Vintage Sailplane Racer? Now that is COOL! My pal Tony Condon
(Cherokee II N373Y) and I were just discussing organizing a vintage/low
performance contest of sorts...

The Dew line/ Dry line usually moves east and downslope during the
daytime driven by convective mixing (as I understand it) and retreates
up-slope to the west during the nighttime hours. It can extend from
Marfa all the way to the Dakotas and often starts the day along
longitude 100 where the terrain is roughly 3000msl. It is a unique
atmospheric boundary in that it has a more or less vertical cross
section (unlike a cold or warm front) is amazingly sharply defined, and
often several thousand feet deep. As it churns eastward some sections
will move faster than others so it will develope bulges. When
thunderstorms form (on the moist east side) in the troughs between the
bulges they become isolated from other storms. This allows them to
grow without competition from other storms for moisture. With dry air
to the west, north, and south the storm structure can be easily viewed
and safely approached by researchers, photographers, stormchasers...

I've often wondered if sailplanes could be utilized to study the small
scale structure and movement of the dryline.


Steve Leonard
Vintage Sailplane Racer