Thermal Lore by Dennis Pagen

Soaring pilots live and dream under the thrall of thermals. Sure, ridge lift lets us zoom around and play local hero, waves are a gift from the gods and convergence is a magic carpet when you find it. But only thermals are consistently present and readily exploitable by even newly fledged novice pilots. Thermals are intriguing because they are mostly invisible and they can take us to dizzying heights, in some cases higher then big brother wants our tender wing to go.

Another aspect of thermals is that they reward the development of certain skills, but involve an element of dumb luck. Just as with fishing or picking up a new romance at a party, you can never be 100% sure about what you are going to come up with when you go trolling. It is that element of expectation and surprise that adds spice to the endeavor. With thermals, we cast our net based on knowledge and how much height we have to spent, then hope for the best. The fact that it so often pays off is a tribute to our glider’s performance, the wealth of knowledge that has accumulated in the flying community and the abundant lift that nature affords. Many of us wish that fishing for seafood or mates had such a high rate of return.