Tips from Competition Pilots

Strategy
FromMarkHaymanandAdrianThomas:Theraceonlyreallystarts1520kmfromgoal.Uptothis
pointtheleadgaggleisworkingasateamspreadingouttofindliftonglide,searchingforbettercores,
andlettingsearchersbackintothethermaliftheydon'tfindanything.They'restillflyingfast,butit'sas
agroup,notasindividuals.Assoonassomeoneisconfidentthatthey'llgettogoalontheirownthey
breakfromthepackandit'sadogeatdogracetotheline.AsAdriansaidelsewhererecently,youwant
tobetopofthegaggleinthefinalclimbbeforegoal.
Ittakessomethinglike15to20secondstoswingaturninathermal.
Ifyou'restrikingoutatsay50km/hbetweenthermals,thenapproximately3moreturnsinathermal
putsyouakilometerbehind!!
OnethatIliketotellnewcomersisthattheyshouldknowwithwhomtheyaresharingtheskies,i.e.
theyshouldlearntorecognizethegoodpilotsinthecompsotheyknowwhomtobeinfluencedby.In
myviewyoucannotfollowanyoneonaparaglider(atleastnotifthepersonbeingfollowedistryingto
looseyou)butyoucanbeinspiredbytheirdecisionmaking.Anditisimportanttobeinspiredbythe
goodandnotbythebadpilots.Newcomersoftenequategliderclasswithexperience,andfollow
anyoneflyingahotlookingwing.THATDOESN'TWORK.Therearescoresofhopelesslosersflying
superhotlookingwings.Soyougottaidentifywhoiswho,andtrytokeeptheinterestingonesinfocus.
Quiteoftenyou'llfindthatsomeoneismakinganunusualmove,andifitisoneofthegoodpilotsyou
bettertrytoworkoutwhatshehasseenthatyouhaven't.
Onthesubjectofseeingtherejustisnosubstituteforgoodeyesightinthisgame.Spottingleaves,
butterflies,birds,cobwebs,glidersatunlikelydistancesisthebestsecrettrickthereis.
Madsisspoton,thedifferencebetweenthetoppilotsandthegoodonesishowmuchtheysee.
BruceoftencomesuptomeafterataskandcommentsonwhereIgotstuck,orwhereIgotagood
climb,andIoftenhaveabsolutelynoideawherehewasatthetime....Russelldoesthesame.Bruce
claimshelikestoknowwhereeverypilotwithinsightisallthetimeinfrontandbehindandkeeps
tabsonhowtheyaredoing.Thatwayheknowswellinadvancewhereclimbsarecomingfrom,which
linesareworking,andwhetherconditionsaredeterioratingfromonesideofthecourseortheother.
Itisamazinghowmuchdifferencereallywatchingwhatisgoingoncanmake.
Whenyou'reglidingonbarandyouexpecttofindathermalsoon(e.g.yourflyingtowardsa
climbinggaggleoragoodtriggerpoint)thenstayonthebarallthewayintothecoreofthethermal.The
temptationis,whenyouthinkthere'sliftahead,tocomeoffthebarearly,getyourhandsonthebrakes,
andgointoasortofsearch/thermallingmode,readytofindthecentreonthethermalanddealwith
theassociatedturbulence.Thisisawasteoftime!Ifyoucanseewherethecoreis(e.g.thereare
climbinggliders)thenflystraightatitatfullspeed(respectingotherpilotsalreadyinthethermal,of
course)andonlycomeoffthebarwhenyoufeeltheliftincreaseandthenjuststarttodiminish,
indicatingthatyou'vefoundthecore.Comeoffthebartoconvertyourspeedintoheightand
immediatelystartcoring!You'vejustgainedmaybe510mintheconversionandareturningintheheart
ofthethermalwhileyourslowfriendisstilltimidlyflyingintotheedgeoftheliftattrimspeed.You'llbe
tensofmetersabovehimbythetimehefindsthecore.Ifyoudon'tknowwherethecoreisthenyou
canstillsearchfasteronfullbar.IfirstheardaboutthistechniquewhensomeonewasdescribingRuss
Ogden'sflyingattheOzoneChabreOpenacoupleofyearsago.

Secondly,tobeabletoselectclimbswhileflyingonbaryouneedtoknowthesinkrateofyourgliderat
speed.Youshouldhaveagoodideaofthesinkrateatbothhalfandfullbarsoyoucanjudgethe
strengthofthethermalsyouflythroughwithoutslowingdown.

