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Ever wondered if you're actually a thermal genius or just getting lucky? Welcome to the Advanced Thermal Analysis tool – your personal debrief partner that breaks down every circle you flew like a competition judge with a PhD in thermalling.
Think of it as a post-flight analyzer that watches every move you made in thermals. It doesn't just tell you "hey, you climbed 500m" – it deep-dives into how you climbed, whether you were core-hunting like a pro or wandering around like a tourist.
The tool automatically detects every thermal you worked during your flight, then gives each one a quality score and detailed breakdown. It's like having a coach review your GoPro footage, except it's analyzing GPS tracks and variometer data instead.
When you fire up the analysis, you'll see three main panels:
At the top, you get the bird's-eye view:
Below that is your thermal list – every thermal you hit, ordered chronologically. Each card shows:
Click any thermal to analyze it. The little target icon resets the map zoom if you've been poking around.
This is where the magic happens. You'll see:
Your Track: Color-coded GPS points showing your path through the thermal
Selected Thermal: Highlighted in red with a white border – this is what you're currently analyzing
Other Thermals: Shown in purple at 40% opacity – context for where else you climbed
Animation Controls:
Below the controls, you'll see real-time data for the current GPS point:
Pro tip: Use the arrow keys to scrub through the thermal frame-by-frame. Great for spotting exactly when you hit the core.
This is your coaching report. Let's break down each section:
Overall Score: A composite number (0-40) that considers multiple factors:
The progress bar shows where you land on the scale. Getting 25+ consistently? You're doing something right.
Efficiency: What percentage of your time in the thermal was actually productive climbing. Lower numbers mean you spent time wandering or in sink.
Drift Distance: How far the thermal blew you downwind while you climbed. Lower is usually better (unless you wanted to drift).
Wind Speed: Calculated from your drift. Handy for understanding conditions.
Wind Compass: Visual showing wind direction. The arrow points where the wind is blowing to (meteorologist convention, sorry sailors).
The raw numbers:
This is where it gets nerdy:
Core Strength: The strongest sustained lift you found. This is your "sweet spot" climb rate.
Centering Time: How long it took you to find and stay in the core after entering. Lower is better – means you didn't waste time wandering around the edges.
Centering Quality: Percentage of time spent in strong lift vs. weak lift. High numbers = you stayed in the good stuff.
Direction: Left or Right (most pilots have a favorite side – no judgment)
Turns: How many complete circles you made
Rate: Average turn rate in degrees per second. Too slow = drifting out, too fast = might be over-banking
Just the timestamps and duration. Useful for correlating with your notes or competition logger.
Here's where the tool gets chatty. Based on the analysis, you'll get personalized feedback like:
The recommendations are generated based on actual performance metrics, not generic advice.
The replay feature is honestly pretty cool. Hit play and watch yourself work the thermal in real-time (well, sped up). You can:
Keyboard shortcuts:
The quality score isn't just "good climb rate = high score." It's a composite that considers:
A 5 m/s thermal where you wandered around might score lower than a 2.5 m/s thermal you worked perfectly. It's about technique, not just luck.
Score Ranges:
High drift, low centering quality: You might be entering too wide or not tightening your circle fast enough when you find lift.
Good centering time but low efficiency: The thermal itself might have been weak or broken. Not always your fault!
High variability: Could be conditions (rowdy day), or could be inconsistent bank angle. Check your turn rate consistency.
Quick core entry on one thermal, slow on another: Pay attention to entry technique. Did you enter upwind vs. downwind? Overshoot the core?
This tool won't make you a better pilot overnight, but it will show you exactly what you're doing in thermals. Whether you're trying to shave seconds off your centering time or just curious why that one thermal felt different, the Advanced Thermal Analysis has your back.
Now go fly, get some thermals, and come back to see if you're as good as you think you are.
See also : Advanced thermal analysis settings