Ridge soaring - Distance from the ridge

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1

This is a question for real-life glider pilots or fellow Condor pilots.

I have spent many hours and kilometers in the gliding simulator Condor. I feel that in MSFS you really have to be far away from the ridge or slope to catch an updraft. In Condor we flew closer to the mountain/ridge. Unless it was an illusion because of the Condor 1.0 scenery engine.

I realize that the closer the moving air is to the surface of the earth, it slows the air down due to friction. But I feel that in MSFS (especially for the 40th Anniversary edition) it comes to an absolute standstill too far away from the ground surface). Or in MSFS the updraft dies too quickly the closer you get from the surface of the earth.

I need some insight please from the pilots who have experience. Is MSFS correct?

2

In the real world, at low altitudes you fly very close to the ridge to get the updrafts, but the higher you get, the further from the ridge you need to fly before it peters out. From my experience, msfs does not seem to model ridge lift very well and the lift you get along ridges is pretty random and variable in places where you might expect almost continuous left especially in high winds.

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3

In the real world if you are low to the ridge very close to get maximum lift. But don’t get downwind of the ridge because there you can hit severe downdraft, which can drag you down into the terrain and that has killed people in real life.

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4

Thanks that was my thinking as well. Looks like it needs more work then.

5

Thanks. That I experienced that in Condor and saw that on a Youtube video where the wave at higher altitudes were ridden. There I understand one is far from the ridge. And you have to find it. It invisible. But lower down I feel you have to fly too far from the hillside. Almost like a tunnel of no lift under the updraft.

Also fell off on the wrong side of the rigde and couldn’t return in Condor. Frightening.

Btw. Like your avatar. Very funny.

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6

I think that’s why on the Ridge Soaring tutorial (if you’ve played that one) unless you get an ‘A’, it suggests to play it again to get used to those distances it expects.

7

I did indeed try that one. Got a B a few times. At one time I was so far away from the ridge that it didn’t even register I was at the ridge.

I hate the distance as it is currently. I want to fly closer. It’s like shaving.

8

Hi Bender,

Here is a video from the late Balleka, (Matt Wright).

Charles.

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9

I used to do this when I was much younger. I must have been mad, but it was good at the time :rofl:

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10

I flew paragliders for many years and did a lot of ridge running in the UK and Europe. The rule of thumb was to move out from the ridge at an upwards angle of 45 degrees to get the best lift i.e. the higher you are, the further out you go. It seemed to work.

I love flying the gliders in VR but for some reason, the vario tone is silent. Is there a volume or on/off switch ?

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11

Good tip thanks. 45 degrees.

Not sure about the volume. Also look under the Sound menu in General options. Maybe you turned a slider down there.

12

There’s plenty of other ambient noise, I just can’t hear the vario and have to keep looking at the VSI needle.

I’ll have a fiddle with the buttons and see what happens.

13

Finally got to watch the video you linked. That is what my expectations are for ridge soaring. Spot on example on how it should be in MSFS as well.

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