MacCready: how fast between thermals

How fast to glide from one thermal to the next: the next climb sets the price of height, and one line on the polar gives both the speed to fly and the average speed of the whole flight.

What you learn

• Explain why the next climb decides how fast you glide
• Read the speed to fly off the polar with the tangent
• Find the average speed where the tangent meets the axis
• Know the LS8's speeds for MacCready 0 to 3
• Fly about the right speed, smoothly, without chasing it

In playlists

• Planning and performance
• Gliding and soaring

Also on

• Video course: Soaring