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Interdimensional Meteorology.
So, I just got bored last night and wrote this after a big PG flight, I had a wicked wicked low altitude collapse from what people on the ground said looked like a dust devil. I coined the term interdimensional cloudsuck.
pg pilots might appreciate this, or anyone who soars in any form and knows how ultra-strong thermals behave. (fiction, naturally) the theoretical physics are wrongish, thus the fiction designation.


Interdimensional Meteorology

Or, Specifically, Interdimensional Cloud-suck. -the rather frightening phenomenon in low to mid level above ground altitudes where a paraglider or other Super-ultralight aircraft flies into a parcel of air that is non-relative to its surrounding air.
these small areas, when flown through, (or, in unlucky cases, into) the pilot feels a great deal off acceleration, pressed into the harness as if being launched in a rocket. the vario beeps wildly attempting to tell the pilot that he or she or it is rising. what the vario is actually reading is the rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure due to the gravitational venturi effect during interdimensional travel. this once believed to be a simple 'sharp, violent thermal' is now known to be a portal into an unknown parallel dimension. it is no surprise that these portals were not discovered earlier and no surprise that they exist only in atmospheric conditions. faster, heavier aircraft, including hang gliders fly through them to quickly to be affected by the gravitational vortice and pilots simply write them off as "sharp thermals" paragliders, being slow and very open to bing effected seriously by surrounding environments due to great efficiency and moment-arm force detachment are susceptible to the previously overlooked portals.

most paraglider pilots, when accidentally entering an "interdimensional cloud-suck" portal, will initially believe it to be a very good, sharp thermal. the initial acceleration and glider behavior feel somewhat normal. after about a second or two, as acceleration increases, the pilot will know something is wrong. vario will be screaming, and visual ground reference points will appear to be indicating that the pilot is gaining altitude quickly. this is actually due to the gravitational lensing of light leaving the portal. most likely, the pilot will have enough speed relative to the known-universe atmosphere and be able to continue the turn and leave the portal, probably suffering a severe collapse as air around the portal is being warped significantly. Once the portal has been passed, the pilot will note that altitude was not greatly effected during transfer of mass, and when returning to the same area in search of the portal, it will have moved on to higher altitudes.

as yet there is no effective plan to avoid these portals, nor is there is a procedure to avoid being grossly effected by them once entered.

It is advised that there has yet to be a confirmed report of a pilot lost to interdimensional cloud-suck, but we can never be safe enough. there is theoretically a pilot report warning system. these portals have been found to travel vertically and generally upwards at fairly high speeds. A pilot experiencing interdimensional phenomenon could report to pilots overhead via radio, but only after the portal has been passed and the pilot is again under control of their glider and special relativity.
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Re: [Calvin19] Interdimensional Meteorology.
i'll bite... about how high above the ground were you?
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Re: [Colm] Interdimensional Meteorology.
I was at my local site, a 600' thermal hill with a sometimes wicked house thermal just above a nasty little cliff on ridge line. that day was particularly sharp. I was about 150' above the ridge, and after I was able to re-inflate and under control I was at about 50' above the ridge. the first collapse sucked me sideways pretty bad, turned my glider 180 degrees with an almost line twist, then the second collapse was easily help on heading. scary. makes me not want to thermal anymore.
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Re: [Calvin19] Interdimensional Meteorology.
you know for sure it was a dust devil not a microburst ?
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Re: [airdog07] Interdimensional Meteorology.
the acceleration was very verticle and very upward, overpowering my ability to turn into it by a lot. the pilots on launch felt it several seconds before my collapse, and it was moving uphill.