"Anonymous Anonymous" wrote in
message ...
Many years ago when I was being taught to thermal,
ALL of my instructors here in the UK taught me to sense
which wing pitched up and to turn in that direction
in order to find and centre the thermal (subject to
no other glider already being established in the thermal
of course).

I would imagine that any benefit achieved by turning
against any airmass rotation in the thermal would be
greatly outweighed by turning into the thermal towards
the core in the initial turn and then sticking with
that direction (subject to the first turn being in
the correct direction).

My instructors also used to watch for any bias students
might show in their turns in order to ensure that they
are comfortably able to turn in either direction (and
therefore centre thermals as fast as possible).

I would imagine that any pilot who has a 'preferred'
turning direction (either becasue they like turning
in that direction or because they believe they will
benefit from some rotational effect) is going to be
slower to cente a thermal compared to a pilot of similar
ability who has no such preference.

Although I was taught the same in the UK, there are other techniques. One
method suggests that you will center more quickly by turning away from the
lifted wing and find the core 270degs later and that by
turning toward the lifted wing you will fish around for the core longer.

Frank Whiteley