How Mountain Wave Systems Work, with Lenticular and Rotor Clouds
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- čas přidán 12. 06. 2024
- Correction needed: The rotor clouds are rotating in the wrong direction in these diagrams :)
Sailplanes love flying in Wave! Almost as much as the glider pilots in the cockpit. Learn about how wave systems work, what conditions are needed to set up this weather phenomenon, and see the kinds of amazing lenticular cloud formations that can be created by mother nature. See rotor or roll clouds and learn about the extreme turbulence they can create.
Thanks Geoff Becket for permission to use images of the Wave system:
/ beckett_geoff
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00:00 Intro
00:53 How wave systems form
01:38 What weather conditions wave needs
02:18 Multiple levels of wave
02:38 Lenticulars
03:43 Roll Clouds / Rotor
04:18 How high can gliders fly in wave?
05:34 Climbing in Wave Timelapse - Sport
Years ago I worked with a pilot that flew an RAF Jet Provost in a wave, he shut everything down and stayed up there for hours using the same gliding principles. He only did it once as his squadron got worried and even alerted search and rescue when he didn't return for hours. When he did return they were very surprised to find he still had 1/2 full fuel tanks. Great video and great flying. Thanks
Ha that's a great story. Fantastic to just to freak everyone out by staying in the air longer than you should!
Not a pilot, but I am a meteorology student studying different mechanisms that create circulations in the atmosphere, and of course mountain waves are one of them! Thanks for the great info!
Thanks Maggie, glad you enjoyed it!
Perfectly explained, Tim!
Cheers Stefan!
I'm a paragliding pilot, but love this and Stefan's gliding channels ⭐😎
'we're not scarred of a bit of turbulence' - priceless - thanks for the video
:)
I gave up flying gliders, and sold my glider, many, many years ago. My flying was all done before the internet was a thing, the smallest camera available was the size of a brick, and all navigation was done using a map and compass, so the ability to share experiences and footage such as you have on your CZcams channel was just a distant dream. I still managed to acieve 2 diamonds, missing out on the 500km, despite a handful of attempts. Living in the SE corner of the UK, which is dominated by relatively low controlled airspace (thankyou Gatwick and Heathrow) and large stretches of water in more than one direction, made such flights extremely difficult to achieve. I would have loved to experience flying a glider in New Zealand, as I know you have a number of clubs and some excellent soaring conditions. Keep up the good work, you are helping to refresh a lot of fond memories.
Hi thanks for your comments! Glad you're enjoying the videos. Regards from New Zealand
that time-lapse at the end is super awesome. like an elevator going up :D
“An elevator” is a very accurate analogy 😃
You know it's a good climb when you can actually see climb rate as you look at the window!
One of my favorite little spots in New Zealand is actually called "Hugo's Elevator" because its a good wave-entry spot (near Omrama). :-)
I've been looking for a concise explanation of Wave systems for a while. I need look no further, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I remember many years ago , battling with turbulent ridge lift for about half an hour , before managing to climb into the bottom of the wave , a few minutes in “calm” air, and I was just below the airway at FL65 , that was my first experience of wave , happy memories 😃
It's a satisfying moment to get into it!
I've dreamy about wave soaring ever since I first read about it. Absolute top of my bucket list. I've managed the first step towards achieving it in that I know what a glider looks like. ;)
Find a local club and give it a go sometime!
The wave makes the glider a jet plane. Smooth, constant lift. Intoxicating!
It's pretty awesome!
Just ordered a rainbow discus shirt and I'm quite excited. Good video!
Thank you!
@@PureGlide Thanks for the excellent merch!
I love the NZ accent, ahbe been there in 2008 and love your humor, Keep on going and greetings from Switzerland (LSPO)
Awesome! Thank you!
Love all your videos. Even as a glider pilot with a PhD in Aerospace, I find them very informative and entertaining.
Hey that’s great to hear, glad you like them. Let me know if I get anything too wrong :)
Excellent introduction. Ties a lot of loose ends regarding my understanding of waves.
Great to hear, cheers
I’m envious of you having mountains, here in South Alabama on the Gulf Coast its pretty flat. But still..... Soaring is amazing and we get some pretty good Cumulus Thermals here. Keep doing what you do and thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
Nice Video! Really looking forward to the next one.
Thanks!
Love your channel! Keep up the good work.
Thank you! Will do!
Outstanding explanation in brief and consize words
Thank you!
Catch a wave and your sitting on top of the world... Great video Tim!
Thanks Will!
👍
. . . another great tutorial along with spectacular footage. Thanks Tim.
Aww shucks, thanks Colin
Always a pleasure hearing you talk about flying gliders. Especially the fundamentals. Understanding cloud formation is essential. Look forward to the next. Thanks
Thanks Kirk!
thank you for the video it really helped clearing up some concept
Glad it helped!
Cheers Tim = Excellent vid and explanation as always!
Very welcome
Nice video, Tim. Those clouds are spectacular, even more so when flying close to them.
Thanks Sarel!
I’ve ridden a standing wave in PT6 powered Beech King Air with both engines back at idle and the props feathered.
