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Hey, glad things are going well! If you have an android device I can suggest non other than XC Soar. My first flight computer was Naviters' Oudie (the guys that make SeeYou). It worked well enough but it just didn't do it for me. I was told to try XC Soar out and I haven't looked back since, Best part about it is that its free!! My Oudie cost me almost $1000AUD which on a student budget was money I have regretted spending... Asside from the price difference, XC Soar managed to help me to fly a lot better, specifically on final glides and during AAT tasks - It also has a thermal assistant that works well, but you shouldn't really be relying on it... I cannot praise the software enough! If you dont have an android I'd say go out and get a small phone or tablet. Not sure what the prices are like where you are but in Australia you can get something quite decent for around $300-500. Enough of my rant... hers a link to the page for the software.
Safe flying :)
This location looks just like the simulation game app... Xtreeme soaring
If you want to know whether you should go soaring in the next 12 hours, when to launch, how late in the day you will find lift and how high the lift will take you, and at what hour of the day to expect lift to turn into thunderstorms... get this skew-t/winds_aloft tool https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ajw.skewt (or something similar) and practice using it. Look at how the skew-T changes as the day progresses.
To practice, 1)look at the skew-T for the present time, then look at the sky/weather and see how the skew-T explains it. 2)After a few weeks of practice, look at the sky/clouds and try to imagine what the skew-T will look like. Then look at the skew-T and see what you got right/wrong.
Skew-t looks complicated, but the effort to master it is well worth it.
Obviously you have to consult some basic texts to learn about how/when lift develops and clouds form to make sense of skew-t, but make mastering skew-t your goal and you will be rewarded.
I very highly recommend the British Gliding Association Manual, which was much more enjoyable read than the FAA's publication. Great grounding in aerodynamics and design of sailplanes.
https://www.amazon.com/Gliding-British-Association-Manual-Flying/dp/0713659475
I'm certain you'll be able to find this more cheaply if you poke around the used book web.
It's silly to build a full scale glider to 'use in the future' after you learn to fly. It's silly to think that you can sort out a full scale glider design on your own with the help of a few Reddit comments. If you want to explore 'hands-on' and rapid prototype, RC models is a proven way to go. People who're developing full scale aircraft use RC models to prototype.
You can probably get this book through Inter-library loan from your University Library:
Also try your university library to look at back issues of https://journals.sfu.ca/ts/index.php/ts I know that MIT has a subscription, maybe your uni does too.
People use gliders to reach earth orbit in https://smile.amazon.com/Seveneves-Novel-Neal-Stephenson/dp/1469246864?sa-no-redirect=1
Stephenson did some gliding and the descriptions of the gliding flight make it seem possible (maybe some day).
order the test prep book here this is the 2020 version because that's when I took the test but they update it every year so look into the 2022 edition. anyways this covers most of general aviation go thru with a highlighter and mark every question that is labeled glider ignore all the questions marked helicopter, hot air balloon, etc. it's like 200+ questions and read them and reread them, make flashcards. the most helpful bit about the test prep book is there is an included code to 4 tries at the practice test which I found very helpful. good luck, you'll knock it out of the park.
Found Sam's Deeks' podcast https://player.fm/series/sam-deekss-posts/gliding-podcast-sailplanes-soaring-flying
I listened to all 18 episodes. He keeps it interesting with a documentary approach and he uses lots of live audio recorded in the glider and at the field.
Sam's podcast is an honest case study about how glider students (especially older adult students) can get discouraged by the 'club system'. The basic problem is that people don't get to fly frequently enough to progress at a 'fair weather weekends only' club.
After struggling to progress at clubs, I switched to a commercial glider operation where I could fly more frequently with less commitment of my free time.
The topics and sample questions are all covered in this book. There are a few glider specific questions but most questions are for both categories (airplane and glider).
http://www.exams4pilots.org/ has actual questions from the exam.
There are some newer online resources so keep looking.
Beginning Gliding by Derek Piggott
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When I started with gliding I was gifted the book "Das stille Abenteuer" by Jochen von Kalckreuth (Amazon) who was a famous glider pilot in Germany and tells stories of his gliding in the alps. Very entertaining and insightful read.
