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This info is considered Public Domain, so use it as you wish, but not for commercial purposes.  It was created to increase the joy and enjoyment of flying gliders/ soaring. WARNING: All info is unsubstantiated, so use it at your own risk.

Cross Country Soaring

Normally, do not enter a Class C airspace (an ARSA), without making contact with Air Traffic Control.

Normally, do not enter Class D airspace (below 2,500 ft, usually within 5 miles of a control tower) without radio contact with the tower.

Never fly above 18,000 ft in the USA (Class A airspace) without permission from Air Traffic Control.

You should begin planning each soaring flight at least two days in advance with physical and mental conditioning, as well as becoming familiar with the prevailing weather conditions.

Don't fly forward into an area unless you know the outcome will result in no damage to yourself or to the glider.

Don't limit yourself to staying within gliding distance of the departure field, or you will never experience the thrill of cross country.

If you are outside of gliding distance of your home field, then you are on a cross country.

Glide Ratio is not a number taken from an operating manual or factory specs, or the flight manual..

True Glide Ratio is a combination of the factory glide ratio, adjusted for physical changes to the ship, and consideration of headwind or tailwind component, and the vertical motion of the air, all in combo with the level of proficiency of the soaring skills of the pilot.

You may not always be within the direct glide ratio distance of a specific landing field, but you should normally always be within gliding distance of a safe area.

You should never fly over an unlandable area without sufficient gliding distance to glide clear, unless you are 100 percent certain you will have lift available to traverse that area. e.g. Lava fields 40 miles east of Montague/ Siskiyou.  Southwest corner of Lake Tahoe, over Emerald Bay.

If you cannot reliably predict, with accuracy, where the next bit of lift is coming from, then you should be within gliding distance of a safe landing area. Is there ever a reason to be outside of gliding distance of a safe area?

If you can not visualize or estimate where your next bit of lift is coming from, then you should be within EASY gliding distance of a landable area.

Unless you absolutely need the extra height for the next glide segment, you should always leave a thermal when the lift decreases by fifty percent of what you were averaging.  (e.g. if you were climbing at 6 knots average, and the lift decreases to 3 knots, you should move on to the next thermal).

If you are racing, then you should leave the thermal before you get to the top, as evidenced by the lift decreasing by 25 percent.

If you are going to use a start gate, you should normally arrive at the IP 1,000 ft higher than the max altitude allowed at the start line, to allow allow for the glide distance from IP to the Start Line and for acceleration to max speed for the existing conditions.

Review Reichman's Book and other cross country study books at least once per year.

Never drift downwind of a ridge which has ridge lift on it, unless you are several times higher than the ridge itself.

When cruising between thermals, never exceed max maneuvering speed.

If best L/D is in a range of 57 to 63 knots, it is better to fly 63 if the air is either still or sinking, but better to fly 57 if you are not flying for speed, and the air is still or not sinking.

The only time a glider pilot is not flying for speed, is when he/she is just staying in one place waiting  for local flight conditions, or for landing conditions to change.

The best glide speed into a headwind will always be the best no wind glide speed for that type of air (sinking or still), plus one half of the headwind component.

When you stop to thermal, your ground speed becomes zero.

Overall groundspeed will be higher if you follow the line of lift, even if 30 degrees off the course line, rather than fly directly to a turnpoint.

It is generally better to fly slowly in weak lift, than to fly quickly through weak lift and then climb in medium lift.

It is effecient to fly quickly through weak lift if you are anticipating strong lift ahead.

It is best to be at or above best L/D before entering sinking air, even though it means accelerating while in the rising air - such as when leaving a thermal.