

 

As a chicken-VFR pilot, I always kept big and/or frequent gaps in the cloud available so I could glide through clear air if I shut off the engine at any time.

 

But, because of my motion sickness tendencies, I like having a climb prop and I cruised higher than any other Couper I've ever met.  Also, flying has mostly cured my motion sickness for all vehicles and boats.  Just those very thermally days sometimes make me wish I was on the ground.

 

Now, I'm building a Challenger II Long Wing with which I hope to do some soaring on the thermally days.  I guess I'll have to get to *like* the thermals!  ;-)  I might even register it as an experimental glider (self-launch).   (Still a long way to go in building - everything gets in the way.)

 

Ed Burkhead

http://edburkhead.com

ed -at- edburkhead???.com          (change -at- to @ and remove "???")

 

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From: Darick Gundy [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 11:25 AM
To: 'Ed Burkhead'
Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] FL to OSH

 

Hello Ed,

    The bump layer?  Are you referring to the effect thermals have and I can also assume that they normally don't go higher than 7000-8000 ft?    Although I've always been an aviation enthusiast, there is new jargon to learn once you start talking with pilots. 

 

Darick (7 hours now in the log book!)

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