cool, i didnd't know there was a word for it. the book jus says "slow down in lift, speed up in sink"

On Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 12:44:23 PM UTC-4, kirk.stant wrote:
On Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 8:12:57 AM UTC-5, Bob Pasker wrote:
what does this mean?

On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 3:45:27 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
could just dolphin in the lift.

Bob, to "dolphin" is when lift (or less sink) is detected while on a glide, you pull up and slow down to gain altitude (energy) without turning. Some "S" turning is OK but the point is to not stop forward progress by circling. Especially in long-wing gliders, a final glide can be started well below the theoretical altitude needed, and by careful dolphin flying (or "bumping up" the glide) you can work your way up to a nice comfortable finish. Also works under cloud streets or along energy lines.

One has to be careful not to overdo it during fast inter-thermal cruise and pull on the stick every-time the vario beeps - this "technique" pretty much guarantees that by the time you slow down to min sink, you will be IN SINK!

So best used on days with well marked thermals (clouds, dust devils, gaggles) or late in the day when on a slow final glide and broad areas of light lift or reduced sink are common.

Kirk
66