Glider Too Low in the Mountains

Day One of the New Zealand multi-class National Gliding Championships, January 2021 (not Dec like the video says!)
We flew around and over a lot of amazing mountains and lakes in the South Island of New Zealand. Launching from Omarama.
Glider is a Ventus cT
Flight available at:
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Scores at:
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00:00 Intro
00:29 Weather and Task
01:16 Launch
01:57 Leg One
03:53 Getting stuck in the mountains
05:48 Leg Two
09:07 Leg Three
11:17 Final Glide
12:18 Final Scores
12:35 Crazy Crosswind Landing

[@Johan-ex5yj]

Simply a man having fun with his glider, trying to make sense of what the weather is doing, and honest enough to admit when he doesn’t know what he’s doing… Does that sum it up? Another brilliant video, Tim! 👍

[@PureGlide]

Exactly! I have no idea what's happening most of the time :)

[@Johan-ex5yj]

@@PureGlide Funny thing is; for someone that has “no idea..” you still do pretty well, finishing 4th! :-)

[@keenanmackey3694]

I have to say you produce some of the the best gliding videos on youtube, I've learned a ton from them! You've inspired me to take up soaring. I recently joined my local club and started flight training, and I'm loving every minute of it. Thank you sir! Keep up the great videos.

[@PureGlide]

Wow, thanks! that's wonderful to hear you're giving it a go. Hope it goes well, and just shout if you have any questions, or ask on the gliding subreddit www.reddit.com/r/Gliding/

[@henrikcarlsen1881]

I guess you get used to gliding in the mountains but in flat land Denmark I can feel my nerves itch during the watching.

[@PureGlide]

Don't worry my nerves often itch during these flights too!

[@CLdriver1960]

Great commentary while you’re flying. Learning a lot as you’re making decisions of what lines to fly!

[@PureGlide]

Awesome, glad you liked it, cheers!

[@SEILLC]

@@PureGlide Agree w CLdriver. Good stuff. Decision making skills on display. As a skydiver, I understand not having an engine to power out of things. Not the same as you, but closer than anything else. Great vid!

[@KB4QAA]

I think I could like this!

[@PureGlide]

Excellent! It is very likeable :)

[@77thTrombone]

Too low in the mountains seems like a good title. It struck at ~10:20 and again around 11:30. 😬 I was wondering if you were looking to pick up a stray sheep along the way. Catching a thermal over a glacier seems a contradiction in terms. Given conditions, it also seemed like a pilot culling contest. Several comments about "I don't know what I'm doing..." Lemme take the stick and remove you what "not knowing what you're doing" looks like. If your knuckles are up for the whitening, I'm up for the demo!

[@adrianflower3230]

Epic task, thanks for sharing. For me, that's what your channel is all about, showing what's possible and how to give it a go. More of these please! 👍👍👍

[@PureGlide]

Awesome, thank you! Glad you liked it

[@Justwantahover]

Brave gliding over the mountains so close without an engine!

[@iannewman2043]

Great video. Brought back some memories. I flew the Tasman trophy in Omarama in 1990 in a Libelle. What a challenge after a Nimbus 2 but some of the best flying I have ever done. Even managed to win a day outright in it. Another day was 500k all in wave. Nearly outlanded at Erewhon but Terry and Lindsay saved me. :-)

[@PureGlide]

Hey that's awesome! I did the Tasman Trophy too, once in NZ, and another time in AU :)

[@vortex_un]

what a beautiful scenery + landing. thanks for sharing.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you! Cheers

[@louisfkoorts5590]

Wow, each time You guys go gliding. For me, It's like you have achieved something out of this world! And it cause a childlike tension and exhilaration in me. 😁 (Well I am a layman. 🤭) Thanks for sharing these adventures.

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks for watching Louis, glad you enjoyed it!

[@capnordest]

Being a not too experienced flat land glider pilot, watching you get low in the mountains there would have put the fear of God into me!

[@PureGlide]

It takes a bit of training and practice! I was in glide of a safe landing at all times during this flight, so it's never as scary as it might look in the video :)

[@thomaskolb8785]

Haha, I agree, those jagged, snowy peaks sure look intimidating. Even with an engine I would be much less calm.

[@plazaba]

Once again, great video. Very didactical and interesting with really nice edition. Thanks for it

[@PureGlide]

My pleasure, cheers!