Haha that's awesome :)
That must have been quite an experience! 😃
Did you maintain (or even gain) altitude riding the wave in the Beech?
@@Johan-ex5yj Sure did, I recall we were indicating about 160 kts and climbing over 500ft/ minute going through ten thousand feet.
@@mitseraffej5812 Wow, that is STRONG lift! 👍
Very good !! semplice e chiaro !!!
Thank you! Faccio del mio meglio :)
Awesome video! More of these please!
You got it!
Very nice explanation!
But something I never got explained in my young glider pilot career, is how to get into a wave without a tow to 10.000 feet or higher.
Maybe you can explain it to us in another video 👍🏼
Yes exactly right, how to get into wave is the topic of the next wave video!
Depends on local topography. There are places where people have launched into the wave from 500' auto tows. One is the Wet Valley in Colorado (SW of Pueblo about 30 miles, south of Westcliffe) Of course, when the wave was that low, it meant 50 kt winds directly across the runway.
Know people who have climbed to over 20,000ft from a 500ft autotow - all depends where you are located.... my first wave flight in Wales was from a low point less than 1500ft to 15000ft.
Good one! Espetially the timelapses are impressive!
Thanks a lot!
I was hanging in there for a video of you in the rotor ... or white knuckling in the sink on the ‘bad side’ - great video! Thanks!
Unfortunately I wasn't filming my flights when there's been extreme rotor! If you look at that video of the rotor I had, you can see the dashboard moving a lot :) the footage is stabilised!
@@PureGlide it’s an exciting ride, that’s for sure!!
Very nicely made! Cheers from Austrian Alps.
Many thanks!
Awesome
Cheers!
Very nice, you're doing a great job with this channel! NZ looks like a great place to fly gliders, hope to make it down there some day.
Thanks a lot! Yeah well worth a visit I reckon :)
As always, great video! Cheers from Canada!
Cheers! Do you get much wave flying over there?!
@@PureGlide we do in the Rockies in Western Canada. I live in Quebec which is in Eastern Canada. It’s rather flat here, so all of my soaring was thermal activity.
@@CLdriver1960 Plenty of wave flying in the east as well -i.e. the Quebec Gliding club as a annual wave camp at Baie-Saint-Paul for instance - just not quite as spectacular as the Rockies.....
@@soaruk3697 That is correct. However, Baie St. Paul is 500km away from the gliding club I used to fly at. The next closest place is over 300km in Lake Placid, NY, USA. neither of which I would consider as spectacular.
If I need to travel to find wave, it would be to western North America, or New Zealand.😊
Really enjoy your videos. Used to work in Matamata and never once saw a glider overhead. Live in Cambridge and have also never once seen one here either. Cheers.
Hey We do fly over Matamata often, but unfortunately Cambridge is just inside the Hamilton airspace so we don’t go that way! You’ll have to pop out for a flight sometime
@@PureGlide I would love to. Absolute dream of mine.
Excellent video! New subscriber here. I appreciated the “creation in 7 days” reference!👍🏻
Welcome aboard!
Nice one Timbodini :)
Thanks! 😀
Hi Pure Glide, hello Tim! Nice introduction to wave flying, but you have mistate in picture shown at 1:30. Rotation of the rotor cloud is incorrect.
Thank you yes someone else mentioned that, unfortunately I can’t fix it in the video! I’ll mention it in the next wave video
Excellent l love your channel
Thanks Paul!
nice teaser
:)
Another great vid, Tim.
I must be one of the few people who has soared the Southern Alps, on two separate expeditions, and not managed to better my best climb in Wales!!!
I knew should have emmigrated!! LoL :-)
Haha
Yes! there is much sport to be had when the Nor-wester blows over the Black Mountains and falls over the eastern edge of the Welsh massif into the valley of the Usk.
One of our Utah locals told a story of being towed into a wave through a rotor and found himself looking at an upside down towplane in front.
I think all wave sites have a story like that :)
Great photos and video!
I think the direction of flow that you drew for the rotor clouds is backwards. Upward side should be on the upwind side so that at the top it’s flowing in the same direction as the wave’s wind.
Oh no I didn’t even think about that when I drew it! Good catch, unfortunately I can’t fix it now! But will put a note in the description
@@PureGlide yup, I know the problem well. I wish CZcams would allow an updated version of a video to replace a live one that needs a tweak or two.
Fascinating stuff, concise and enthusiastically presented.
Why are the air brakes deployed in the still shot at 2:25?
Cheers Paul
Good spotting! I was descending out of the wave back home at that stage
Lenticular clouds are some of my favorite clouds! You mention laminar flow/stable air is needed in order to get these types of clouds - how can you tell when there is going to be stable, laminar flowing air? My guess is laminar flow comes as a result of a large area of wind flowing roughly the same direction over a large area but I'm not sure. Thanks!
I'd love to be a glider pilot
You can! Find a local club near you, and give it a whirl :)
How come I'd never seen this yet 😂
I don’t know!!
oh, didn't realise this was a new video :)
Oh yes, only posted 6 minutes ago so you're on the ball :)
@@PureGlide haven't been gliding since my first solo 10 years ago. and going again on Sunday :)
Oh man. I guess I'm going flying again...I used to fly at sky sailing in Fremont, Ca.
