to the soaring site early so there is no rush in the preflight  preparations. Once airborne, take time to get a feel for the  day’s thermals. If the day looks good enough and height is  adequate to set off on course, commit to the task! Landing  away from the home field for the first time requires skill,  planning, and knowledge but is a confidence builder whether  the task was accomplished or not. height band 5,000 feet deep. In this case, however, depending  on thermal spacing, terrain, pilot experience level, and other  factors, the height band would be 2,000 feet or 3,000 feet up  to 6,000 feet AGL. Avoid continuing to the lower bounds  of strong thermals (1,000 feet AGL) since failure to find a  thermal there gives no extra time before committing to a  landing.  [Figure 11-12] Early cross-country flights, including small practice triangles  within gliding range of the home field, are excellent  preparation and training for longer cross-country flights.  The FAI Gold Badge requires a 300-kilometer (187 statute  miles) cross-country flight, which can be straight out distance  or a declared triangle or out-and-return flight. An average  cross-country speed of 20 or 30 miles per hour (mph) may  have been adequate for a 32-mile flight, but that average  speed is too low on most days for longer flights. Flying at  higher average cross-country speeds also allows for farther  soaring flights. Improvement of cross-country skills comes primarily from  practice, but reviewing theory as experience is gained is  also important. A theory or technique that initially made  little sense to the beginner has real meaning and significance  after several cross-country flights. Postflight self-critique is  a useful tool to improve skills. In the context of cross-country soaring, flying faster means  achieving a faster average groundspeed. The secret to faster  cross-country flight lies in spending less time climbing and  more time gliding. This is achieved by using only the better  thermals and spending more time in lifting air and less time  in sinking air. Optimum speeds between thermals are given  by MacCready ring theory and/or speed-to-fly theory, and can  be determined through proper use of the MacCready speed  ring or equivalent electronic speed director. NOTE: Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS) report  cloud levels as AGL in METARS, and PIREPS are reported  as MSL. Area forecasts gives clouds as MSL if above 1,000'  AGL. Pilots must be careful to determine which value is being  presented. This is very important when glider pilots travel  to higher elevation airports and must subtract field elevation  from MSL reports to ensure cloud clearances.  On most soaring days there is an altitude range, called a  height band, in which the thermal strength is at a maximum.  Height bands can be defined as the optimum altitude range  in which to climb and glide on a given day. For instance, a  thermal in the 3,000 feet AGL range may have 200 to 300 fpm  thermals, increasing to 500 fpm at 5,000 feet AGL range then  weaken before topping out at 6,000 feet AGL. In this case,  the height band would be 2,000 feet deep between 3,000 feet  and 5,000 feet AGL. Staying within the height band gives  the best (fastest) climbs. Avoid stopping for weaker thermals  while within the height band unless there is a good reason.  Determining the top of the height band is a matter of personal  preference and experience, but a rule of thumb puts the top at  an altitude where thermals drop off to 75 percent of the best  achieved climb. If maximum thermal strength in the height  band is 400 fpm, leave when thermals decrease to 300 fpm  for more than a turn or two. The thermal strength used to  determine the height band should be an average achieved  climb. Many electronic variometers have an average function  that displays average climb over specific time intervals.  On another day, thermals may be strong from 1,000 feet to  6,000 feet AGL before weakening, which would suggest a  11-11 Height Bands Figure 11-12.  Example of the height band. Altitude (feet AGL) Thermal strength (fpm) 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 Height Band Soaring Faster and Farther