Thermals and weather

[Guest Paul_S]

I have FU III but can't figure out how to get thermals.I load the very hot weather (100F) and cruise around but can't find any thermals even over built up areas which should give some thermals.I have set the wind accuracy to maximum and ridge lift works like a dream.How do I create weather that will give me thermals?How can I create my own custom weather? The weather dialog in FUIII only allows me to change the winds after or winds before. What about the temperature etc?Maybe I just don't know how to use the interface but the manual that came with FUIII hardly says anything about creating weather.ThanksPaul

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Certainly thermals work and exist in FU3. Most spectacular is the rapid sinking effect over the lakes and rivers. Have you followed Peter James' instructions (in the manual and in the lessons)? I don't remember off the top of my head how to set them up, but from practical logic, wouldn't you need a warm, still day and some nice concrete or light grass fields? Glidernut, help!!!

[PeterR 9]

You generally get warm weather by selecting summer from the season control. Then, keep generating weather until you get the temps you want. The thermal effects are most noticable when gliding between land and water. The glider really drops over the water. Anyway, ridge lift always had a more dramatic effect for me than thermals (or I never found really good thermals to ride on). FU needs some birds as visual cues of where thermals exist. ;-)Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1][tr][td][table border=0 cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align="center" bgcolor=#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/join.htm]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

[Guest glidernut]

Hi Paul,The thermals in FU3 bear no relation to the ground, so its no good looking on the groundfor what might giv rize to a thermal.Nuthing on the ground will giv you a thermal in FU3.The thermals in FU3 are under the clouds, and are found nowhere els.The thermals are atached to the clouds, and moov along with them.So if you want thermals, you need a weather file with as meny clouds as posibl in it.Unfortunatly the clouds in FU3 are spred out too much, and the distence bitween themis all too often too far to go from one thermal to another.So If you want to go from A to B then use slope lift, and only take advantage of the odd thermalif the odd thermal just hapens to be on root.If you go chasing after thermals, the chanses of geting there are slim.Having sed that, it is posibl, only just, to go from the mountins on one side of Seattle to the mountins on the otherside of Seattle useing only thermals.I did it several times a long time ago, but I tryed it agen reesantly and faled miserably.The best way of geting from the mountins on one side of Seattle to the mountins on the otherside of Seattle, is by useing "WAV" lift, not thermals or slope lift.Hav you seen my torking vidiow on wav lift in FU3 ? If not, then you should.Filename: open me.zip Added: 4th June 2001 Downloads: 207 Author: John Lewis Size: 3146kbInfact, everything in the librery dun by the Author: John Lewis, thats me, is sumthing to do with gliding.Anyway, back to thermals.To expereance thermal lift, I sergest you put the TURBULENCE slider in weather optionsto about a quorter low.This is bicous thermal lift has mor turbulence than the surounding air, and you can ditecta thermal by the extra turbulence you encounter on entering a thermal.And if the turbulence disapeers, then you know you hav cum out of the thernal.If you hapen to be in amungst the mountins and clouds at the same time, then this extraturbulence "or the lack of it" is the only way of knowing what form of lift you are in.Insidently, the instrement in the cocpit that tels you wether you are in lift or not isthe one with "winter" riten on it.Also, in the Weather screen, dont use high winds like you would for slope lift or wave lift.If you do use high winds, then the cloud along with the thermal underneeth it will moovacros the landscape faster than the glider will fly, and you wont be able to sercal in its lift.To change the speed of the wind in the weather screen, you can "drag" and "drop" from inbitweenthe bubl arows.If you imagen a cloud over the sea, or low lying land, then the lift of the thermal under thecloud starts at a point about harf way bitween the ground and the cloud.Bilow this point there will not be inuf lift to keep you airborn, even thow you can stillfeel turbulance.Abuv this point, the lift gets stronger and stronger the higher you go, untill you get tothe midl of the cloud, where the lift starts to peeter out and finishes at the top.I sergest you leev the thermal just bifor you enter the cloud, or you will hav to fly oninstrements.So the best place to expeereance thermal lift, is high up under a cloud.Glidernut.:-wave

[Guest jonpoint]

Paul,Try my weather file (in another post here). It has little wind but lots of clouds. It's my favourite gliding/screenshot weather. You should have no problems finding thermals in there!There are instructions in the post ;):-waveJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[PeterR 9]