Finally,thebook"SecretsofChampions"byDenisPagen,althoughabouthanggliding,haslotsof
amazinginsightthatisalsoequallyapplicabletoparagliders.Recommended.
1.Launchearlytherearefewthingsworsethanbeingstuckonlaunchbehindsomeclusterf#@%
whiletheAteamisclimbingoutandthestartisin15minutes.Sodon'tputyourselfinaholebeforeyou
evengetintheair.Shithappensfastsogetyourshittogetherearly.

2.Thespeedbarisnosubstituteforyourbrainandanyonewithhalfabraincanmashthebar.Thisisa
thinkingsport.Findthetoplift,lemmesayitagain...FINDTHETOPOFTHELIFT!Thengoonbigglidesto
logicalpoints,anddon'tjustlookforagoodline,lookforagoodangle,andDON'Tgetsuckedinto
chuckingworthlesscircleswithanyonealongtheway.Fastisnotfast,efficientisfast.

3.Knowthepivotalmoment(AKAlastchance).Thisisthemomentwhereyoumakeastandverses
glidingon.Thesemomentsarehardtoidentifywhenyouarenotobviouslylow,butyou'llknowwhen
themomentwasafteryou'vedirted.Learntoseeitcomingearlier.

4.Flyyourownflight.It'sreallyeasytogetsuckedintosomebaddecisionsbecauseeveryonearound
youisdoingit.Pilotsoftensay"IflybetterbymyselfthenIdoincompetitions".Thismeansthey're
flyingsomeoneelsesflightandnottheirown.Youknowhowtofly,gowithyourgut.

5.Never,never,nevergiveup
Cooperatewiththepilotsinthesamegaggleasyou.Ifyouonlyfollowyoumightlearnsomethings
butyouwonthavetherespectofyourfellowpilotsnorwillyoulearnaboutselfconfidenceandmaking
yourowndecisions.

Whodareswins.Ifyounevermakebolddecisions,youmightbeamongthefirsttenbutyouwillnever
befirst.
"Beinginfrontandlowdoesnotmeanyou'reinthelead.Ittookme5yearstoworkthatoneout."
RobWhittall
TyinginwithBill'stipthatyoushouldnever,evergiveup,it'sworthrecognizingthatasthelevelof
competitiongoesup,thenumberofmistakesthatyoucanmakeandstilldowellgoesdown.The
positiveinterpretationofthisisthatinintroductorycompetitionsyoucanmakeacoupleofmistakes
andstilldowelloverall.Ifyougetstucksoaringabowlfor15minuteswaitingforthenextcycleina
friendlycompliketheOzoneChabreOpen,BPCuporRatRacethenyoucanstillfinishinthetopten,so
don'tstresstoomuchifthishappens.Focusonstayingintheair,getbackuphighandbackoncourse.
Takeitasagreatopportunitytolearnandbuildexperience.Ofcourse,atPWClevel,threeminutesis
thedifferencebetweentop10and60th.

Otherpeoplegetstucktoo,andit'saloteasiertocatchupthantoleadout.Ifyou'rebehindthenwatch
thepilotsinfrontofyoutoseewhatworksthebestsoyoucangodirectlybythebestroute.Ifyoudo
fallbehindthenyoudoneedtoflyfast(i.e.makegood,fastdecisions)tocatchup.Don'tbetemptedto
stickwithyourgaggleiftherearepilotsaheadonthecourse.Bytheirverynature,latergagglesflymore
slowlysodon'tletyourselfbedraggeddowntotheirlevel.Thismeansthatyou'llendupleadingout
fromyourgaggle,butyou'vebeenpayingattentiontothepilotsinfrontsoyoushouldknowexactly
whereyou'regoing.

Personally,ifIcanstayupthenIliketolaunchassoonasthewindowopens(quotefromHaymanatSt
Andr:"Ah,Tom'slaunched.Windowmustbeopen.")Manypilotshangaroundonlaunchbecause
they'reworriedaboutbombingout.Butyou'vepracticedinweakconditions,you'vewatchedthewind
dummiesfindthermalsandeventheschoolglidersarefloatingaroundabovelaunch.Bytakingoffearly
yougetclearairspacetomakethebestuseofthethermals,yougettocheckouttheairmassand
maybethefirstpartofthecourseandyougetplentyoftimetosettleintoflyingmodeandobservethe
bestpilots.MarkHaymanalwaysseemstobeoneofthelasttotakeoff:whenIlaunchheusuallyhasn't
evenunpacked,buthetimesitright:he'sonthestartlinewhenthegungoes.Markcandothisbecause
heflies20+compsperyearandisveryexperienced.I'vestillgotlotstolearn!

