[AIRTHUG]

This is kind of the "milk run" around here, so most of us don't think of it as XC... I'm curious what others think?

If you have time, check out this track from the other day. Getting up was a B!ITCH, but once I found a strong climb to get be back on Cascade Mtn, making the Point was cake.

On one of my other flights Andy plugged in the track and used some software to average my L/D during my glides... this would be a really interesting flight to do that with. As I flew from the mountains out to the South Side (basically over flats) my 6030 was displaying between 20 and 35:1 (through the air) for much of that glide!

As great as the T2C/Covert combo is... that seems pretty ridiculous. Curious if I was in buoyant air, or my vario was lying to me?

Anyways- Inspo > POM.... is it XC? Why or why not?

[Jason]

kml please

[AIRTHUG]

Rick Maddy has you covered

http://www.maddyhome.com/igc2kml/convert.do

[rongleason]

Here is the output from SeeYou where you can see each glide broken down. Not a flight to measure much other than the fun factor, IMO. Tough to measure L/D when you are running ridge tops.

[Jason]

id call 35miles XC....

[dscotts]

Of course it was buoyant air.

Scott

[old newbie]

yes, odd question.

Steve

[lostgriz]

I definitely consider it to be XC, that's why I laugh when you posted on your "first" and "second" XC flights. I am sure you have logged many flights that most would consider XC.

The question I have is, have you gone there and back? Either starting at Inspo or POM....

[andylongvq]

The most interesting data for me from Ron's SeeYou/PDF stats summary is on page 4 under the Netto column for all the Straight rows.

This shows what the air mass that Ryan was gliding through was doing. That tells a lot about what was going on during the glides.

When I'm on glide, I spend a lot of time glancing at my Netto vario read out. Why? Because Ron Gleason told me to!

- Andy

[dscotts]

Netto is the most valuable tool we have when on long glides without discrete thermals. It can really help a pilot stretch out a glide in buoyant air or tell a pilot when to run faster.

Scott

[rongleason]

Netto variometer

A second type of compensated variometer is the Netto or airmass variometer. In addition to TE compensation, the Netto variometer adjusts for the intrinsic sink rate of the glider at a given speed (the polar curve) adjusted for the wing loading due to ballast. The Netto variometer will always read zero in still air. This provides the pilot with the accurate measurement of air mass vertical movement critical for final glides.

Or said another way - Netto is trying to display what the air is doing around you. For this to be accurate your polar must be accurate and you either need the TE tube on the 5/6030 or have the electronic TR of your instrument set correctly. The instrument is taking your current sink rate and subtracting the sink rate for your given IAS.

You can set the 5/6030 instrument to automatically switch to read NETTO when you go on glide, thus telling you you good or bad the airmass is around you. You can also use this to determine if you should stop and thermal and what the expected the climb rate could be.

[AIRTHUG]

[BRP]

[quote="rongleason"]Netto variometer

Or said another way - Netto is trying to display what the air is doing around you. For this to be accurate your polar must be accurate and you either need the TE tube on the 5/6030 or have the electronic TR of your instrument set correctly. The instrument is taking your current sink rate and subtracting the sink rate for your given IAS.

Ron, so my wind vane will do the same as the TE tube, assuming I have my polars correct?
What is the TR you speak of? My 5030 is old, but new to me, and I opted to use the wind vane instead of sending it off to Switzerland for the upgrade to the tube.

[rongleason]

BRP, TR should have been TE.

I have to read up on the 5030 again as I do not remember how it functions when using the vane versus the tube. Anybody able to chime in here?

have you checked to see how the 5030 deals with electronic TE? Sorry but it has been 6 years since I flew with a 5030.

Ron Gleason

[lostgriz]

[CAL]

why does it matter what you call it ? inspo is a tricky site you have a few seconds to find a thermal or you need to head to the lz, or you have an urban jungle to land in or power lines take your pick,

never the less this could be the most scenic,( i will call it flight so we do not have the debate of whether it is XC or not), flight you could fly, the bench up to the cascades is just a gorgeous flight then you would put her on best glide to beautiful mount timpanogus then out to the point of the mountain i have only made it even with the cascades before topping out in the thermal, i have only a few flights launching from inspo and is still today only a dream to top out above Timp,

no matter what you call it, this flight in my eyes is very challenging and would be the most inspiring flight one could fly what else matters the reason i fly is for the beauty, what a dream to fly over Timp but for those that have congrats, you have been rewarded !

[skyshaddo]

Not only is it X/C....it one of the most beautiful X/C in Utah, one of my favorites.

Shaddo