The Thermal Podcast

On Episode #68 of The Thermal - from stifling heat to well below zero…a crazy diamond height climb in Australia. We talk to the pilot who paid careful attention to the forecast and bagged his long sought after Diamond And while we're south of the equator…an interview with SkySight Founder Matthew Scutter on 10 years of SkySight..a slew of new weather features and what kind of gliding challenges still appeal to this world class glider pilot. That's all on this Episode of The Thermal.

Welcome to Episode #66 of The Thermal – the JoeyGlide edition. In this Episode of The Thermal, we find out what makes the Australian JoeyGlide for Junior pilots such a success. It's a training event that has a reputation for turning out world class cross-country pilots. That's all on this Joey Glide episode of The Thermal.

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.

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, 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.

In this Episode of The Thermal, an epic Christmas Day flight that covered most of the eastern Adriatic and 4 countries with a blistering average speed of 160 kmph and a distance of some 1100 kms. And hitting it hard with a 50 year old glider. Who says you need the latest hot ship to have fantastic gliding adventures. We talk to a pilot who's checking all the boxes. We also hear from NAV Canada and their concerns about glider traffic conflicting with commercial traffic. We try to unravel how to make uncontrolled airspace safer for everyone. That's all on Episode #58 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, a feature interview with Patrick McLaughlin – the man behind the Mountain High Oxygen system. He has won the 2024 OSTIV award for his contribution to gliding safety. And combining passions. We talk to Tobias Barth about his new book called Framing the Sky and how he combines his love of gliding and photography. That's all on Episode #56 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, we're devoting a full show to the story of WW2 British combat Glider Pilot Frank Hughes and his role in Operation Market Garden…also known as the Battle of Arnhem. It's a remarkable tale of a young man who flew a fully loaded HORSA combat glider into a war zone and survived the ensuing battle.

On Episode #52 of The Thermal, a feature interview with Clemens Ceipek about his soaring adventures and goal setting over the State of Colorado. He also gives us an update on the threat of closure to Boulder Airport.

In this Episode of The Thermal, we speak with American glider pilot Bill Hill who has written a fabulous auto-biography, where he talks about everything from airline flying, catching big wave in Argentina and working as an Air Traffic Controller. But first we start with a Dutch gliding safari…where a group of students and instructors had some serious fun. That's all on Episode #50 of The Thermal.

In this Episode of The Thermal, WeGlide's…Moritz Althaus gives us an update and tells us about a new feature called Co-Pilot. The Libelle - arguably the prettiest glider every made…is turning 60. We find out why this glider was so revolutionary. Starting a new gliding club is a huge under taking. A group of glider pilots in Montana is trying to make it a reality. And finally…some new gliding tech that works with XCSoar…and a new gliding trade fair in Germany. That's all on Episode #48 of The Thermal.

In Episode #46 of The Thermal, we talk to the pilot and author behind The Art of Soaring. A book that puts you in the cockpit with amazing photos and stories. We also speak to Monique Taylor, the author of Suicide Jockeys – The Making of the WW2 Combat Glider Pilot PureTrack is a new gliding tracking App from New Zealand. We find out why it's gaining in popularity. And finally - remembering Martin Simons. The author of numerous books about gliding and a huge contributor to the gliding movement in general.