Logging sailplane flights

I've been doing some sailplane flying out at Invermere, BC lately, and
recording my flights using a variety of tools. Oftentimes there'll be
a Colibri flight recorder in the glider - it's an IGC-certified GPS
and datalogger. But also I often fly with a Garmin Venture cX, which can record flights, and occasionally I've flown with a Wintec WBT-201 Bluetooth GPS/logger.

Here's a trip report of a flight on July 14th, recorded by both the
Wintec and the Garmin. If you want to compare the recording behaviour of the two loggers, download the two .gpx tracks and then open them both in a program like GoogleEarth.

Here's a screenshot of GoogleEarth showing the two tracklogs. I raised
one of them (and coloured it red) in order to separate it slightly so
as to be visible. Note that there is pretty good agreement between the
two tracks except at the end (when the Garmin inexplicably shut off).

Soaring Forecasts with Dr. Jack

The best source of soaring forecasts in N. America is provided by "Dr. Jack" Glendenning, a sailplane pilot based in California.  The Canadian Rockies Soaring Club in Invermere, BC, has sponsored one of his BLIPSPOT forecasts for that location.

The BLIPSPOT forecasts contain a wealth of information allowing pilots to assess the day's flying conditions much better than is possible using the public forecast or even an aviation forecast like the GFA. 

Two versions of Dr. Jack's forecasts are available for the Invermere area. One is the text version containing all major parameters on one page.  The other is an index page where you can select, and view, full-colour maps showing the variability of the parameters over a wider range (the whole NW US - SW Canada area).  Further, Dr. Jack provides access to forecasts produced using both RUC and NAM models.

It costs $20/year for full access to Dr. Jack's forecasts. For $50/year, you can sponsor a BLIPSPOT forecast for your location. Well worth it!

Questions?

(submitted by e-mail)

Smoky skies in the Kootenays

Today's sailplane flight was marked by the heavy smoke from nearby forest fires, making visibility poor (less than 10-15 km at times). I had to take a 2000m (7000') tow way into the back range in order to find any lift at all. Only once I had reached the inversion, at just under 3000m, was it possible to release and climb up to cloudbase at 3600m. Later I got as high as 3850m and was able to cross the valley to the edge of the Purcells, but the smoke was thicker there and I got shot down.

Here's my flight track:



There are a few pictures from the day on the same website that's hosting that flight track, mtbguru.com. Click on the little camera icons on the flight track to see the picture that was taken at that location.

The flight is also logged at paraglidingforum.com, and on the OLC.