The intention of this page is for experienced pilots to share their words of wisdom with less experienced club members

All articles are, except where otherwise specified, the works of the respective authors. No endorsement is implied or claimed from Southern Cross Gliding Club, the Training Panel of the Southern Cross Gliding Club, or the Gliding Federation of Australia in any form.

While every care is taken when writing these articles, anyone using them or the information contained within does so at his or her own risk

What speed should I fly between thermals? An exploration of the question "How fast should I fly between thermals?"

The effect of weight on the stall speed of a glider How does weight affect the stall speed of a glider? What happens to the stall speed of a two seater when flown two-up as against flown solo? What about when flying with water ballast?

The effect of bank angle on the stall speed of a glider What is the best thermalling speed for a glider? What happens to the stall speed in a turn? Using the DG1000 as an example, this article shows how the optimum thermalling speed can be calculated

Exploring the Polar This article discusses the use of Jim Rennie's POLAR10 spreadsheet and explains how it can be used to examine the performance of a range of gliders. The spreadsheet can be found here.

A Beginners Guide to Soaring Competitions This article is a simple guide to getting started in competing in gliding competitions.