What is one recommended method for locating thermals?

• A. Look for converging streamers of dust or smoke
• B. Listen for engine noise
• C. Scan for birds at ground level
• D. Follow a straight line path away from topography

Answer: (A)

Locating lift comes from watching how surface air moves in response to heating. A reliable cue is dust or smoke on the ground that converges toward a small spot and then rises. That convergence marks the updraft beneath a thermal, so you can position the glider to fly into the rising air and circle to gain altitude.

Engine noise isn’t a useful signal for a glider, since there’s no powered propulsion to hear in normal training flights. Seeing birds at ground level isn’t a dependable indicator of where lift is, and lifting patterns aren’t guaranteed by simply flying away from topography—their formation and strength are irregular and depend on how the ground is heated and the wind.

So, watching for converging dust or smoke streamers provides the clearest real-time clue to locate a thermal.