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One of the most relaxing forms of flight you can do ina gyro is ridge soaring.Its almost hypnotic. 
Any flyn machine can ridge soar, if the conditions are rite, even a 747.Iv seen footage of the supposed flightless bird the penguin stepn off cliffs sumwhere near the south pole and ridge soar.So its no supprise gyros can do it so easy, and safer than other aircraft types coz of our controlability in even the gustyest air, and our no need for airspeed.You dont need much of a ridge or very strong wind to soar a gyro.Iv soared off a line of 50" gum trees, and riden batic winds ona calm day off 500" hills.Iv traveled bout 15km, at idle, riden 30" off the ridge.Its not hard to figure where the lift is comen from, and where its go"n to be strongest.Of course, every ridge is go"n to be different, and every day that same ridge will fly different.It only takes timed adjustments of power n stick to hold it on the peak of virtical wind.Sumtimes its only very minor adjustments, others take full range of control, depending on wind consistancy.Its a good way of overrideing any ground referancing problems you may have, coz youv got to "feel" the craft and the air.ASIs and VSIs aint worth jacks with such low ASs and close proximity to terrain.As iv hinted, no two ridges or two days are the same.But the principal never changes.Wind rushes up the gradient, given a virtical or near virtical wind and you just place the machine into a virtical decent over the strongest area of virtical wind. Pice of cake. 
However, as with all jollies, theres hazards, and its specialy difficult to remember any hazards out to get you wen things are so calming and peaceful.And as the principals of lift never change, nor do the hazards.Obviously you have to be ever vidulant of "dead" air.Calm breaks in the wind your rideing will have you drop like a rock, so power and or altitude sacrifice needs to be avalable at all times.Extra strong blasts of wind will pick you up like a pice of paper, so they aint so bad.BUT, the strong blast is very likely to put you in the most dangerous positin there is wen ridge soaring, behind the lift.As with everythn that gose up, the air must come down.And the transition from riseing head wind to decending tail wind is very quick, so your in very real danger of getn caught falln like a brick, with a tail wind and low RRPM, and a cliff to land on.So NEVER let the thrill of fee lift conn you into thinkn alls good.Even if you just drift backwards, your still in danger of getn caught.Your reversing into less lift or dead air, requiring more or full power, your AS is low so the nose is high, the prop is unloading an already slowed rotor, prop torque roll over is a very real possability.And even the best would have his work cut out tryn to salvage anythn from this situation.Im not tryn to scare anyone out of ridge soaring gyros, thatd be like tryn to talk you outa sex.But as with sex, there are hazards, ignor them at your perel.
Any flyn machine can ridge soar, if the conditions are rite, even a 747.Iv seen footage of the supposed flightless bird the penguin stepn off cliffs sumwhere near the south pole and ridge soar.So its no supprise gyros can do it so easy, and safer than other aircraft types coz of our controlability in even the gustyest air, and our no need for airspeed.You dont need much of a ridge or very strong wind to soar a gyro.Iv soared off a line of 50" gum trees, and riden batic winds ona calm day off 500" hills.Iv traveled bout 15km, at idle, riden 30" off the ridge.Its not hard to figure where the lift is comen from, and where its go"n to be strongest.Of course, every ridge is go"n to be different, and every day that same ridge will fly different.It only takes timed adjustments of power n stick to hold it on the peak of virtical wind.Sumtimes its only very minor adjustments, others take full range of control, depending on wind consistancy.Its a good way of overrideing any ground referancing problems you may have, coz youv got to "feel" the craft and the air.ASIs and VSIs aint worth jacks with such low ASs and close proximity to terrain.As iv hinted, no two ridges or two days are the same.But the principal never changes.Wind rushes up the gradient, given a virtical or near virtical wind and you just place the machine into a virtical decent over the strongest area of virtical wind. Pice of cake. However, as with all jollies, theres hazards, and its specialy difficult to remember any hazards out to get you wen things are so calming and peaceful.And as the principals of lift never change, nor do the hazards.Obviously you have to be ever vidulant of "dead" air.Calm breaks in the wind your rideing will have you drop like a rock, so power and or altitude sacrifice needs to be avalable at all times.Extra strong blasts of wind will pick you up like a pice of paper, so they aint so bad.BUT, the strong blast is very likely to put you in the most dangerous positin there is wen ridge soaring, behind the lift.As with everythn that gose up, the air must come down.And the transition from riseing head wind to decending tail wind is very quick, so your in very real danger of getn caught falln like a brick, with a tail wind and low RRPM, and a cliff to land on.So NEVER let the thrill of fee lift conn you into thinkn alls good.Even if you just drift backwards, your still in danger of getn caught.Your reversing into less lift or dead air, requiring more or full power, your AS is low so the nose is high, the prop is unloading an already slowed rotor, prop torque roll over is a very real possability.And even the best would have his work cut out tryn to salvage anythn from this situation.Im not tryn to scare anyone out of ridge soaring gyros, thatd be like tryn to talk you outa sex.But as with sex, there are hazards, ignor them at your perel.
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