Wave at Snitterfield   12th June 2000

Wave is our name for a standing wave triggered by wind blowing over mountains, marked by distinctive clouds. When the wind is in the right direction, wave from the Black Mountains on the Welsh border sometimes reaches Snitterfield, but only too often we are under the down-going side of the wave.

On 12th of June 2000, these were the lenticular clouds marking the wave at Snitterfield. The lift was in range, the club was operational, there were people to fly and aircraft to fly them in. It was a Monday. Hmmph.

Above the Clouds

Our flying at Snitterfield is almost entirely dependent on thermals. Thermals form clouds, so if you reach cloudbase, you can either fly into the cloud, which is allowed (with certain precautions) but very rarely done, or fly out from under the cloud, but leaving the cloud means leaving the thermal.

This means that, using thermals, you can't climb above cloudbase.

Wave, however, operates at higher altitudes, so if you can use thermals to get high enough to find wave, you can climb above the clouds and look down on the tops.