It isn't the glide ratio that one is concerned with in thermals - rather the
minimum sink rate and the speed for minimum sink.

Usually thermals are fairly localized and glider pilots work a lot to stay
in them. Turns are routinely done by banking between 30 and 60 degrees at
slow relatively slow speeds.

To do this right you need to find your minimum sink speed. Take some glider
lessons and you may get good enough to make it worth worrying about, but I
doubt you can make it work well in a power plane.

If on the other hand you can find some nice ridge lift or wave, then you can
save some gas.

The varios on gliders are generally quite sensitive and finding a thermal in
a power plane is not going to be trivial. Especially if you want to go
someplace.

My advice is to forget about it, but if you are curious, take up soaring -
it is a lot of fun and will improve your piloting skills and knowledge.


"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...
Powered planes do not have the glide ratio of a glider. I've never
thermalled
in a powered plane (or a glider for that matter) but I wonder if you can
get
enough out of one in a 150.

Jose

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