First Post: Hello!

Just a first post to say Hello!

I just found this whole news group thing and was very happy to find a soaring newsgroup

(though I haven't been gliding for several months due to school and huge lack of funds! No!)

which is very bad as I just went solo and then couldn't go. I must save up some money!

oh also if some of you could check out my website
www.tobeon.co.uk

I have a gliding section on there which I am building up, so if you could take a look at tell me what you think I would be very great-full.

Kind Regards

I did that with the pictures so they were all had the same dimensions (so they fit in the table neatly) though I have had lots of comments saying people would prefer it if I rotated them. Hmmmm maybe I should rotate them and see what it looks like

Upload some gliding pics any time you like at www.gliderforum.com

Regards

Al www.silentflight.com

people won't lean over sideways to look at pictures..

Several other methods of launching which might be mentioned - shoulder launching (like chucking a big model - Ann Welch described being so launched in one of her books, IIRC) and foot launching, as I believe some ultralight gliders can/have been. Both rather rare, however, and unlikely to be seen in the UK. Self launching and reverse pulley (see other threads) are also used. Even forward pulley (the one time I saw it tried in the UK it was hilarious, but not to be repeated. An American user recently mentioned it, however, so I presume it is a current method. The pulley is mounted on a truck, the cable is anchored to the ground at one end and goes round the pulley to the glider. The glider take-off speed is double that of the truck at that point.)

Other soaring methods are Dynamic (using wind shear - only practised by Ingo Renner AFAIK - now watch this space for corrections!) and sea breeze - which some might say is thermalling, but others may consider to be a different source of lift and in some cases a different technique.

Good luck with your web site, and your progress.

Chris N.

That's a good idea, Thanks!

I will add those 'alternative' launch methods ASAP

Kind Regards

Tom

There is also 'gravity launching', i.e. just let the glider roll down on a slope, after some initial impulse, until it reaches the take-off speed. Not very usual, but the subject was recently discussed in this newsgroup with some references and pictures or movies of such

That may be strange from a non native English speaker (I am French), but some spellings hurt me. Probably because English is for me mainly a written language rather than spoken, at the point that sometimes I don't know how to pronounce what I read or write. Specifically: 'with ought' should be 'without', I suppose, and 'air-breaks' should be 'air-brakes'.

Eek! yes your right,

I have an annoying spell checker that splits withought to with ought (I'm assuming its American or something)

Thanks for pointing out the breaks, I will fix that right away!

Kind Regards