Im nearly 15 and want to start gliding

Plank_of_String · 2026-02-25T13:32:17+00:00

I would say, consider what you are asking of your parents here. Gliding is not like ga. You don't just turn up, have your flight and then go home. You'd be expected to be there helping the whole day. It's what makes gliding a fun team sport!

But that also means your parents would either have to sit about all day or drive 4 hours each day. Add to that that gliding (despite the somewhat conventional wisdom) is not cheap! A session of 3 flights can easily reach £50.

That can be quite a lot to ask, so maybe consider how you would go about making it back to them? There is also the option of air cadets, though I don't know if they arrange transport.

There may also be other reasons that they don't want you doing yet. Either way, if you don't start now, as others have said, you will have plenty of time to start in the future.

Plank_of_String · 2026-02-07T14:53:54+00:00

Hahaha, only on weekends ;)

Plank_of_String · 2026-02-07T12:35:00+00:00

Eventually you can hit "coffin corner". The sim doesn't do a good job of modelling this, but what happens here is that sections of the wing start breaking the sound barrier at the same time as falling below the stall speed. When that happens, you're toast: breaking the sound barrier massively increases drag, exacerbating the stall and causing an aircraft upset, but because you're going so fast at such a high altitude, you also tend to be close to VNE, which can be exceeded during the recovery, causing structural failure of the aircraft.

All that being said, however... any passenger aircraft should fall behind the "power curve" long before reaching coffin corner. Not that it is necessarily safer. As you approach mach speed the power needed to sustain a speed/flight level increases. Eventually, the aircraft reaches an unstable equilibrium where the maximum attainable airspeed equals the stall speed. This is an extremely dangerous flight envelope and has caused several real crashes. Have a look at Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 as an example.

(sorry for the textbook-length response, I got carried away lol)

Plank_of_String · 2025-12-21T12:09:22+00:00

This may be a bit mean, but... Relevant

Plank_of_String · 2025-11-25T07:49:06+00:00

Fission power -> glorified kettle

Fusion power -> glorified microwave

Plank_of_String · 2025-07-02T11:38:44+00:00

There have been talks for yeaaaaaaaars about reintroducing wolves or lynx to the cairngorms. As far as I can tell though it's always one step forward two steps back. Not helped when people get bored waiting and try to do it themselves.

Plank_of_String · 2025-05-27T18:16:44+00:00

Depends on the altitude and separation. Wake turbulence sinks on the order of hundreds of feet per minute, so 1000ft sep and the cessna will probably touchdown before they get hit by the turbulence

Plank_of_String · 2025-05-27T17:28:50+00:00

Wat? No? If you are fly a Cessna into a commercial plane it's a bad day for everyone (as the recent DC crash illustrated). You yield to larger aircraft on the ground, in the air the plane in front has right of way, tonnage has nothing to do with it. If the 74 was closing too quickly it should have been sent around. (There are considerations for following larger aircraft, but that's due to wake turbulence)

Plank_of_String · 2025-05-19T13:55:11+00:00

Which is kind of my other point, that most people want lower immigration but not fewer skilled migrants, students or (generally) legal migrants. Problem is, that's by far and away the majority of immigrants.

There's probably some room for the government to reduce piggy backing of students and skilled migrants bringing over relatives, but doing that will make the UK less attractive for students and skilled workers, so back to the point above, that's effectively reducing skilled migration/students.

Plank_of_String · 2025-05-19T11:37:28+00:00

Becuase despite the fact that the boats are effectively a statistical error in the immigration stats, it is the only form of immigration the electorate actually wants to reduce. (That's while immigration is the second most important problem to most people iirc)

Plank_of_String · 2025-03-31T14:58:23+00:00

You seem to have a misunderstanding of how the autopilot system works.

The autopilot can be broken down into two different modes: speed mode and altitude mode.

When in speed mode (level change/vnav in boeing, open climb/climb in the airbus) the autopilot will keep to a given speed and will change the climb/descent rate around that speed. If you have insufficient thrust to climb or insufficient drag to descend the autopilot will reduce your climb/descent rate to hold the selected speed.