Onstarts,thebeststartpositionisnotontheedgeofthestartcylinderclosesttolaunch.Thebest
startingpositionisontheedgeofthestartcylinderatbaseupwindofthefirstturnpoint.Sometimesthis
meansthatyouhavetoflythroughthestartcylinder,pasttheturnpointandouttheotherside.You
mightneedtotakeoffassoonasthewindowopenstohavetimetodothis.Evenifthere'snottimeto
flytothefarsideofthestartcylinder,justflyingpartwayrounditsoyourfirstlegiscrosswindrather
thanintowindcangiveyouasignificantadvantage.

Don'tworrytoomuchabouthittingthestartcylinderexactlyonthegun.Afewsecondsatthefinishline
willonlycostyouafewpoints,butbeingoverthelinecanscoreyouzerofortheentiretask.Earlyonit's
easytocatchupwiththeleaderssodon'tworryifyou'retensecondsbehind.Youdohavetoflyfast
immediatelyafterthestarttomakesurethatyou'reintheleadgaggle,butonceyou'reestablishedwith
theleadersyoucanrelaxabitandletthegagglemakethedecisions.

Intheflatsgagglesareking.Withoutobvioustriggersyouneedtoworkasateamtofindthenext
thermal.Thismeansyoushouldstickwiththegaggleunlessyou'refeelingexceptionallystupid(see
Eduardo'stipsabove).Inthemountainsthermaltriggersaremorepredictableandyoucanflymoreas
anindividual.I'vemadethemistakeofgoingoffonmyownintheplainstoomanytimes,Istillhaven't
learnedthis.

AnotheronefromMarkHayman.Don'tbeafraidtopushonpoordays.It'sveryrarethattheleadgaggle
bombsoutandaslowerpilotmakesittogoal(butitdoeshappensometimes).Iftheleadgaggledoes
bomboutthenit'sprobablyaverypoordayandwon'tbeworthmanypointsoverallsoit'sbetterto
landwiththemmostofthewayaroundthecourse.Flyingconservatively(slowly)cancostyoualotof
pointsiftheleadgaggledoesmakeittogoal.

GAPleadingoutpointsaren'tworthit.Thinkthroughthescoringsystemforthecompetition.Ifthey're
usingGAPthenit'sveryrareforanyonetoscore1000pointsforthetask.It'smucheasiertogetagood
scorebytakingalaterstartandflyingthroughthegagglesthanitisbytryingtoleadout.Leadingoutis
funbutwon'twinyoutheday.Iftherearenoleadingoutpointsatallthendon'tleadout!

Takeeachdayseparately.Unlessyou'rebattlingforthetopspots,paraglidingcompetitionsareaseries
ofsingleraceswitheverydaycountinganequalamount.Don'tletagoodorbadposition"psych"you
outintotakingmoreorlessrisk.Inthefinaldaysthecompetitionleaderswillmarkthepilotsdirectly
behindtheminanattempttomaintaintheirpositions.Ifyou'renotleadingthendon'tbothertodothis:
theextramentalstresswillreduceyourperformanceandyou'lldobetterbyjustignoringyourcurrent
positionandfocusingonflyingaswellaspossibleontheday.

Finally,fromAdrianThomas.Youdon'tneedtowintaskstowincompetitions.Thegloryofthedaydoes
gothetaskwinner,typicallyabrilliantbutinconsistentpilotwhogotlucky.However,it'stheconsistent
pilotswhowintheweeksandthetitles.Ifyoudefineyourgoaltobenotwinthetaskbutratherjust
finishinthetopteneachdaythenyoumighthavelessfunbutyouwillgettotakehomethetrophies.
Finalglideisdifferentsupposeyouarewith5others,whoevergoesfirstandmakesitistheone
whowins.Sowhatgenerallyhappensisyouallclimbtoclosetotheglideslopeandthenthethermalling
getsabithecticbecauseeveryoneistryingtomaximizeclimbwhilealsowatchingthenumbersdecrease
ontheirgliderequireddisplay.Someonewilldecidetheycanmakeitandgo,andassoonastheydo
everyoneelsegoes.

Usually,youstartlookingforfinalglideabout1/2to2/3rdsofthewayroundthecourse.I'veoften
made20kfinalglides,manytimesmade30kandafewtimesmade40kfinals.IfyouarestillinXCmode
whenothershavegoneontofinalglidesyouarenowhere.Thetroubleis,ofcourse,finalglidesofthat
sortoflengthofteninvolvelongsectionsinlift(mayberidgerunning),mightinvolvetransitionsand
changesofdirection,andofteninvolveflyingroundoneormoreturnpoints.Veryfewinstrumentsare
goodatcalculatingfinalglideroundturnpoints.
Alotofthetoppilotscalculatetheheightrequiredatvariousspotsalongthecoursebeforetakingoff.
Onethingthathasn'tbeenmentionedmuchherebeforeistheimportanceofthementalpartof
thingsthehead,ifyouwill.

