Sheriff Responds to AOPA

On Monday, January 21, 2013 4:15:54 AM UTC-7, Peter Higgs wrote:
At 05:38 21 January 2013, GC wrote:

On 21/01/2013 11:46, Bill Palmer wrote:

The reality is that the nuclear containment domes are virtually

impenetrable by aircraft. I recall seeing a video study wherein they

ran an F-4 (or something similar) into a section of one and the

airplane was vaporized while the cement structure was unscathed. The

public doesn't quite understand the fragile nature of an airframe,

and that ramming a nuclear facility with one is about a worrisome as

pelting it with eggs.





Can't blame people really. Everybody knows now how fragile skyscrapers

can be when rammed by a 767 and, to most people, large tower buildings

look to be at least as solid as a nuclear dome. That's the reality to

be dealt with.



GC





I think two facts remain...



Even a 66% efficient power station produces 33% waste heat. So if it is a

100 MW station, there is a nice 33 MW Thermal continuously rising on the

lee side.



In the UK (world leaders in democracy?) ALL Nuclear Facilities have a 2

mile and 2000ft Restricted Safety Zone around them.



You can't have your cake and eat it.... Please decide.



phiggs

A typical power plant these days is between 1,500 and 5,000 MW. Those powered by fossil-fuel are less than 40% efficient, so you may have 1,000 to 3,000 MW of heat available for your thermal.

Our local nuke here in Arizona is 3,000 MW and probably has 1,000 MW going up the cooling towers. I've never been low enough over it to really check it out, however.

Mike

Mike

"soartech" wrote in message
...

Darlington County, S.C., Sheriff J. Wayne Byrd


Interesting.
News of the Weird has an entire section devoted to people with the
middle name of Wayne.

I'm one of them!!!

H Wayne Paul
http://www.soaridaho.com/

We have two nuclear power plants within gliding distance of each other. One has as cooling tower. I regularly use it as a thermal.

The thermal is extremely narrow.. so banks of 90 Degrees are not uncommon. Additionaly you need a lot of speed around a 130 KM/h since the thing is so rough. An additional difficulty is that the downdraft around the outside is around the same as in the updraft.. so if you stick the tail out, expect to see just blue sky. Done right it takes you up a km in under a minute.

What is interesting is that it isn't always the same. Sometimes it doesn't work at all.. sometimes its narrow as described, sometimes you get moderate climb values from several Km away.

The thermal source is well known.. and its not uncommon to find the fields of entire competitions circling over that powerplant.

- Folken

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 5:45:28 AM UTC-5, folken wrote:
We have two nuclear power plants within gliding distance of each other. One has as cooling tower. I regularly use it as a thermal.

Anyone have a report on the quality of thermals coming off of solar panel arrays? The panels are black and tilted to the sun.

On Jan 22, 6:35*am, son_of_flubber wrote:
Anyone have a report on the quality of thermals coming off of solar panel arrays? * The panels are black and tilted to the sun.

I had high hopes when they installed solar panels approximately a mile
away from the Avenal airport. Sadly, they do not seem to generate any
more thermals than the fields that used to be there did; possibly
less.

Bart

Just dont try to land there with the gapa

The thermal is extremely narrow.. so banks of 90 Degrees are not uncommon.

False.

http://www.rainierflightservice.com/...ctor-chart.gif

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 9:47:48 PM UTC+1, sisu1a wrote:
The thermal is extremely narrow.. so banks of 90 Degrees are not uncommon.



False.



http://www.rainierflightservice.com/...ctor-chart.gif

Thermaling is not a coordinated turn.

90 degree bank is a lot steeper than most pilots imagine. Unless you are current in acro anything over 60 degrees will feel like 90. And unless its a transient condition caused by turbulence any intentional 90 degree bank for more than a few seconds would result in an impressive sink rate regardless of the strength of the thermal. But it makes for a good hangar story: "There I was at 300 ft over the nuke cooling tower, banked to 90 degrees and barely climbing..."

Kirk
66

On Jan 22, 9:55*am, Tony wrote:
Just dont try to land there with the gapa

Which part of "approximately a mile away" is confusing you? ;-) The
mighty Geezer might be capable of such an epic cross-country flight
(except the landing, of course). I am just a sidekick.

Bart