G Dale – The Soaring Engine Volume 1 – English

The Soaring Engine volume 1 – ‘Ridge, Thermal and Mountain Soaring’

In this volume, you will see how the wind flows over and around hills, ridges and mountains, how thermals form and evolve, the patterns that ridge and thermal activity create in the air and how to use the lift produced both in flat terrain and in mountains.

Illustrated with clear simple diagrams, this book is a primer for soaring pilots flying anything from a paraglider to high performance sailplanes.

The Soaring Engine volume 2 – ‘Wave and Convergence’

The first volume covered the basis of using ridge and thermal lift to soar in both flatland and mountain terrain.

Volume 2 goes on to describe the more advanced techniques required when flying in convergence or wave systems.

Illustrated with clear simple diagrams, this book is a primer for soaring pilots flying anything from a paraglider to high performance sailplanes.

The Soaring Engine volume 3 – ‘High Performance Flying’

Flying techniques are looked at in detail, covering aspects such as ‘Speed flying in the real world’, Thermal and route selection and specific aspects of the flight such as cruising, climbing and the final glide. It also looks at how we use our brains in flight and covers techniques to improve some of the most common pitfalls. How to practise and competition flying is also looked at in detail.

You may have read other books on how to fly gliders fast, however none of them are as up-to-date with modern techniques, equipment and perceptions as this one.

The Soaring Engine volume 4 – ‘Airframes, Equipment and Avionics’

Current avionics suites are equally sophisticated, with powerful processors, moving maps, complex user interfaces, electronic conspicuity systems and internet connectivity. This high performance comes at the cost of significantly increased complexity. The aim of this book is to review some of the important features of modern composite airframes, explain and clarify the latest developments in avionics, and show pilots how to operate their glider and instrument suite to maximum effect.

Intended for pilots at all experience levels. The content is easy to follow with many colour illustrations and a comprehensive appendix.