[@GC987]

Another great flight. I think you've nailed it at 9:25 :- Closer to the mountains is the answer for lift in the mountains (or indeed over the ridges). Have a great weekend. Thanks for another great VLOG.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Graeme, yeah I think so too :)

[@tomarmstrong1281]

My gliding experience was in England and Sotland. The sight of those mountains was scary. Even in England with a good selection of fields for out landings, it was necessary to have a reasonable degree of skill and knowledge to stay safe. However, I guess if you train in mountainous territory you learn the things which you have to know. This guy appeared comfortable enough.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks! Yeah we had landing options at all times despite what it looks like in the videos :) luckily the mountains are high so you can glide a long way from them

[@tomarmstrong1281]

@@PureGlide Thank you for the reply. I am sure that was and is the case. The statistics support what you say. Living in the U.K. it was always my intention to fly in the Alps. I regret that I didn't when I had the opportunity. Now, having succumbed to the restrictions of old geezerism it's unlikely that I ever will, but you never know.

[@MattyEngland]

Great video as always. You've definitely made me want to try gliding one day 👍

[@louisfkoorts5590]

Thanks for "keeping it real", I was carried away, earlier on. 👋🏻

[@PureGlide]

Awesome, that's the goal!

[@BradsFlyingJourney]

very impressive! I fly out of Moorabbin in powered planes and love your commentary. I know almost nothing about gliders but this video and the past few have inspired me to take a few more lessons in gliders!

[@PureGlide]

Awesome great to hear! No doubt you’ll enjoy it :)

[@buskersatwork]

That was great... thank You. I miss flying.... NZ is a tad more scenic than Kingaroy and Narromine....

[@PureGlide]

Hi yeah it’s pretty good! I’m keen to get back to Kingaroy though…

[@iangordon1371]

Another fantastic video! It occurs to me that as some of the viewers have no experience of gliding it would be useful to positively identify the speeded up sections of the video for the sake of clarity. How about an indication top left- e.g. x8, small but legible. Flying in NZ is something different - we flew a Flyinn 172 round S Island and out to Stewart Island. Love being reminded of the mountains!

[@PureGlide]

I never sped up any footage? that was all normal speed. Just joking, the time-lapse always has music as it doesn't have any sound, so there's a way you can tell :) Glad you've had a chance to fly around here, thanks for your comments!

[@colinkellynz]

Thanks Tim for taking us along on another most excellent adventure.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Colin!

[@rederos8079]

Damn, that scenery looks beautiful, I'd love to fly in nz someday... Or even a hike would do, although both would be the best

[@PureGlide]

Pretty good eh! Well worth a trip to the South Island if you can :)

[@kirkglundal4289]

Thank you for sharing! You point out atmospheric features or anomalies, which is great but then you skip ahead in the video! I would have preferred to watch how your plan played out, whether it worked or failed. Beauty place to fly! Enjoy!

[@PureGlide]

Hey Kirk thanks for the feedback! Cheers

[@jeroenjansen2709]

Amazing ride! It felt as if I was on it.

[@PureGlide]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@maennix]

Great Video, I had been flying there in 1992 when the Treerows in the Background, where still tiny...thanks for the good Coments, just what you think....great....I d like to visit Omarama one day again...great conditions. Days like this were the...no so good Days, but still useful for crosscountry. Good wishes from Germany ::-)

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Manfred!

[@tempest411]

The idea of flying in one of these sounds amazing, but I think I'd freak out so close to those jagged mountain tops with no engine to pull yourself out of bad mistake.

[@PureGlide]

Check my video on how we stay safe and have landing options in the mountains! But yes you do have to be careful of mistakes

[@sidtp7307]

Would be great to see a video on weather & terrain reading. What signs are you looking for that indicate lift/sink. We see you apply those concepts, but a structured overview would be great

[@PureGlide]

Great suggestion! I'll add it to the list of video ideas :)

[@patriciamariemitchel]

Like with a hang glider, you're looking for those thermal updrafts. Try as they may, some people are better at finding them than others. Instinct plays a role but even birds have to come down every so often. Know your limitations. This is a very good teaching video.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks very much! Yes in the mountains I had no idea what was happening :)

[@ravingcyclist624]

Excellent video! Well done! Are these gliders or sailplanes? Is there are difference?

