Welcome to the Soaring Economist. My mission is to inspire and teach the art of soaring. I have made a home for my writings, presentations, and materials collected over the past 11 years.
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Latest Blog Posts
08-22-20 | A Tale of Two Airmasses
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was soarable in Pennsylvania, it was miserable in New Jersey, there were cloudstreets, there were 40 mile blue holes, an airmass with strong and high thermals, and another that produced a thunderstorm that nearly wiped out the airport; in short, a memorable …
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Daniel’s Ridge Commandments
Violate these commandments at your own peril, for the Almighty Ridge will smite those who fail to respect it. Thou shalt be proficient and prepared to tow in windy conditions (eg: Checklists complete, no loose articles, belted in tight, emergency plan prepared, familiar with tow signals, etc.) Thou shalt test the ridge with a landing …
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Why Thermal in a Slip? | And the Hazards of Skidding
Experienced soaring pilots usually advise thermalling in a slip. Dick Johnson in the October 2004 issue of Soaring magazine provides an excellent technical explanation for how and why to use this technique. The bottom line is that a turn requires a combination of pitch, bank, and yaw to maintain a stable configuration. And it requires …
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