Gliders were napped out of lightweight rocks, we had to tow ourselves uphill both ways in the morning snow and had to land at night because the only spoilers back then were mothers screaming into a can that dinner was ready if you were dumb enough to take a string with you.
It must be nice to land on a ROUND wheel....
Time to give it another shot....
Be nice not to have to pack all my laundry in my parachute......
We used to use our hands for wave lift like the flintstones powered their cars with their feet.
It's been awhile....
@@beeblebug well at least you won't need an instructor.......I did the exact same thing. I was 16 years old the first time. It took me a week.
I'll let you know if I ever solo again....
I'm told I'll have to lose AT LEAST 100lbs.
Might be time to buy a two seater and rip out a seat.
Probably the front one.
Your videos are both educational and enjoyable. In the South Island, is the wave equally accessible from any of the gliderports (e.g. Springfield, Omarama)? NZ is just now opening up travel from Australia, from what I understand. Is there any hint from the govt what the travel picture looks like in early 2022 in time for wave flying (mandated 7 day quarantine and/or negative Covid test)? Thanks
Hi thank you very much! Yes the wave is accessible from most South Island sites as they are all located near the mountains. We have just started a quarantine free travel bubble with Australia, so unless things get worse again, travel to NZ from Australia should be easily possible. Thanks for watching.
3:20 "dry out" seems like unfortunate phrasing since obviously the amount of moisture in the air doesn't decrease when the clouds evaporate. (the relative humidity does decrease I suppose, but solely due to the increase in air temperature)
True, "de-condenses" perhaps?!
@@PureGlide What about "evaporates" ;)
Oh, great! No 1 is a great introduction. Looking forward to the rest of the series on wave flying! 😀
NZ- South Island is a great place for it… I see a 1000km wave flight in your future. 👍
Haha actually a number of shots from that video were from a 1000km attempt. Unfortunately I failed! but will have to go back and do it again sometime...
@@PureGlide Keep trying, Mate. I know you can do it!!!!
How close did you get to 1000km? (More footage of that flight coming up, I hope?)
If good thermals require unstable conditions and wave requires stable conditions, is it hard or impossible to get both of them at the same time in satisfactory amounts ?
I'll get into that more next video, but yes you can have wave above the thermals, and often you need to climb up the thermals first to get up into the wave.
What about cbs windward ( or leeward )of mountains?
Are you based in Omarama Tim? My son and I lived there in the past.
Hi no I was visiting over summer. Now back in the Waikato
🌪️👍
We do try and avoid the tornadoes ;)
@@PureGlide not tornadoes , Thermals. LoL thermal ascension 🌪️😏
76k feet! Wow! I bet that glider costs a buck or two. Lol
Oh yes, millions of development cost I bet
Could you recommend an oxygen system for a beginner? :)
Yeah, mountain high EDS systems are really the only option to consider! I wouldn't go for a carbon fibre bottle, stick to the normal cheap ones. Hopefully your glider has a mounting for a bottle, otherwise you can get reasonably portable bottles too.
@@PureGlide Our LS4 has the has a mounting for a bottle. I will share the flight with you once I try it. Thanks for the reply and your informative video.
@@hamedsarb Excellent, have fun!
Just curious, how bad can turbulence be in a glider? Typically in a jet there is often no major change in altitude heading or speed...
It can be extreme to the point of flipping the glider over! But that's very rare, and we can generally avoid the turbulence if we can see it...
@@PureGlide My god... That's really dangerous!
What's the highest altitude you have been to Tim?
About 22,000 feet I think from memory. It starts getting considerably more dangerous above that, if the oxygen fails for example, and haven't felt the need to go higher.
@@PureGlide Still a good effort! I have been to 13000' many years ago but we didn't cough have cough oxygen. Didn't stay long! Funnily enough we had a 13knot climb as well for a bit.
I retired from the corporate world on my 50th birthday and took a job as CFI/Tow Pilot at Black Forest, Colorado until it closed due to loss of airspace. Winter was wave season with us flying the wave off Pikes Peak some 25 miles to the west. We required either wave experience or a wave instructional flight prior to renting gliders for solo wave flights. I did over 300 wave orientation flights with students, most of which went to 30,000 feet.
Please please make a vid on different ways to pee in a glider.
Its a literal taboo in our sport
Yeah planning that, I’ll have to film it out at the airfield sometime soon!
@@PureGlide cant wait man
Lead to mountain waves 20stable air speed
@ fxford q 17 r
2:29 why was the spoiler popped out? I have never been wave flying and I'm still a student. Any help appreciated. Very nice video otherwise
Hi I think from memory I only had clearance to a specific altitude, so had to stop climbing there! Or I was descending to come down. The video clips might not be perfect order all the time.
@@PureGlide That's alright. I was just curious if there was a issue with the spoilers
As I understand,no mountains no wave,right?
You can have wave formed by other things including cumulus clouds, or a cliff eg coastline. Anything that pokes up into laminar air can do it, or a drop in landmass can trigger a bounce. Conditions have to be right down low to work off a coastline but it is possible.
@@PureGlide understood. thanks