Thermal width vs clouds and thermal helpers

[Rotareneg]

Not sure if this is just a limitation of the simulation or a bug, but there is absolutely no visible difference in clouds or thermal helpers between very narrow thermals (top image) and very wide thermals (bottom image.)

very_narrow_very_strong.jpg

very_wide_very_strong.jpg

[6266]

Narrow means that the diameter of the lifts is smaller, wide the diameter is bigger.

Try to center both, you will see the difference

[Paul_UK]

You can't trust those thermal helpers all the time either.

Try setting 4000foot cloud base. The inversion as high as possible. Wide or Very Wide thermals. Activity to high. 10knot wind should do.

Now go centre a few thermals without thermal helpers on. Once centred turn them on........

There may be the odd one that aligns but if I recall in general the thermal centre tends to lie further upwind of the red graphical representation. Those settings just mix it all up a bit it seems. Set variation to high on all and thermal strength to weak and it makes it even more interesting. Yet to try Very weak, but I am going to soon. I wonder if this would see the Libelle finally be competitive in Club Class. Variation might need to be lower as if you're lucky and find the good climbs, which'd enable a higher xc speed, then it wouldn't be the Libelle's day again.

[6266]

... I wonder if this would see the Libelle finally be competitive in Club Class ...

Sorry, this is Offtopic to the thread

I don't believe, that a high variation will help the Libelle. Yesterday I flew first time this year a task outside the Vintage Series (I can't Fridays, but yesterday, so I took the chance). Very turbulent and very high variation. Lifts between 1 and 6,2 m/s, narrow and wide. Flew it with an ASW 15 against mainly LS4. In my opinion I didn't had a chance to choose between the clouds, had to take everything what I got, because the distance between the clouds where not good for the ASW. Maybe a LS4 could fly to the next one without too much risk. Not that I really expected to get a good result, but I was very very slow compared to the others (BTW, thanks to Erik Paznovsky and the Batoh! team, that was a good and interesting evening for me, and it was worth to buy CW-E only for this flight).

Same for the Libelle. The Libelle only can win, if it climbs better in narrow or weak lifts, variation kills that. But I don't believe either that the Libelle in Condor is a really good climber. I like it, but it's not my plane. The ASW 15 climbs good and as a very big surprise for me, the SGS1-26 is one of Condors best climbers in my opinion, never thought that before I used it.

[wickid]

Not sure if this is just a limitation of the simulation or a bug, but there is absolutely no visible difference in clouds or thermal helpers between very narrow thermals (top image) and very wide thermals (bottom image.)

I think the cloud size is only determined by the difference between the cloudbase and the inversion. The thermal helpers show only where the core of a thermal is located AFAIK. There is lift all around the thermal helper puffs. How far this lift extends depends on the width setting.