[@PureGlide]

Exactly the same, depends on the region as to which term is used more or less. The US tends to use the term 'sailplanes'. Here in NZ it's both 'gliders' and 'sailplanes' but leaning on 'gliders'.

[@matthewlee4624]

Glad you got a moment to share a nice shot/ enjoy the lake View at 6:46? In the video? What is the white dots at 11:45. Thought they were birds at first. Some XL snowflakes

[@PureGlide]

Thanks! The white dots are raindrops on the canopy, they get blown off :)

[@bushtrackr7730]

Ha- Back in the day, Vaughan was flying a Cirrus. Is that Arcus T crew Grae Harrison and Martin Cook combo?

[@PureGlide]

No I don't think that was Martin & friends this time, it was the Arcus from Auckland :) Cheers!

[@markdeschane4467]

Does a Vario Chirp when climbing only? When decending, does it make a unimteruoted maybe descending sound?

[@PureGlide]

You can choose if it makes noise when descending or not. I choose to, as I think it's just as important to know how much you're sinking as rising! Many find it annoying and want to only know about going up

[@dasemifake]

How do you calculate the speed for the best glide, depending on the mass? Do you always use the same speed and assume there is a small error, do you simply apply formulas/AFM or is it something else entirely? New to sim gliding Edit: Thinking about getting glider license

[@PureGlide]

Great, yeah best speed depends on more than just mass, also bugs on wings, wind, and the amount of sink/lift you are in, and how strong the next thermal is expected to be. There's always an optimum speed. Thankfully we have computers that tell us, look up 'speed to fly' theory or McCready.

[@dasemifake]

@@PureGlide That was useful, thanks!

[@williamaylmer2194]

Nice flying. Does anabatic lift ever play a role in your task strategy in your amazing alpine environment? Perhaps not when the winds are so strong.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah I suspect this day the winds were too strong, but yes especially early or late in the day anabatic and katabatic winds can have an effect. I'm not experienced enough to use them yet, or didn't know I was :)

[@williamaylmer2194]

@@PureGlide I imagine they're at play more than we think but I'd say local knowledge is the key. Watch out for those wily old foxes who go slow and straight and end up above and ahead in the end. A bit like those canny yachtsmen who always seem to prevail on home waters because they know the tidal flows better than anyone else.

[@kirkmason7079]

When you were in the mountains, what was your clearance passing over the ridge. It looked real close. Another enjoyable flight.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks! Yeah it was close, that’s normal for a glider though :)

[@kkiwi54]

@@PureGlide Are gliders exempt from the 500' rule?

[@dukeshaver199]

Great video! Made me sweat just a wee bit lol

[@PureGlide]

Cheers Duke!

[@markdeschane4467]

Also, it appears that Gliders can do much higher bank angles, with out loosing altitude than your typical Cessna. Is this correct?

[@PureGlide]

Oh yes we are often at 60 degrees :) typically thermalling at 45 degrees though

[@TheSoaringChannel]

Hey when the crosswind gets stiff enough at 12:40 - Just land across the runway, eh? Hah! Nice save in the mountains! I'm curious - what is your experience with wet wings and impacted performance as opposed to rain and its outright sink? A lot of people claim wet wings really hurt performance, but I am suspicious that they are simply in sinking air from the moisture. I feel a good wax fixes that anyways as it just runs right off it that way in big beads as opposed to random sheeting.

[@PureGlide]

Depends on the glider, some cope with water better than others. And yes waxes wings does help blow the water off quickly

[@richard0crewe]

Some of the valleys you're soaring over look very remote. How do you manage to recover the glider if you land out in one of them? Can you call on a particularly brave tug pilot, or do you just have write it off and take up another sport?

[@PureGlide]

Haha worst case you have to helicopter it out :) but that’s very rare. We have a lot of airstrips around so usually can get a tow out of them. And a lot of gliders like mine have a sustainer engine so we can get away easily. Cheers!

[@asw19B100]

Commentary makes one feel as if one is riding with the line boy, but the reality for me is that nearly 60 mph is pretty darn fast for a difficult day. Those guys who went 85 really only went 42.5/person so you killed it. From pilots’ mtg how I won the day, “I got high and stayed high”. Me, “that’s what I should have done”.

[@PureGlide]

Exactly right!

[@MrProfessorNietzsche]

Do you fly with water ballast? It looks very cold. Do you check OAT or add antifreeze to your ballast?

