Thermals are associated with temperature differential not temperature. Thermals are plentiful in winter also. Boundary layer physics determines how thermals are born,develope, and operate. The boudary layer exists at altitudes from roughly 600-800' AGL. Where much of model "thermalling" takes place, is in this mixed bag of variable conditions. Slope lift interacts as a variable, but thermals exist independantly as a result of triggers which may be assciated with a slope or man made obsticles. I enjoy giant scale soaring because we soar and thermal above, or at the upper limits of the boundary layer where thermals are smooth, powerful, and less prone to suddenly dissapate. I also love to hand launch at the other end of the spectrum for entirly opposite reasons and challenges. See the scale soaring web page, and look for the new tech tips link on the index page, there is a terrific article written by boundary layer physicist Wayne Angevine. Wayne is also a model sailplane flyer and a great guy. The article is written in plain english and easy to understand. JD John Derstine E-mail; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scale Soaring: http://www.Geocities.com/scalesoar -----Original Message----- From: glidn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 1:08 PM To: [RCSE] Subject: [RCSE] question about lift Hello all. Have a question about lift that I started thinking about after flying at Coyote hills yesterday. It was a pretty decent day there, wind blowing straight in to the bowl(this doesn't happen that often). Under these conditions not a lot of wind is needed to generate good lift. But for the amount of wind we had lift wasn't as strong as one would think. I have seen lesser wind, from same direction produce better lift there. But this was a late spring/early summer wind, which was considerably warmer than yesterdays cold wind. Would air temperature affect the amount of lift generated given all other factors being the same and discounting the occasional thermal blowing thru? Thanks NetZero Platinum No Banner Ads and Unlimited Access Sign Up Today - Only $9.95 per month! http://www.netzero.net RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
