The Science of Thermals: How We Stay Up
Ever wonder how we gain altitude without an engine? Dive into the fascinating meteorology behind thermal flying.
One of the most common questions we get is: 'How do you go up if you don't have an engine?' The answer is nature's own elevator: thermals.
A thermal is simply a column of rising warm air. As the sun beats down on the ground, certain surfaces (like rocks, parking lots, or dry fields) heat up faster than others. This warm air becomes less dense than the surrounding cool air and breaks away, rising upwards in a bubble or column.
As paraglider pilots, our skill lies in finding these invisible columns. We use instruments called variometers that beep when we go up, but we also look for visual cues. Birds are the best markers; if you see a hawk or kestrel circling without flapping, they are riding a thermal.
When we enter a thermal, we turn in circles to stay inside the rising air. This allows us to gain altitude, sometimes climbing all the way to the cloud base. It's a magical feeling to use nothing but the energy of the sun to fly for hours and cover great distances.