Our first ride on a Morning Glory Cloud in a Phoenix Motorglider

After years of planning and trying, and our 3 day flight up from Benalla, we waited 4 days in Burketown until we got our first Morning Glory wave cloud. It was worth the wait.
The cloud formed up over the gulf out past Swears Island and travelled well inland. We flew nearly 290km and spent nearly 2.5hrs riding on the cloud.
A fantastic first flight on this amazing cloud formation, and the weather looks good for the next few days. More to follow!
The weglide track is here: www.weglide.org/flight/340916
#glider #motorglider #pureflights #morningglory

[@theflyingfool]

What a fantastic weather phenomenon that cloud was! great filming too! Bet you were like cheshire cats on your return :D

[@peterrowntree8]

Living the life!

[@colinjacobs176]

My goodness what a sight. Bucket list material for sure.

[@rogerclarke3291]

HI from the UK. what an amazing video. Thanks for sharing.

[@alwishy2696]

Ive never seen that before, great footage guys.

[@desd1932]

Wow ive never seen clouds like it. Beautiful footage

[@papics]

Beautiful cloud, thanks for sharing!

[@martinpolach1330]

Nice ! Thanks for sharing …

[@foesfly3047]

Burketown looks cool and Savannah Lodge looks just loaded with cool character and excellent vibes. This wave cloud soaring experience was absolutely magical. I don’t understand how any human can possibly feel satisfied with life, if they don’t aviate. Cheers Brother 😎🎩♠️

[@coriscotupi]

Slope soaring on a cloud. It won't get any cooler than this.

[@flyneur]

thanks for sharing this incredible experience! wow!

[@backhandchop759]

Thanks for sharing such a beautiful flight!

[@PureGlide]

Well done! Great video

[@ronaldglider]

Hey, YouToob

[@user-xl1og6sz3l]

INCREDIBLE 😊 I love my Phoenix

[@johno9507]

I've seen very similar formations in the middle of the Pacific on flights from Sydney to LA. 🇦🇺

[@BarryHendy]

They do occur anywhere the hunidity is high and there is a trigger, like a storm. I have seen them in Bass straight, and lots of times in satellite loops over the ocean. There was also a a big one photographed in the Great Australian Bight from a Virgin flight.

[@davidglosser6301]

Splendid video of a wonderful phenomenon. I've flown my Phoenix back and forth from east to west and up and down the eastern seaboard of the USA (several times) but never had the good fortune of seeing such an unusual wave cloud. Thanks for sharing the experience.

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

Pretty much the only place in the world where you see these clouds on a semi-reliable and predictable basis is in the gulf of Carpentaria. But I have seen them, twice, in Bass straight at the south of the mainland in summer. And you do see them on satellite images sometimes.

[@ace4718]

Tremendous! Spectacular views what a flight

[@marcina2967]

Fantastic!

[@sebcam9498]

Awesome experience

[@robordm]

Spectacular stuff

[@MichaelRainabbaRichardson]

That's my idea of. Incredible flight and capture!

[@hanshendrix1558]

Great stuff!

[@nzmeateater]

Thats cool, 👍👍

[@glideslopeza924]

Wow this is incredible, id love to experience this 😮

[@ministeriumfurstartsicherh9895]

Thx4sharing! We had one rolling over Munich, Bavaria a few years ago. But here they are rare like a 9-tail-cat. And of course I was not gliding it.

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

They do happen in lots of places. There was one in Turkey in this video i think - but they didn't realise what it was. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGW9pq14m7Zoe5Y

[@cerulean999]

It's been on this Texan's bucket list for many years, but I don't think I'll get my Grumman down there. Best video I've yet viewed of the Morning Glory. My Insta 360 is ready. Great camera angles you got. Fare well. Harvey Madison

[@kiwijonowilson]

Really interesting. Very different to the wave flying we get in the lee of the southern alps of NZ but no surprises as its a convergence. It looks incredibly smooth and a lot of fun!

[@ronaldglider]

Truely incredible views... "Stretches as far as you can see" *Wow*

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

They can be up to 1,000km long and clearly visible on the satellite images.

[@tinto278]

Crazy this video is not trending.

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

It is climbing... and your comments help thank!

[@Wafflethyme]

Awesome video, I'd love to fly over a cloud like that at some point.

