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Understanding the Sky £12.50
- 6 x 9 format, 200 pages, 140 illustrations, 33 photos, colour cover
Table of Contents
PREFACE
CHAPTER I - THE AIR AROUND US
The Big Picture...The Structure of the Air...Properties of the Air...
Pressure in the Atmosphere...Temperature in the Air...Solar
Heating...Cooling Cycles...Daily Changes...Seasonal Changes... Water
Vapor...Humidity...Water's Amazing Properties...Latent Heat... Summary
CHAPTER II - THE LIVING ATMOSPHERE
The Lapse Rate...Stability and Instability...Indications of Stability... The
Stability of Layers...The Moist Lapse Rate...The Standard
Atmosphere...Density Altitude...The Wind We Feel...Coriolis Effect...Summary
CHAPTER III - THE MESSAGE OF THE CLOUDS
Cloud Causes...Lifting the Air...The Dew Point and Cloud Height... Cloud
Formation...Cloud Bases/Cloud Tops...Cloud Life...Old Clouds...
Rain...Visibility...Cloud Types...Altitude Classification... Seasonal and
Location Variations...Lesser Known Clouds... What They Tell Us...Flying in
Clouds...Summary
CHAPTER IV - THE BIG PICTURE GENERAL
METEOROLOGY
Movement of the Atmosphere...Air Masses...The Meaning of Fronts...Front
Characteristics--Cold...Front Characteristics-- Warm... Frontal
Action...Variations in Fronts...Occluded Fronts...Seasonal Changes...High
Pressure Systems...Low Pressure Systems...Local Lows...Highs and Lows
Together...Isobars...Isobars and the Wind... Circulation Aloft...A Trough
Aloft...The Jet Stream...Steering Winds and Pressure Patterns...Tropical
Weather...Island Weather... Summary.
CHAPTER V - WIND PATTERNS
Measuring the Winds...Watching the Wind...Prevailing Winds...Wind Flow Near
the Surface...Winds Around Fronts and Pressure Systems...Moving
Weather...Areas Beyond the Fronts... Backing and Veering Winds...The Wind
Gradient...Winds Aloft...Jet Streams... Diurnal Variation of the
Wind...Layering of the Air... Low-Level Jets... Special Winds...North
American Winds...Old World Winds... Summary
CHAPTER VI - TURBULENCE UNSTEADY FLOW
The Meaning of Turbulence...The Nature of Turbulence...The Causes of
Turbulence...Vortex Turbulence...Rotors...Detecting Turbulence... Conditions
and Turbulence Cycles...Surface Conditions...Wind Shadow... Flying in
Turbulence...Summary
CHAPTER VII - LOCAL WINDS
Heating and Circulation...The Sea Breeze...Sea Breeze and General Wind...Sea
Breeze Prediction...Sea Breeze Strength, Reach and Seasons...Sea Breeze
Effects...Sea Breeze Fronts...Complicated Coastlines...Island Effects...Land
Breezes...Heat Fronts...From Forest to Field...Upslope Winds...Downslope
Winds...Gravity Winds...Magic Air and Wonder Winds...Up Valley and Down
Valley Winds...Complicated Systems...Summary
CHAPTER VIII - SOARING CONDITIONS--LIFTING
AIR
To Soar...Ridge Lift...Complex Shapes...Canyons and Gaps...Ridge Soaring
Problems...Variable Lift...Wave Lift...Wave Properties... Wave Clouds...Wave
Dangers...Flying in Waves... Finding Waves... Other Wave
Sources...Convergence lift...Flying in Convergences... Frontal Lift...lift
Indicators...Summary
CHAPTER IX - INSTABILITY AND THERMALS
The Birth of a Thermal...Thermal Triggering...Lee Side Thermals... Thermal
Sources...House Thermals...Terrain Sources...Wet Ground Sources...Thermal
Cycles...Evening Thermals...Thermal Rising...Real Lapse Rates...The Lapse
Rate Aloft...Thermals and Lapse Rate Variations...Dust Devils...Ideal
Thermal Conditions...Lift in a Thermal...Thermal Sink...Summary
CHAPTER X - THERMAL LORE
Thermal Sizes and Strengths...Thermal Heights...Thermal Duration and Daily
Variation...Thermals in Wind...Thermal Tracks and Cycles ...Thermal
Types...Thermal Spacing...Thermal Patterns...Thermal Streets...Cloud
Streets...Cloud Street Behavior...Thermals and Cloud Character...Near Cloud
Features...Wind Effects on Clouds...Locating Thermals...Blue Holes...Summary
CHAPTER XI - THUNDERSTORMS
Where and When...The Cause of Storms...A Thunderstorm Life Cycle...
Thunderstorm Variations...Thunderstorm Dangers ...Downdrafts and Gust
Fronts...Judging the Storm...Escaping a Thunderstorm... Tornados...Summary
CHAPTER XII - WATCHING THE WEATHER
Weather Cycles...Weather and the Barometer...Weather Wisdom... Weather
Information Sources...Weather Maps...Soaring Forecasts... Reading an
Area...Site Examples...Summary
APPENDIX I - DENSITY CHANGES IN THE ATMOSPHERE
APPENDIX II - CORIOLIS EFFECT
APPENDIX III - DRYING WINDS
APPENDIX IV - THERMAL BUOYANCY
APPENDIX V - TRIGGER TEMPERATURE
GLOSSARY
INDEX
Dennis Pagen is a reknown author whose books have been reviewed in various magazines. The most recent articles include:
"Understanding the Sky" studies weather indepth
MINGOVILLE, Pennsylvania -- Understanding the Sky: A Sport Pilot's Guide to Flying Conditions is the newest book from Sport Aviation Publications.
The book is intended for sport aviators -- ultralight, sailplane and hang glider pilots, as well as balloonists, RC modelers and parachutists -- who want to learn the esoteric things they may have missed during general weather courses.
Matters such as reverse gradients, lowlevel shears, thermals, daily variations, upslope breezes, down-bursts and gust fronts are described.
Sport Aviation Publications said it believes the chapter on thunderstorm judgment and prediction is alone worth the price of the book.
Understanding the Sky covers large-scale weather, explaining the message of the sky and the structure of the atmosphere in several chapters; the rest of the book is devoted to more local effects.
The author, Dennis Pagen, is a pilot with 19 years of experience in various fast and slow aircraft. He has previously written 10 "how-to" books on sport aviation. This latest book is a culmination of years of research that Pagen says he hopes will benefit all pilots who wish to know more about the air in which they travel.
Understanding the Sky comes with 12 chapters, 288 pages, more than 260 photos and illustrations, five appendices, a glossary and a complete index. The book is available from aviation bookstores for $19.95, or from Sport Aviation Publications add $2.95 for postage POBox 101, Mingoville, PA 16856.
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