Well, that would explain why I never find good thermals. I gotta head for the clouds! Thanks for the tip John. But if the clouds are always far apart I might stick with riding the ridges.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)

[Guest Paul_S]

Well I know in real life that a build up of new cumulus clouds is an almost sure sign of thermal activity.The pockets of rising air cool down and when the moisture in them drops to the dew point or below, water vapour appears.Where I live in South Africa thermals are the only source of lift for soaring (we don't have large mountains inland).We also get blue thermals - that's thermals without any clouds in the sky but that doesn't happen very often.So FUIII doesn't have blue thermals ... that explains why I couldn't find any thermals. :)Paul

[Guest jonpoint]

"But if the clouds are always far apart I might stick with riding the ridges."Hence why I recommend my weather file. It's not for those that like a lot of sunshine but I have flown all over the Cascades with it (without an engine - nyuk, nyuk)! Find a spot (Lewis Valley is fine - awww, haven't released it yet...) or Forest Falls/Sky Harbour/Skykomish etc, get up to ~7kft and go exploring ;)My longest distance flight over the mountains was from Easton to just below Skykomish. Took hours. I've tried again since but with less luck!:-waveJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Guest R_Driscoll]

I think glidernut is correct in saying that clouds are an indication of updraft thermals, but I still think downdrafts over lakes/waterways are modelled separately - check your variometer as you pass over a lake edge. Or is it my imagination? Can anyone confirm / deny this? (I'm not an expert on gliding. Everytime I jump out of a window I go thunk kersplat straight to the ground. I'll leave this to the experts).RobD.

[PeterR 9]

Yes, Rob. I have experienced the lack of rising air over water. I believe the FU2 manual mentions this. Ah, yes, here it is on page 22:"The strength and direction of updrafts and downdrafts are derived from the presence of stormy conditions, the time of day, the type of terrain you're currently flying over (i.e., water, city, etc.), and the topography of the terrain (i.e., flat or mountainous)."When a rain level is specified at the Quick Flight screen, storm conditions are activated which calculate the winds as if the player were flying within the leading edge of the storm. This means updrafts increase in intensity with altitude, until the upper cloud layer altitude is exceeded, at which point there's a slight downdraft. Eventually, the downdraft tapers off with altitude."At night, urban areas and water, being warmer than the surrounding land, will generate updrafts. During the day, water, which is cooler than the surrounding terrain, will generate downdrafts, which, once again, dissipate with altitude."Mountainous terrain will generate both updrafts and downdrafts proportional to the slope of the terrain, and the velocity of the prevailing winds at altitude. The windward side of the mountain (i.e., that side facing the wind) will generate updrafts, while the other (leeward) side will generate downdrafts. These updrafts/downdrafts dissipage with altitude."So, you may need to select some rain in the weather setting for maximum thermal effects.The FU2 manual is an excellent informational resource. In addition to the SF scenery, the manual makes the FU2 package worthwhile if you only have FU3.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)

[Guest glidernut]

Paul, & any one interested,Iv just created this wether file for thermals in Seattle.Try it out,Iv spesificaly desined it for travaling acros Seattle from West to Est useing only thermals.You hav to go from one thermal to the next, about 12 thermals in all, to get to the other side.It takes about 40 minits.The small red arow in the snap-shot shows you where to start at 40000 ft, and go Est, towords the moon.The squigaly red line is the distance I traveld in trying out this weather file.Did you know that you can see your onwe red squigaly line at any time during a flight bypresing m and then sWhats that you say? you allredy know that! "O". The Wether file gos in FU3 Weather folder.In the FU3 weather screen, lode the weather file named Thermals.Clik on the Settle map in FU3, where you hav seen the little red arow and choos 40000 ft,and then hed Est towords the moon going from one cloud to the next.Ps, In roder to see and hav all the clouds in this wether file, you must firstgo into options and put the FAIR-WEATHER CUMULUS ON & ENHANCED CUMULUS ON.Glidernut.:-wave

[Guest Paul_S]

Thanks GlidernutRegardsPaul

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Excellent animation glidernut! I think that says it all.

[PeterR 9]

That's a cool animation! And thanks for the weather file.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)