Sadly it seems to be only available in German :|
but this would just allow you to see OGN traffic and yourself in the map, correct? (I haven't used ogn viewer, but from its description it says it just receives traffic).
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.meisterschueler.ognviewer&hl=es&gl=US
While this (new to me, at least) feature in Navigator sends your position to OGN too, so others can find you in OGN without having to be picked up by a Flarm Antenna on the ground / OGN receiver.
I started gliding this year and they told us to buy this book https://www.amazon.de/Flug-ohne-Motor-Lehrbuch-Segelflieger/dp/3613042525/ref=asc_df_3613042525/?tag=googshopde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=427653443518&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6234920432605109123&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&a...
My favorite is 'wing beat frequency'. It measures the elasticity/stiffness of the wings by bouncing the wingtips. There's a nice app that makes it easy to measure. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.controlj.ios.wingfreq&hl=en_US
The frequency should be the same on left and right wings. It should stay the same from year to year (measure it and record in log book).
This is very good, but really targeted towards power pilots more involved with ATC. https://www.amazon.com/Say-Again-Please-Guide-Communications-dp-1619547740/dp/1619547740/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
What are you concerned about? Uncontrolled airports just need announcements of position and intent. Towered airports will expect you to follow their directions, which may be impossible. You'll have to explain what you need if you land at one.
https://www.amazon.com/Glider-basics-first-flight-solo/dp/0960567607/
Kindle Edition is pretty cheap if this is what you mean. If not, it might be helpful to narrow down what book you are looking for.
I'm sure a lot will work, but these are the ones I use.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ajw.skewt&hl=en is a nice implementation of Skew-T done by a glider pilot in Chicago. It's all I need. I also like the histograms on weather.gov (in the USA) for a general overview of the next few days.
I had a subscription to XC Skies when I first started flying. The graphics were seductive. The data resolution is high, but the accuracy was low in the mountains. It might work better in the flatlands.
skysight seems to be the up and coming product. Windytv.com is very nice presentation of the raw data.
It interesting to learn how to interpret the raw data. You start to notice little things after a while. Like last year I learned how to predict the severity of rotor and wind shear close to the ground for aerotow. I've used this as a data input for making a go/no-go decision in mountain wave season.
https://www.amazon.com/Cross-country-soaring-Helmut-Reichmann/dp/B0006CU278
Surprised that no one has mentioned this one yet.
I bought this 50oz insulated one and highly recommend it.
I clip a carabiner to my belt loop and sit this on my left side in the Grob 103. It's black, but it's insulated well.
The key for me is to:
1)focus on scanning for traffic on the horizon using the standard technique. This works for me.
2)minimize looking inside the glider
3)recognize the early symptoms of mild motion sickness and focus on scanning for traffic until the mild symptoms go away. The key for me is prevention because once the symptoms go past mild, it will only get worse until I land.
I think that managing motion sickness is a skill that your brain learns over time. My tolerance to turbulence has increased over time. The one symptom of motion sickness that is not talked about so much is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopite_syndrome I found that a measured dose of caffeine counters that quite well. I carry caffeine mints whenever I fly and pop them as needed. https://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Caffeinated-Peppermints-Unleashed-16/dp/B009L4QLA4/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1492636756&sr=8-5&keywords=caffeine+mints
Definitely pick up a book on meteorology specifically, but this book has tons of practical information on how certain weather phenomena affect soaring.
>What would you recommend for both passing the FAA written exam and becoming a better pilot?
You need two books because your two objectives barely overlap /s.
Passing the FAA written exam:
Becoming a better glider pilot:
http://wingsandwheels.com/pilot-supplies/books/the-soaring-engine-v1.html
G Dale's book is expensive because it is lavishly illustrated and he will sell only a few hundred, but it is well worth the price of an aerotow. It's all about soaring, and since the FAA does not care at all if you know how to exploit lift, it will not help you at all with the exam. That said, I suggest you start to read Dale's book (slowly) while you're still in 'student sponge mode' and eager to learn about soaring from books. Look at some of the sample pages. It's great.
It's a shame that so much of the PPL exam material is so utterly mind-numbing and useless for glider pilots (for example, the questions about VOR navigation).