AlongtimeagoIbegansuspectingthatinanygivenhighlevelcomptherewouldbeXXpilotswiththe
objectiveflyingskillstowinoverall.Amongthem,onlyahandfulorsowouldhavetheconfidenceto
actuallyacknowledgethisinotherwords,toactivelybelievethattheywouldwinthecomp,oratleast
SHOULDwinthecomp.
Istillthinkthisisthecase,andwhat'smoreIthinktheoneoutofthathandfulwhobelievesitmost
earnestlywillactuallyusuallywin.
Thisisthereasonwhysupremeconfidenceinthewingyouflymakessuchadifferencebecauseyou
cannotpersuadeyoursubconsciousthatyou'llwinunlessyouknowyou'reflyingacompetitivewing.
TakethecaseofChrigelMaurer:Hegotaprototypebackin2005thatwassimplyWAYbetterthan
anythingelseoutthere.Itgavehim,ontopofhisnumerousotherqualities,asupremeconfidencethat
rubbedoffonhisflyingstyle,hisdecisionmaking,everything.Today,eveniftheotherbrandshave
caughtupwithhiswing,hestillfeelsatthecoreofhissoulthatheshouldwin,thathehasTHERIGHTto
winsohepossiblydoesn'tneedtheextraperformanceofasuperiorwinganymore.
Thereareothercasessimilartothisone,HausiBollingerinthemidninetiesspringstomind.

SamewiththeValic'stodayreallyeveryoneissayinghowtheyflymuchfaster/betterthananyoneelse,
soitslowlybecomesreasonableforthemtoearnestlyTHINKthattheydeservetowin.Sotheydo.

Ibelievethatagoodcoachand/orsomestudyofmentaltrainingtechniquesisveryworthwhileinthis
respect.Thecoach,ifsheisworthhersalt,canhelpyouBELIEVEthatyouhavewhatittakes,andthe
readingcanhelpyoubuilduppsychologicalpracticesthatwillhelpyouREMEMBERthisevenwhenyou
arelow.

AndBTWthisiswhatmakessport,andcompetitivesport,sofascinatingtopartakein.Ifitwassolely
aboutpushingmorebaritwouldn'tbeworthdoingnowwouldit?
Gettingthestartrightisimportantforpsychologicalreasons.You'llfeelyou'rethere,oneofthe
Dudes,aSkyGodetc,andallthismattersimmenselyforyourwellbeingduringtherestofthetask.The
fewsecondsgainedhavezeroimpactonyourendresultsoftheday.

Andforthesecondpartsohowdoyouproposetomakeupanytimebybeingfasteraroundthe
course?Inthatscenarioyou'reflyingElapsedTimesurely,becauseifyouhaveaRace,shaking,oreven
loosing,thegaggleisgoingtobemother..hard.
InlowerlevelcompswhereyoumaygetawayfromthegaggleOK,itmaywork,butathigherlevels
there'susuallyNOgettingawayfromthegagglenomatterhowfastyougo.

TomasBraunertoldmenotlongagothathe'snevertoobotheredaboutthebeginningoftherace
becauseheknowsit'llbe"easy"tocatchupnowthatisawinningmentality,becauseitdoesn'tshake
youifyoumistimedthatstart(happenstousallonceinawhile).
Ibelieveseveralpilotshavecommentedthatintheearlystagesofataskcompetitionsareallabout
teamwork.Inmostcompetitionstheonlytimethegagglesgetreallybigisatthestartofthetask.
Themostimportantthingistokeepthegagglecirculatingnicely.Thereisrarelyanyneedtodiveinto
everybubblethatcomesyourway.Youtendtojustflyaroundinthegaggleandfollowareasofgreater
liftandallowthewholegaggletodriftwithyou,andofcoursekeeptabsonthebetterpilots.

