Great lecture. Thank you.

Here is the TLDR version: Use Hawk on cruise, as it eliminates false lift signs. It is still a valuable instrument. The beginner will sometimes take away that this means you should not use it in climb. I would disagree with this sentiment. But understand that the difference between the two can be caused by horizontal gusts, **and** conditions that have degraded an optimal polar sink rate. There is a lot to be learned from that second aspect while you are thermalling. In short, avoid the situations where you see it, because it is causing your glider to under-perform. You will see this as a delta between the two needles, with Hawk reading high. The cause might be how you are flying at that instant, or what the conditions are doing at that instance. I rarely see a significant delta when climbing. I think pilots/gliders that consistently see a large delta should check their polars, and check their bugs settings, as you are likely not achieving the theoretical polar sink rate. This might be due to having the wrong polar (including proper weight), having an issue with your glider (a poor refinish, or deteriorating surface). I am pretty sure that a high percentage of gliders are flying with 0% bugs, when they know in their heart that their glider can't achieve that. Do you really think it can hit factory perfect polars, with perfect tape, perfect wax, ideal airflow, ideal technique? Of course not, but almost all pilots fly with 0% bugs. The bottom line is that you shouldn't just assume that Hawk is wrong. Something is wrong, and you might not be aware of what it is. But you should address it, as it isn't just making the Hawk inaccurate, it is making your glider perform sub-optimally.

@jjiacobucci

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Thank you ! Well thought out and well spoken.

Could the Professor please explain what he means by negative burst vs positive burst ? These are terms not in common use by pilots. It is unclear if that means updraft or downdraft. Thank you