I do have a couple of concerns with Anri’s proposed model. My intent is for this to be constructive criticism.
-
Thermals can exist with a cloud layer height (the distance between the cloud base and the top of the cloud) <6000 ft. I’ve soared IRL in moderate thermals quite a few times with Cumulus with cloud layer height of approx a thousand ft. Typical Cumulous cloud height is a few thousand ft, and the graph should reflect this.
-
There is actually a connection of thermal strength and cloud layer height, although not necessarily linearly as there are a lot of complexities involved (atmospheric stability, forming vs disintegrating, etc). Anri’s model proposes a factor 0.7 max for an ~8000 ft cloud height (as an example). Reality is that taller cloud heights would have much stronger lift, especially considering the strength of a towering Cumulonimbus potential drafts of 40+ m/s. I believe with the in-game max thermic lift limitation, Anri’s graph is probably the best that can be done for now (other than Point 1 above). Ideally, max thermic lift should be closer to 40-45 m/s with the graph updated accordingly at that time.
If they haven’t already, MSFS should really hire a meteorologist to work with those with solid real world gliding/flying experience sim flyers to devise a proper thermal model that is simple enough to be implemented into the game. There are some real-world cloud models to learn from (LES, CRM, SCM) which could be considered.