[@PureGlide]

Sure do, some do use anti freeze but only if you’re planning a wave flight up to 20,000 feet or more for hours. A large volume of water takes a long time to freeze.

[@sarelventer11]

Nice video to keep the lockdown blues at bay.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Sarel, thought I'd better do something for us poor NZers. Oh and the Aussies...

[@glennwatson]

how many final do you have (making fun of your plural there)? Do you bother announcing full stop landing in case engined fixed wing are nearby or anything?

[@PureGlide]

Haha that’s why it was in quotes. Nah we don’t bother with full stop, I tend to announce when I’m planning a go around though ;)

[@j121212100]

wave riding looks very dangerous. god bless you.

[@PureGlide]

It's not too bad as long as you have somewhere to land :)

[@delerehd5388]

Which Action Cam do you use? Greetings from Germany👋🇩🇪

[@PureGlide]

Hi it's a GoPro Hero 8, check the other gear I use in the description of the video. Cheers!

[@ericoschmitt]

Nice landing! Why did you go so far north after getting into the tp circle? Do you get points for extra distance in these races?

[@PureGlide]

The most important thing for AAT tasks is to not come home early. So I went as far North as I could to make sure. Also it was an easy run along the northern end of the ranges, so that should bump up my average speed too. Check my AAT video for more details about how those tasks work: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYmqdYqbrMqke80

[@Schevron]

Do you fly with two threads on your canopy to better see if you are perfectly straight or any other reason?

[@PureGlide]

I made a video about the double yaw string! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYOcq32tmKyrpbM

[@Schevron]

@@PureGlide ok. Thank you. I must have missed that one - but already watched it right now

[@PureGlide]

I was getting a lot of questions as to why I had 2 :)

[@brooklane1561]

Can someone explain the point scoring system (c.12:15) to a noob?

[@PureGlide]

I should make a video on scoring systems! It's probably a bit much for a youtube comment. Essentially it's a race, whoever goes the fastest gets 1000 points (or less on some days), everyone else is scaled based on how fast they went around the course, or if they landed out, how far they went. Cheers!

[@johnfoster1201]

What direction was the wind coming from, and how strong was it?

[@PureGlide]

Hi I can't remember - not super strong from memory, maybe 10 knots up above the mountain tops?

[@johnfoster1201]

@@PureGlide thanks, Tim. I’m trying to recreate the task in Condor and have a go at it. Also seems like Condor limits turn-point radius to 5km, which further complicates this endeavor. Thanks for your help.

[@imsoaring]

What camera are you using and where is it mounted?

[@PureGlide]

Hi that’s a GoPro beside my shoulder. Link to it in the description of the video! Cheers

[@imsoaring]

@@PureGlide Ta. Found a pic to your mount in another video. Suction cup next to your head. Seems like a good idea. all my other attemps either have no panel, too much panel or other challenges. Going to come up with something similar. In post flight it's nice to see the panel to help in working out if decision making and thermalling techniques are up to scratch.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah I like having the panel in view, then we can read some of the instruments especially if you watch in 4K

[@markdeschane4467]

What do you use your Cell Phone for?

[@PureGlide]

I run aircraft tracking puretrack.io/ which tracks all the gliders and other aircraft around the world.

[@kelvinvanbaalen6495]

Tim, do you have your duo license? 🤙

[@PureGlide]

You mean to fly a Duo Discus? Or to fly with two people? I'm an instructor so yes on the last one. I haven't flown the Duo a couple of times but not rated on it yet. Cheers!

[@kelvinvanbaalen6495]

@@PureGlide I'm not sure on the procedure. Do you need a different license to fly every single different 2 seater? Like a different rating to fly a duo and a different rating to fly an arcus?

[@PureGlide]

Sort of, we have type ratings so someone has to sign you off to fly a particular type. It’s often just a 5 minute briefing on the differences eg going between an Arcus to a discus is not much difference. Cheers!

[@spitfirekid1]

Challenging WX and terrain. Good job.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks!

[@asya9493]

This is beautiful terrain. Unlike here is Australia #flat

[@tgavran1870]

Glider in the air: * slowly gliding * Glider as soon as it touches the ground: *I am speed*

[@PureGlide]

Exactly! It never feels fast in the air…

[@dLoLe]

Bit of a clickbait title considering what most of this video is about

[@PureGlide]

Yeah a bit, but it was the key moment of that flight!