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The Nitty-Gritty
Or: How to Teach the Algorithm What a Real Thermal Looks Like
So you've uploaded your flight, opened the Advanced Thermal Analysis, and now you're staring at the Settings tab wondering what all these sliders and numbers actually do. Good news: you're in the right place. Bad news: we're about to get nerdy (but in a fun way, promise).
Think of these settings as teaching the computer what you consider a "thermal worth logging." Because let's be honest — that weak, scrapy bubble you worked for 45 seconds because you were getting low? The algorithm might not count it. But that glorious 5 m/s elevator that took you from "oh crap" to "cloud base baby"? Yeah, that's getting logged.
99% of pilots should just use the default settings. They're tuned for typical paragliding thermals and work great for most flights. Only mess with these if:
Still here? Alright, let's dig in.
"When does circling around become 'I'm in a thermal'?"
What it does: The algorithm combines multiple signals (lift, turn rate, GPS movement) into a single "thermal confidence score" from 0 to 1. This setting says "don't call it a thermal unless confidence hits 35%."
In pilot terms: How picky are you about what counts as a thermal?
Real talk: If you fly in the Alps and frequently work 0.5 m/s thermals near terrain, lower this. If you fly in summer flatlands with 4 m/s cores, you can bump it up.
What it does: Once you're "in" a thermal, confidence has to drop below 20% before the algorithm starts thinking you've left.
In pilot terms: How long do you keep searching before admitting "yep, I lost it"?
Why it's lower than entry: Hysteresis! Same reason your thermostat doesn't turn the heat on at 20°C and off at 19.9°C. Prevents the algorithm from logging 47 separate "thermals" when you're just working one broken bubble.
What it does: Ignore any circling where your vario shows less than this.
In pilot terms: "If it's not at least this good, I'm not calling it a thermal."
Fun fact: The defaults are tuned for paragliding. If you're flying a hang glider with a worse sink rate, you might want to bump this up a bit.
What it does: How fast you need to be turning for the algorithm to think "yeah, they're circling."
In pilot terms: How tight are your circles?
Real talk: Most pilots thermal at 10-15 deg/s naturally. If the algorithm is missing obvious thermals, maybe you circle wider than average — drop this to 8. If it's logging random "thermals" when you're just S-turning in ridge lift, bump it to 12-15.
"Stop being so twitchy, algorithm"
These prevent the detector from flapping on/off every time you hit a burble or spend 2 seconds in sink. Think of them as "confirmation time."
What it does: You need to meet thermal conditions for this many seconds straight before it officially counts as "thermal entry."
In pilot terms: How many turns before you commit and go "yeah, this is a thermal"?
When to adjust: Lower if you fly in super broken conditions where thermals are small and you need to catch everything. Higher if you're getting false thermals logged (common in windy/turbulent conditions).
What it does: You need to not meet thermal conditions for this long before it counts as "thermal exit."
In pilot terms: How long you keep searching after the lift dies before you push out.
Pro tip: In strong, punchy summer thermals, you can lower this. In spring/fall conditions with weak, broken lift, bump it up.
What it does: If you're only circling for less than this, it doesn't count as a "thermal" in the stats.
In pilot terms: "Was that a thermal or just a bump?"
When to use: If you're flying competition and working every little scrap, lower it. If you're doing casual XC and only want "real" thermals in your stats, bump it up.
"How to tell the difference between thermaling and just turning"
What it does: The algorithm looks at this many seconds of flight at a time to calculate if you're circling.
In pilot terms: How much flight history to analyze for turn consistency.
Real talk: Most pilots won't need to touch this. It's a technical parameter that affects algorithm smoothness, not really pilot behavior.
What it does: You need to complete at least this many full 360° circles for it to count as "circling in a thermal."
In pilot terms: How many turns before it's officially a thermal?
When to adjust: Combine with Min Thermal Duration. If you want to log everything, set both low. If you want clean stats, set both high.
What it does: When calculating "centering quality," the algorithm measures how far you drift from the thermal core. This sets the maximum radius it considers reasonable.
In pilot terms: How big of a circle are we expecting?
Fun fact: This doesn't affect what gets logged as a thermal — only the quality score. A thermal is a thermal. This just changes how "good" the algorithm thinks your centering was.
"How good was that thermal, really?"
What it does: Ratio of drift distance to altitude gain. Default 0.3 means ideally you drift 30m sideways for every 100m you climb.
In pilot terms: What counts as "well-centered" vs "drifting off-core"?
Why this matters: Affects your thermal quality scores and recommendations. If you fly in strong wind and constantly drift 50m while climbing, bump this up so you don't get penalized.
What it does: The algorithm checks your first X seconds in the thermal to see how quickly you found the core.
In pilot terms: "How fast did you find the best lift?"
Real talk: This affects the "Great core entry" / "Work on centering" feedback. If you're getting "work on centering" a lot but you feel like you are centering well, your flying style might just be more exploratory in the first few turns — bump this up.
You're flying in marginal conditions, working 0.3-0.8 m/s lift, but the analysis shows no thermals.
Fix:
You see thermals logged during your glide, or when you were just turning near terrain.
Fix:
The algorithm thinks you drift too much or take too long to find the core.
Fix:
You're working one thermal but it's logging it as 3 separate thermals.
Fix:
Tandem = wider circles, slower turns, more conservative flying.
Fix:
Use the defaults. They're tuned for you. Seriously.
Check these in order:
Nope! Worst case, you get weird results. Just hit "Reset to Default" and you're back to normal.
You'll probably get zero thermals detected. The algorithm will be like "NOTHING IS GOOD ENOUGH" and reject everything. It's like setting your dating standards so high you end up alone. (We've tested this. For science.)
Everything becomes a thermal. Your ground handling? Thermal. Your ridge run? 47 thermals. That time you did a wingtip drag? Surprisingly good thermal. Again, we tested it. It was chaos.
Yes! Changing what counts as a "thermal" changes your thermal count, total altitude gained in thermals, average climb rate, etc. So if you're comparing stats with a friend, make sure you're using the same settings.
(Feel free to skip this if you just want to fly)
The thermal detection uses a multi-signal composite score that combines:
Each signal is normalized 0-1, then weighted and combined. The Min Thermal Score is the threshold for that combined score.
The hysteresis parameters (Entering/Leaving Duration) implement a state machine with confirmation delays to prevent oscillation. This is the same principle used in thermostats, brake lights, and basically any system that needs to avoid rapid on/off switching.
The quality metrics use circular statistics to calculate drift bearing, thermal core position, and centering efficiency. The math involves dot products, bearing deltas, and some coordinate geometry that would make your high school math teacher proud (or traumatized).
Look, at the end of the day, these settings are just knobs that adjust what the algorithm considers a "thermal." The real learning happens when you:
The goal isn't to game the system for perfect stats. It's to understand your flying better. Did you actually center well, or did you just get lucky with a strong core? Did you leave thermals too early, or were they genuinely dying?
The algorithm is a tool, not a judge. Use it to improve, not to stress about numbers.
Now get out there and go find some thermals. The real ones. In the air. Where they belong.
Blue skies and smooth air,