Hang Gliding - FAQ - What's needed?
Watching the videos of low-time HG pilots, one issue seems to occur repeatedly. A lot of new HG pilots are flying straight in zero sink, either near the top of the ridge, or out in open air, when they should be turning back to stronger lift. Then, once they leave this good air, they make the turn which they needed, but in normal air, at the normal sink rate. Some are even making the turn in sink, which is even less helpful, in terms of airtime. Needless to say, these new pilots are soon standing in the LZ, looking up and wondering how the other pilots can still be soaring. It may not be the fault of the new pilot, but rather, it could be that the setting for the lift indication, on the variometer, is not helping them. Seems to me like a lot of varios are arriving, factory set, to indicate only lift which exceeds 20 feet per minute (0,1m/s). For an advanced HG pilot flying in great conditions, this may be a valid choice, but new pilots are seldom flying in such strong or epic conditions. IMHO, the setting that new pilots NEED is the indication of lift at or above zero feet per minute (0 m/s). This means that the vario will be sounding off for lift, at least one-third of the time, and not more than half the time, when the instrument is just parked on the ground. When the new HG pilot is approaching the far end of the ridge, and needing to turn back soon anyway, it is much better (in terms of soaring) to make the needed turn in zero sink, rather than in normal air, or in sinking air.
There is a way to change the setting for the lift indication on electronic variometers. Consult your owner's manual, for adjusting this setting on your vario. I recommend that new HG pilots might consider adjusting this setting for a sound indication of LIFT at zero sink. You can make this adjustment anywhere outdoors, even in the back yard. The vario should be silent on the ground, only about one-half of the time, and calling out LIFT, at any gentle breeze. In flight, if the glider is really zero-sinking, then it is in real lift, at least in lift equal to the normal sink rate of the glider. This zero-sink air is a very good place for a gentle or shallow turn, back to better lift, if a turn soon is in the flight plan anyway.
If the random vario sounds of lift are distracting when the glider is parked and waiting in the set-up area, simply turn off the audio, until it is time to launch, rather than setting the threshold of lift to a lower setting. I believe a lot of new HG pilots will be surprised to find how friendly the sky can be, by turning in zero sink or in very light lift, rather than the lesser (downward) alternatives.
Well, okay, if nobody else will say this, I will... It *really* helps when thermalling, if (MORE)