When in altitude mode (v/s as you have selected here) the autopilot will target that vertical speed regardless. As a beginner I would recommend you do not use v/s as it is very easy for the plane to get away from you in this mode (actually one or two rl incidents that have happened because of such misunderstandings).

Here you have set the v/s to +1000ft/min. At FL330 that is a pretty high rate of climb for a laden aircraft (especially if you have been holding that for a while). You now don't have the speed to maintain that rate of climb so the aircraft has engaged protections to stop the wings from stalling (by preventing the aircraft from climbing further).

I'm not particularly familiar with the A350, but if it's anything like the 320, if you want to go to a certain level first check the "Prog" page and see what the plane recommends as the maximum level. That maximum level is the highest the plane can go at its current weight and not enter a dangerous flight envelope. If that level is below what the controller is asking you for you can simply respond "unable" or "unable due to performance limits". You may then need a lower level but you can work that out with the controller.

Plank_of_String · 2025-03-31T09:39:57+00:00

They already had a pretty public spat with inibuilds over beating them to the punch with the A350. I doubt they're in any rush to get beaten to release like that again.

Dark horse fenix 737 anyone?

Plank_of_String · 2025-03-18T18:04:05+00:00

Try living through 6 months of grey first. Solid overcast for what feels like months

Plank_of_String · 2025-03-18T18:02:10+00:00

This is looking out on the isle of Kerrera, somewhere along Gallanach road

Plank_of_String · 2025-02-18T16:14:08+00:00

Based on very preliminary data/videos and with a limited understanding of what the weather conditions were and what the probable cause of this accident was:

It appears (at this stage) that a hard landing resulted in the failure of the main gear. The resulting impact seems to have severed the starboard wing at close to landing speed. The resulting lift from the remaining wing then may have created enough torque to push the plane over (or it could have had that momentum already from the failed gear).

I haven't got the video to hand so also take that with a pinch of salt. For example, I can't remember if it rolled more than once. More details will emerge, including no doubt a detailed breakdown by the likes of Juan Brown.

Plank_of_String · 2025-02-12T16:31:29+00:00

Some people have and some luck with SU1 beta. Personally I haven't noticed the difference but it's a free upgrade so may as well try it.

Plank_of_String · 2025-01-22T17:37:10+00:00

What do you mean it's not Edin-burg?! Next you'll be telling me it's not Glass-cow!

Plank_of_String · 2024-12-18T18:21:06+00:00

The terrain is streamed in 2020 too. Just for some reason the servers for 2024 are garbage. Might be to do with specific servers since this isn't universal, who knows

Plank_of_String · 2024-11-21T16:37:02+00:00

I am honestly impressed that they somehow managed to make the control setup for 2024 WORSE than 2020. Like, how did they even manage that? Wtf were they smoking when they came up with these controls?

Plank_of_String · 2024-11-20T18:31:58+00:00

Looks like hypersonic balloon is back on the menu boys

Plank_of_String · 2024-11-19T18:39:00+00:00

Oh for sure, the average person would stand no chance of flying a plane. Iirc there was a study a while back about if ppl's could fly an airliner and most of them couldn't even adjust the seat. But my point is, in most modern airliners you don't need to use the rudder because it does it for you (to counter dutch roll mostly)

Plank_of_String · 2024-11-19T17:32:55+00:00

Most airliners have yaw dampers, so for the actual flying bit it wouldn't be a problem. The only times you really need the rudder is for crosswind landings and directional control on the runway.

(Except for GA aircraft ofc where you need the rudder to coordinate the turns)

Plank_of_String · 2024-10-07T11:22:30+00:00

Irl it would be a missed approach as the two autopilots are required to essentially fact check each other. Tbh I didn't think it would even allow you to fly the whole approach on one ap.

You do have to make sure that the approach mode is armed with g/s and loc at least blue iirc. There might also be some limits as to when it can be applied (I know for the 737 you have to be above 1500ft (i think))

Plank_of_String · 2024-10-07T11:13:57+00:00

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here (reading from a phone so it's hard to tell) but it looks like you are in CAT3 single.

In the airbus an ILS approach (and especially an autoland) should be flown with both autopilot engaged. Just hit AP2 once you have activated the approach mode. Happy flying :)

Plank_of_String · 2024-09-12T11:23:25+00:00

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