A few questions from a newbie

[creekrat22]

I have a few questions about good flying weather. I just bought my first plane and I hope to have it by the end of the week. Problem is, I live in Michigan and by the end of the week the it could be snowing.

My question is this, what is the optimal weather conditions for flying a sailplane?

I would figure that sunny days are probably better for thermals, but what about temps? I noticed that in the hi-start article the author made mention not to use them under 40 degrees because of the strain that it puts on the rubber, but would low temps be bad for flying in general

Thanks in advance for any help

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
I have had some fine soaring in Virginia in the middle of the Winter. Even snow is no real problem Thermals will continue to exist year round, simply smaller and less intense in the winter. I had not heard of a minimum temp for hi-start rubber, this may depend on the specific type used. Pure surgical tubing has been used with good success, as has the cloth covered bungee cord. You will also get reduced operating time from the rechargable batteries in your transmitter and model as the temperature drops. Hang in there and let us know how it is going.
Regards, Dave

[killabudz00]

Hi, i have flown glo and electrics and recently i have been having a lot of fun with the accipter baddius sailplane that i bought on ebay for $60.00 with everything included. I live in Florida so i dont ever have to worry about snow, but the best flying conditions for a new flyer is in little or no wind. Wind is a plane killer. I dont think that the cold weather would effect the preformance of the plane, just make sure that when u first fly it u do a range test and make sure that it is on a day with wind not over 5mph. Have fun!!! RC gliders rule :cool:

[aeajr]

Optimal conditions is low humitidy, low wind, 0-5 mph, moderate temps, 60-70 degrees F, strong sun and some large dark colored areas. This allows for a lot of temp diff between ground and air.

As Dave mentioned above, I thermal all winter. Fewer thermals and less intense, but they are there.

There is a concern about cracking the hi-start rubber in cold weather if it gets into the freezing zone. The rubber may be come brittle. It definately has reduced elasticity so you get weaker launches below 50 degrees. I have launched my spirit at 40 degrees with snow on the ground, but the high start had about half its normal strength, in my estimation.

[creekrat22]

Thanks for all the info everyone. It looks like Sunday is going to be a great day for flying. Hopefully I don't have any crashes..LOL

[aeajr]

What kind of plane did you get?

Do you have any slope areas near you. Many termal duration sailplanes can also be used for slope soaring.

[aeajr]

Thermals are with us all year round. I had my best flight this year in January in NY, 58:43 and it was below 40 degrees F.