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You can fly even 3000km in a single day if you use lee waves, that's the world record. But gliding is really really far from being a viable transport, it's just

You can fly even 3000km in a single day if you use lee waves, that's the world record. But gliding is really really far from being a viable transport, it's just a sport where you spend most of the time waiting for good weather. It's an exaggeration, but thinking that sailplanes could be used for commercial transport is almost like thinking that wave surfing could be used as such. We will sooner see some big return of airships than we will see commercial transport using gliders. As a sport it's absolutely breathtaking, it might be the best single thing that I've ever done. Please do mind the safety, though, it is not easy and it is not safe even though it may seem so after you've done your first ~hundred hours. It is a lot safer than paragliding because you'll crack the landing gear or the tail and not your spine on a bad landing.

KineticLensman 3y ago
> It is a lot safer than paragliding because you'll crack the landing gear or the tail and not your spine on a bad landing Many years ago I did both skydiving and paragliding. For skydiving, in approx 70 jumps I had one slightly twisted ankle (which was actually an earlier injury that had weakened the ankle) and saw one situation where a jumper was stretchered away (they landed on their backside because they were trying to hit a target with outstretched legs. I also had a parachute malfunction and safely deployed my reserve. In paraglidimg, over a shorter timeframe, two people in the club received bad injuries (broken leg and broken hip) and another smashed their helmet in a collision with a dry-stone wall. The problem with paragliding seemed to be that canopies could collapse at very low altitude due to air turbulence (rotors) around the tops of hills where flights started and usually ended. In contrast, in parachuting from planes, there was 'plenty' of time to deal with parachute opening malfunctions (and to open reserves), and it was rare for canopies to then fail due to wind or terrain.
- mordechai9000 3y ago
  I flirted briefly with the thought of taking up paragliding. I was put off by the statistics. It's significantly more dangerous than flying in a small aircraft. I wonder, though, how much of the risk profile is due to experts pushing the envelope, or combining paragliding with skiing and doing aerobatics close to the ground. The so-called beginner wings are designed to be collapse resistant and recover easily, but they are slow and not very maneuverable compared to the more advanced models.
RunSet 3y ago
> thinking that sailplanes could be used for commercial transport is almost like thinking that wave surfing could be used as such. We will sooner see some big return of airships than we will see commercial transport using gliders. I have been watching with interest the advance of traction kites in commercial shipping. The description of Airseas's implementation[0] resembles dynamic soaring but details are wanting: > “What differentiates it from other wind solutions,” says Bernatets, “is that the wing is not just pulled by the wind and countered by the ship.” Instead, it flies in figure-of-eight loops, which multiply the pulling effect of the airflow to give what he calls “crazy power.” Whether or not it is caused by dynamic soaring, it is true that such kites pull much harder in the same wind while turning and a figure 8 pattern would maximize that without twisting up the lines. My understanding is that the incentives don't encourage the traction kites' installation because the owners of the boats don't pay for fuel. Perhaps that friction can be overcome as the fuel costs continue to rise. [0] https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-ships-slash-carbon-emissions-scn-climate-spc/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-sh...

KineticLensman 3y ago

> It is a lot safer than paragliding because you'll crack the landing gear or the tail and not your spine on a bad landing Many years ago I did both skydiving and paragliding. For skydiving, in approx 70 jumps I had one slightly twisted ankle (which was actually an earlier injury that had weakened the ankle) and saw one situation where a jumper was stretchered away (they landed on their backside because they were trying to hit a target with outstretched legs. I also had a parachute malfunction and safely deployed my reserve. In paraglidimg, over a shorter timeframe, two people in the club received bad injuries (broken leg and broken hip) and another smashed their helmet in a collision with a dry-stone wall. The problem with paragliding seemed to be that canopies could collapse at very low altitude due to air turbulence (rotors) around the tops of hills where flights started and usually ended. In contrast, in parachuting from planes, there was 'plenty' of time to deal with parachute opening malfunctions (and to open reserves), and it was rare for canopies to then fail due to wind or terrain.

mordechai9000 3y ago
I flirted briefly with the thought of taking up paragliding. I was put off by the statistics. It's significantly more dangerous than flying in a small aircraft. I wonder, though, how much of the risk profile is due to experts pushing the envelope, or combining paragliding with skiing and doing aerobatics close to the ground. The so-called beginner wings are designed to be collapse resistant and recover easily, but they are slow and not very maneuverable compared to the more advanced models.

RunSet 3y ago

> thinking that sailplanes could be used for commercial transport is almost like thinking that wave surfing could be used as such. We will sooner see some big return of airships than we will see commercial transport using gliders. I have been watching with interest the advance of traction kites in commercial shipping. The description of Airseas's implementation[0] resembles dynamic soaring but details are wanting: > “What differentiates it from other wind solutions,” says Bernatets, “is that the wing is not just pulled by the wind and countered by the ship.” Instead, it flies in figure-of-eight loops, which multiply the pulling effect of the airflow to give what he calls “crazy power.” Whether or not it is caused by dynamic soaring, it is true that such kites pull much harder in the same wind while turning and a figure 8 pattern would maximize that without twisting up the lines. My understanding is that the incentives don't encourage the traction kites' installation because the owners of the boats don't pay for fuel. Perhaps that friction can be overcome as the fuel costs continue to rise. [0] https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-ships-slash-carbon-emissions-scn-climate-spc/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-sh...