Most non-STOL powered fixed wing types descend at about -1000fpm without the engine producing thrust, so a +1000fpm updraught ought to be enough.
Yes this seems really rare. I have seen that once flying north out of Cannes, and twice over Albania, and both were really brief – under a minute.
There are many areas where you will often get very sustained thermals. Plus there are waves.
That’s a great video.
A Taylorcraft very likely doesn’t have an electric starter and with a wood prop the engine might not jump into life easily if needed.
Peter wrote:
Most non-STOL powered fixed wing types descend at about -1000fpm without the engine producing thrust, so a +1000fpm updraught ought to be enough.
Almost impossible to fly powered SEP aircraft at min sink rate (-500fpm to -800fpm) which comes under few kts above stall in steep 45deg thermalling (well to get the tight bit of the thermal) without losing ailerons authority or dropping wings into spin, the other thing is the turn radius and lift distribution, a good thermic day in the UK is either +400fpm & 500ft radius or +1000fpm and 100ft radius depending on who you ask? for 1G turn radius: 45kts at 45deg is 200ft, 75kts is 500ft and 100kts is 1000ft
In Morocco & Namibia you can see +1500fpm on 2000ft radius but surely not in the UK !
So my guess it will be a real hard work, however, it is easy to watch -200fpm flying with engine idle by getting cloud streets thermals 10kts above stall or updrafts from following the M25, or when flying the silky +600fpm lift of a wave
Note that when you hit a thermal, the aircraft will lag to climb due to inertia, in 600kg glider will be about 3 seconds, while a 1.3T about 6 seconds, so where you think the thermal sits is not very obvious, also you are flying a thermal on traditional VARIO not total energy variometer, unless you can pitch for speed the vario will indicate both the sink rate + thermal updraft rate + rate of decent while you gain/lose speed…
A Taylorcraft is a STOL type, no? What is the sink rate on that, at Vbg?
OMG, that video is hilarious! Got to remember to tap the altimeter if I ever lose the engine !
The best (or worst….) updrafts I’ve ever seen were well in excess of 1000ft/min on a flight from Stovepipe Wells (L09 in Death Valley) to South Lake Tahoe KTVL in a C182RG. The airplane was barely controllable and the flight was like being in a tumble dryer for about two hours. I didn’t try to use the Cessna as a glider, though…
@Peter, a Taylorcraft is a roughly 65 HP aircraft with a long span, low wing loading and fairly good glide ratio. Lowest sink rate would be at something like 65 statute miles per hour and the sink rate might be something like 500 rpm (my guess). Earlier discussion on the same video here.
Never tried to soar in my Grumman Tiger, but on one occasion, I was flying level in VMC, but once I entered a cloud without changing the trim or thrust, my vertical speed jumped to +800 fpm.
A Fairly Swordfish was hillsoared to beyond its fuel endurance in the early 1940s.
If you wanted, most light aircraft could be ridgesoared. But if you had the engine off, and lost the lift, you’d be in trouble fast.
The last time someone ridge soared his TMG along a 400ft ridge at 700ft agl with engine at idle, his nearby gliding club received a low flying complaint from one neighbour who got the registration marks and even took pictures/videos, the letter did come from the CAA after a complaint has been filed…long story short you may have to do it engine off or on your way to land to be exempt from the 500ft agl low flying rule
Many other gliders were flying along that day but all were white (the TMG was yellow) and did not have a spinning prop 
