You'd be surprised how many pilots think the wind affects the glider's
controlability and stall characteristics. The closer it gets to the
ground, the more certain they become that the wind exerts a palpable
force on the glider. But I doubt any will voice such a belief in this
forum. Debrief them after flying in a stiff wind, and you might be
surprised (or not) by their comments.



"Martin Eiler" wrote in message ...
Here are two simple questions. The glider is an ASK-21
and for both questions the wind conditions are a smooth
steady 25 knots with no wind shear or gradient.

1. The pilot is holding North on his compass and the
glider is trimmed for 43 knots. He has a 90 degree
right cross wind from the East. The pilot then releases
the controls to see what the glider will do.
Do you believe the glider will turn into the wind,
downwind or stay facing North?

2. The pilot next decides to practice stalls upwind and
downwind to find out if they are the same other than
the groundspeed.
Will he or should he notice any difference?

M Eiler