7. Weather and Thermal Conditions
When you begin the "X-C Soaring, San Francisco" adventure, weather conditions suitable for soaring flight are randomly generated within a circular area approximately 90 miles in radius centered just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Below is a listing of the possible ranges of values for the weather and thermal characteristics set by the adventure.
If you start the "X-C Soaring, San Francisco" adventure and the weather or thermal conditions aren't to your liking, then simply restart the adventure, and new conditions will be generated.
wind speed (Initial wind speed won't exceed 15 kts, but the wind speed can change throughout the flight.)0-20 knots wind direction any wind turbulence directly proportional to thermal strength cloud coverage 1/8 to overcast initial cloudbase altitude (Cloudbase altitude can increase or decrease throughout the flight but will never be less than 1000 feet AGL.)2000-10000 feet AGL weather update frequency once every 15 to 60 minutes thermal base altitude (bottom of lift) 150-450 feet AGL maximum thermal height (top of lift) cloudbase-100' to cloudbase+200' thermal durations 10-20 minutes time window for thermals to exist (varies by season - see below)
season window opens window closes fall/winter 10:00-11:30 a.m. 3:30-4:00 p.m. spring 9:00-10:30 a.m. 5:00-6:00 p.m. summer 9:00-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Table of Contents 
