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Trigger Points example, 10/2017

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 11:28 am
by gracecab
Had something to share about my flight last Sunday, in the spirit of education and sharing...

It's been awhile since I went downrange a little, having a mentor to follow who was willing to 'sky shepherd' me.

Mainly this graphic shows the differences between flying using the faces of peaks and using the front points below them.

Overview light.png
Triggers today


Conditions: No wind, medium lapse rate (subjective), sunny. Topping out at about 3500, at least I was.

Notice that the Yellow track, was getting nice thermals right in front (200-400 feet) out front of the Faces of Westbowl and Cathedral, whereas the purple (uh that'd be me) was using the faces to maintain.

The difference was that, I had to work a lot more to get and stay at my peak height, whereas using a triggered thermal got the Yellow to about as high as could get on the faces.

Also, I didn't really have a clear idea of where the triggers in front of Westbowl were when I was flying (check out Crackasauce videos and Google Trigger points), not that I was thinking of using them. I'm usually a ridge soarer and used to Bates, so that may have something to do with staying close to the face, but we're not at the beach anymore Dororthy, so watching others, birds, etc are good things to do to venture out and find lift. Sure, there may have been a boomer off the face, as I saw Neal get off the west spine of Westbowl when I was flailing... but the outside points were working better. (notice topography gives a 'release' of thermals on the two points before the spines merge onto Westbowl proper).

So, that's it. Yellow took their height to tag No Name, and come back, and still get up using the outside point of Westbowl again, and then finish the task that day... while I finally started searching out front but going too far then not understanding how much time I still really had to get up again... landed 'out' at the T.

Great day to pay dues though. Watched Mitch (how many white wings are out there) do the task nice and high over everything to VOR and back in the shade of the tree at the T... not a bad post flight visual lesson.