For many years, model airplanes have been flown in wintertime on the frozen lake in Davos in the Swiss alps. The conditions may be a bit special but are not nearly as nasty as aeromodellers in warmer hemispheres may think.

Thermals when flying in Winter?

"These are less likely in midwinter – but ridge and wave soaring from the bottom of the valley are possible," says a local model pilot, "but the stable weather conditions bring high-altitude winds in which we can sometimes – keeping a safe distance from the mountain – fly to very high altitudes with lift continuously increasing with altitude".

Download the full content of the latest CIAM Flyer (01-2013) - Flying in an Unbelievably Blue Winter Sky  in PDF format !

• Current and past issues of the CIAM Flyer can be downloaded on the CIAM Flyer web page