Exploring deep in the mountains, or scouring a ridge for lift offer a perspective of the world few people get to enjoy. Equally, being caught out by shifting gusty winds when landing is an experience preferably avoided. Both require a fine tuned awareness and understanding of how the air is flowing on the large and small scale.  The closer you fly to the ground the more fine tuned your awareness needs to be to stay ahead.

This course dives into a wide range of airflow systems. You will learn what causes air to move, how it interacts with terrain, and finally, how to read the atmosphere for lift, sink, turbulence and smooth air.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

BE ABLE TO VISUALIZE AIRFLOW

CHOOSE YOUR RIDE

UNDERSTAND SMALL AND LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS

FIND AND USE RIDGE LIFT

MANAGE SINK AND TURBULENCE

ANTICIPATE CHANGING CONDITIONS

• Boundary layer

• Wind gradients

• Parcel theory

• Large scale systems

  • Mesoscale flows

  • Inversions

• Local winds

• Circulation

  • Diurnal and Seasonal

  • Uplsope

  • Downslope

  • Heat fronts

  • Gravity winds

  • Magic air

• Ridge lift

  • Terrain

  • Wind

  • Soaring

  • Hazards

• Gap winds

• Venturi

• Wind Shadow

• Convergence

• Nocturnal Inversions