Cloud Formations for ID

Good Morning Rowanberry,  Lenticularis, Lenticular or Lennie.  Beloved of glider pilots.  I've encountered them a few time while gliding at RAF Dishforth on the North Yorkshire moors ans at Port Moak in Scotland.  The show a great wave or waves in the sky, the hills or mountains downwind cause the air to hit the ground and rebound into the atmosphere, the air cools at the adiabatic lapse rate and water vapour condenses, the air travels through the cloud and on the decending side warms up and the water vapour is re-absorbed, the wind may be quite stong but the cloud stays stationary.

To get to them you have to be towed up by a small aircraft and have to struggle through the rotor, (a very very turbulent section of air in front of the lennie).  I have been up to 17,000 feet in front of the cloud as it is rising air that cools and forms cloud on the leading edge, but beware, the rear of the cloud is rushing downwards at the same rate as it is rising at the leading edge and can be deadly! 

From 17,000 feet you can see both the West coast and the East coast of England.  In a glass fibre glider you have to take your time to descend due to the very low temperature of the plastic.  I was in a Pilatus B4 a metal glider so I opened the 'planks' (speed limiting airbrakes) pointed the glider vertically at the ground and it took me 18 minutes to get down. I could have gone far higher but the sun was still in the sky at that altitude but it was getting near setting on the ground and rules is rules!  All gliders on the ground before sunset.

Cheers,   Tony and thanks for bringing back a few pleasant memories.