Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 12:December 2014 | Page 55

Heinrichs on pages 173 to 176 in my
book Secrets of Champions. In order to
do this turn, however, these pilots are
altering their glider somewhat by flattening the tip battens to make the stall/
spin easier to achieve. I don’t recommend this approach, but I do recommend every pilot learn the trick.
An important factor helping you
achieve the maximum-efficiency turn
we are describing is having the glider
set up so some high siding is needed in
a normal turn. Every top pilot I ever
interviewed had his or her glider set up
this way (you can adjust most modern
gliders for roll balance by turning the
tip attachment system or more importantly, the inboard leading-edge eccentrics on gliders so equipped). There are
several reasons for this setup, including
being able to assure the glider tends to
wind into the turn when you push out.
If it doesn’t require high siding, then
the whole process is less efficient. Part
of the benefit comes from having the
wing itself making a smaller diameter
circle since the circle described by the
main mass (your body) is what creates
the centrifugal force to offset the force

of the lift pointed inward to the center
of the circle (see page 175 of the forementioned book).
So this technique really has three
advantages: It gets the wing making
a smaller diameter circle, it slows the
glider down more than in a normal
coordinated turn at the same bank
angle and often allows you to make a
quick bank or positioning adjustment
with your wing. The disadvantage,
as mentioned, is the extra strength
required. But using it for a thermal or
two or even just part of a thermal can
bring big benefits, especially if it means
the difference between clinging to weak
lift to barely stay up or succumbing to
miserable gravity.
We advise all pilots to learn this
technique away from traffic with plenty
of ground clearance. Also, start out
in rather smooth thermals, and then
graduate to more vigorous and rowdy
characters. What can go wrong? If your
technique is ham-handed you can high
side too much and flatten out of the
turn or you can stall and wind down
in the sink. In the worse case, if you’re
overzealous, you may make your glider

spin (pushing out and high siding is
the normal method of spinning a flex
wing, although most are resistant to the
maneuver).
CAUTION: This maximumefficiency technique is not safe in very
strong or turbulent thermals. Such
thermals can stall you no matter what
type of control you are making. It is
dangerous to be close to a stall when
the thermal strength is high. In fact, I
do not like the term “spinning up,” because it implies stalling the inside wing,
which is not safe in turbulent thermals,
especially close to the ground.
Although it is beyond the scope of
this article, every pilot should know
that steeper banks and faster flying
speed are the safety procedures when
flying in strong, rough or sharp-edged
thermals.
But you don’t have to be horsing
the glider around in rough thermals to
learn maximum turns. Simply enter
into a mild thermal and go into your
normal thermal turn, then slowly
start applying a little more pitch up
(push out) while counteracting any
tendency to drop a wing with a control