windstar electric

[pedsnurse]

what is a good height to fly a glider at and still see the plane?

[Dave Robelen]

Hi pedsnurse,
That is what I would call a good question. When I am flying a sailplane in a thermal, the visibilty of the model pretty much sets the limit. How high is that? This is the tough part because hardly anyone has the stuff to measure altitude, and the visibilty changes with the model size.
Regards, Dave Robelen

[cometkid]

Hi,
This is all relative to the size of your sailplane. A hand launch will almost disappear at 1,000 feet when a 2-meter ship will be reasonably visible. Open Class ships 100"+ are the best for doing cross country and hour-plus duration attempts.

But, if your question has to do with the best height to be at in order to thermal - the higher you can cruise the better.

Remember to color the underside of your wings and stab with a black or navy scheme. Lots of beginners will see an all-white sailplane disappear in light haze. So, color the upper surfaces and the fuselage any light color. But keep the bottom dark.

And, finally IMHO the best insurance to keep a plane in lift in sight is to fly with someone. Use that flying buddy as a spotter. It is truly amazing how you can have total concentration on the position of the aircraft at altitude, glance away and find that your ship is "lost."