Lessons Learned Flying Through Strong Mountain Turbulence in a Glider

Gliders often fly close to mountains to use the updrafts to soar very long distances - often many hundreds of miles. When the wind is over 30 mph against the ridge, the turbulence can be quite strong and pilots need to be very careful not to get trapped behind the ridge in what is called lee side turbulence. This flight was along the Slyline Highway in the Wasatch plateau in Utah near Manti. I wanted to test how strong the turbulence was on a stronger wind day in a controlled experiment and flew behind the ridge briefly in the likely turbulence area. Yep - it was quite unpleasant. Gliders (sailplanes) are incredibly strong so it wasn't really dangerous, but flying in the smooth air in front of the ridge is much more pleasant. The glider is an ASW27 and pilot is Bruno Vassel IV. Thanks so much for watching!