Todd Pattist wrote:

"Greg Arnold" wrote:

My final comment on this matter -- you are talking about exceptions to the
general rule, not about the general rule. Exceptions to the general rule
don't disprove the general rule.

OK, but the general rule is that the rate of climb in the
next thermal has to equal the rate of climb in the current
thermal for the current thermal to affect your cruise speed
to the next thermal. As soon as that's not true, the next
thermal and it's an "exception." Thus we agree on
what the pilot does, even if we don't agree on how to
describe it :-)


And anyway, even if both are equivalent, it is simpler to
state "the next thermal controls (with no exception)", than
"the climb rate at the top of the last thermal, which should
be the same at the bottom of the next one, controls, with
some exceptions"