[@aloysiusjones3985]

Amazing. 🇦🇺👍🍺🍺

[@davefoord1259]

So imagine encountering all that with no cloud to show its presence

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

I think that is what they call 'clear air turbulance'. There is a big gust of wind when it goes through, so you would not want to be landing!

[@kisssys5414]

A light wave forms in front of a Cumulus cloud and with care you can climb the wave to the top and above without going in the cloud.

[@dave20thmay]

Is there any problem with uneven cooling of the motor being stopped. Or any with a restart. Flown a Diamond HK.36 Super G and the owner did not want the motor switched off.

[@grahamb701]

I heard of a pilot who flew a small Cessna from Napier to Gisborne and back (New Zealand). Turned the engine off once airborne and back on for the landing. He used the lift from the wave all the way there and back and only had to pay for the run time of the engine and not the full flight time!

[@dave20thmay]

@@grahamb701 That sounds brilliant. Best Dave

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

The rotax engine is happy to be stopped and easily restarts. It was warm here, but there are more challenges with high altitude wave flying where is can get very cold. I also have a 2 battery system to ensure the engine battery is good.

[@ronaldsharp8808]

On my approach to Sweers island in my rv4 for a fishing trip my entire windscreen fogged over trying to fly under a morning Glory. With only small side window visablity I pull out allowing the wind shield fog to disappear. With the morning Glory moved on I made a normal approach and landed. The fishing was great but got the worst migraine and took 3 aspirin and flew back to our Burktown camp This was a part of our Australia circumnavigation. 45 hours flight time over 7 weeks. Details in my book 3 circumnavigations

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

You are brave flying UNDER a glory cloud! There is strong sink on the back side, and strong wind on the ground. One of the guys said he could see the downbursts on the water behind the cloud. I would prefer to wait for it too all pass and quiet down.

[@gbee8888]

5:00 How are you getting those external airborne shots?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

They were with an Insta360 X1 on a selfie stick out the window.

[@jwoodyr1]

Is there any way to advance the prop out of your line of sight? Thanks for sharing!

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

You can kick it over, but it is hard to stop it starting. I did manage to move it by flying fast and toggling the feather lever.

[@drafty43]

How did you get the air to air video?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

It was taken with an Insta360 One X 360 degree (spherical actually) camera on a stick out the window. The software makes the stick dissapear!

[@brianstarr2742]

How many days a year on average does this phenomenon occur and how seasonal is it?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

The clouds happen mainly during September and October, but can happen at other times. It is in the transition from the dry to the wet season. These clouds do happen in other places, but nowhere with the predicatability and regularity of the gulf.

[@gerhardcombrinck7026]

Great video-thanks! Question: how did you video those external views in flight?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

The outside shots are from an Insta360 One X 360 degree (Sherical) camera on a selfie stick out the window. The software makes the stick disapear!

[@gerhardcombrinck7026]

@@FlightsofthePhoenix That is amazing! Thanks. 👍

[@JRprice25]

That’s incredible! Good job!

[@tomarmstrong1281]

Fantastic phenomena. I have flown wave many times, all in the UK. I've never seen a wave bar so long, well-defined, and isolated. I was intrigued by the shots outside and circling just above the cockpit. Did you have a drone? It seems highly unlikely, but by what other means were those camera angles achieved?

[@Chazz155511]

It's not a drone, I think he has a 360 view camera on stick that he holds out the window.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

@@Chazz155511 That would work.

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

Yep, an Insta360 X1 360 degree camera on a selfie stick out the window.

[@OrganicOyster]

Awesome ! What is the L/D ratio for that kind of aircraft ?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

It is quoted at 30:1 best ratio

[@ianbenning2833]

How did you get those close up outside pics?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

Taken with an Insta360 One X 360 degree camera on a selfie stick.

[@pilot3016]

I'm confused. Is this a convergence system, or Wave. I've flown wave at Minden, Nevada and this does not seem accurate.

[@BarryHendy]

It is a wave, triggered by a convergence shock. But it is not the same type of wave as mountain wave, which is a standing wave. The Glory is a shock wave, like a tidal bore wave, travelling through a moist inversion layer.

[@pilot3016]

@@BarryHendy Thanks!

[@andrewjamez]

can you experience down drafts behind the formation?

[@FlightsofthePhoenix]

Absolutely. As strong as the lift. What goes up, must come down. Someone reported seeing down-blasts on the water behind.

[@nightwaves3203]

You neeed to tell those rodeo boys the landing on their heads isn't the idea.