The Thermal Podcast

After a six-month hiatus – the Thermal Podcast is back with episode #64   The soaring season in the Northern Hemisphere has pretty much wound down. But in early November Chester Fitchett had a record breaking 1750 km wave flight on the East side of the Rockies. Chester puts us in the cockpit as he rockets back and forth       across the Canada – US border.   And in the southern hemisphere the gliding season is in full swing. We chat with John Riedl…who's on a circumnavigation of Australia in his Stemme S12 motor glider. One of the many highlights…the annual Morning Glory wave cloud over the Gulf of Carpentaria. The view from John's cockpit never gets old.   That's all on this Episode of The Thermal.

Welcome to Episode #63 of The Thermal. I'm your host Herrie ten Cate.  In this Episode of The Thermal, fire in the air. Possibly the worst thing that can happen to any pilot.  Well, that happened to me on May 23rd of this year. The glider caught fire during the climb. My training and Lady Luck got me back to the runway with a burning glider This is the story of what happened.

  In Episode #62 of The Thermal, the global tariff chaos and the impact on American glider pilots. We talk to the man behind gliding supply shop Cumulus Soaring to find out what is and isn't happening.   Looping a glider is fun when done properly. It's something that most of us have done at some point or another. But breaking the Guinness Book record for the number of loops is a completely different matter. We speak to the two Australian pilots who now hold the world record.   And what's it like when there's far more of your gliding career behind you than in front of you. It's something that all of us will face at some point. We talk to an octogenarian glider pilot who is processing and contemplating his ability to continue to do what he loves.   That's all on Episode #62 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, we find out from the man behind Mountain High oxygen systems…why canula is most often better than a mask.   And a group of UK pilots who've come up with their own Canopy Flasher. We find out why they didn't just buy off the shelf.   It's the time of year when glider pilots are polishing gliders. Either to bring them out of hibernation or put them away for the winter. We find out the tips and tricks to keeping your polyurethane coated glider looking glamorous. Hint…the trick is ceramic.   That's all on Episode #61 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, expedition flying at its best and a feature interview with pilot Chris Gill. Imagine crossing the Irish Sea, hoping to make the other coast and all you can see is ocean…that's exactly what Chris and his copilot did earlier this month, flying from Wales to Northern Ireland and back across the Irish Sea to Scotland.