Theonlytimeyouwouldwanttoaggressivelycoreathermalisifyouareoffbyyourself,eitherouton
courseoroutsidethemaingaggle.
Iguessyoucoulduseaggressivethermallingtopsychouttheoppositionbutyouwouldalsoneedthe
skillstobackthatuporyoujustenduplookinglikeadick.
BTW,Imadeacoupleofelementarymistakesinarecentcomp.
ItookoffontaskanddidnothaveaclearideaoftheorderofturnpointsandgoalandassumedIwould
justfollowGPS.SomeofthelegsofthetaskweresoclosetogetherIcouldnotclearlyseethetaskon
thescreenandmypoorbrainwasconfusedbytheturnpointsequenceandthecodesusedtoidentify
theturnpoints.AsaresultIwastedaheapoftime(andhadaverynicetimewhiledoingit)

Also,IpassedthroughthegoalcylinderfasterthantherecordingintervalonmyGPSsotherewassome
hassleforthescoringsystembecauseIdidnothaveatrackpointingoal.Youneedtomakesureyour
GPSisrecordingfrequentlyenoughtorecordthetaskproperlyandmakesureyoustayineachcylinder
longenoughtorecordapoint.

Flyingskills
OK,here'sthefirstpartofthemistakesImadeincompetitionlastyear.Itwasmyfirstseasonof
propercompetition.PreviouslyI'ddoneacoupleoftheexcellentOzoneChabreOpensandjustone
roundoftheBritishChampionships.IlistmymistakesheresothatIandmaybeotherscanlearnfrom
them.Allmydecisionsweremyownresponsibility,

OzoneChabreOpen,practicetask(tracklog)
ItwasanelapsedtimetasksoItookalatestarttogetafasttime.Iwasprettyquickaroundthecourse
untilIbombedonfinalglide.Therewasaheadwindfromthefinalturnpointtogoal,meaningthatyou
neededanextraclimbbetweentheturnpointandgoal.Lotsofglidershadlandedshortinfrontofme
butIthoughtIcouldjustspeedbarthroughandmakeit.Thisdidn'tworkandIrealizedtoolate,
groveledforalowsaveforawhile,andeventuallysankout.
Lesson:Youmightthinkyou'reonfinalglidebutrealisticallymonitoryourprogress:youmightneed
anotherclimb.Lookforclues(likeheadwindsandpilotslandingshort)andmakethedecisionearly,
whileyou'restillhigh,astowhethertopushonorfindaclimb.Avoid"tunnelvision"onthegoaljust
becauseyoucanseeitdoesn'tmeanthatyou'llmakeit!

OzoneChabreOpen,task2(tracklog)
I'dgotstuckearlier,buthadtakenadirectlinethatgotmebacktotheleadgaggle.However,Iwaslow.
Leavingareasonableclimbtoconnectwiththefinalridgebeforegoal,Iarrivedtoolowandlandedat
thebottomoftheridgetowatchtensofpilotsflyovermyheadandintogoalasIpackedup.
Lesson:Iracedmyselfintotheground.Thefirstpriorityshouldbe"gettogoal",andonlysecondly
shoulditbe"gettogoalfast".Possiblygettingstuckearlierhadmademeimpatient.Takeeachpartof
thecourseseparatelyanddon'ttrytorushbecauseyoumadeabaddecisionearlier.

OzoneChabreOpen,task3(tracklog)
Itwasanelapsedtimetask,butIwentearly(withRuss,RuddandMark)becauseconditionswereweak
andIthoughtthatthey'dgetworse.Infacttheygotbetterandthelaterpilotshadmuchfastertimes,
butthat'snotthemistake.Enjoyingbeingwiththe"leadgaggle",Ileftthelastclimbassoonasmyglide
computersaidIcouldmakeit.Itwasn'taparticularlybuoyantglideandIhadtostopinsomeveryweak
liftuntilIthoughtIcouldmakeitagain.Ilefttooearlyandlandedshort,insidethe1kmtimecylinder
butoutsidethe400mgoalcylinder.Onceagain,onthescoresheetIwasthefirstpilotnotingoal.
Lesson:Giveyourselfareasonablemarginonfinalglide.UlricJessop(thetaskwinneronthatday)
explainedtomelaterthatleavingwithzeromarginisstupid.Asinkyfinalglidecanrequireanextra
400mofaltitude,soifyou'rebelow400mwhenyouhitthatsinkthenyou'lllandshort.Ifyou'regoingto
giveyourselfzeromarginthenmakesurethatthere'sguaranteedliftonthewaythat'sasstrongasyour
finalclimbandbepreparedtodiverttouseitbeforeit'stoolate!

Technique
There'salreadybeenalotofadvicepublishedontheweb,forexample:
FromKellyFarina:
http://www.austrianarena.com/blog/?p=149
http://www.austrianarena.com/blog/?p=109
CollectedbyJerome:
http://www.expandingknowledge.com/Jerome/PG/Main.htm#Technique_FlyingSkills
(unfortunatelytheskynomadsitewhichhostssomeofthearticlesseemstobedownatthemoment)
TherewasalsoaverygoodarticleaboutgettingintocompflyinginCrossCountrymagazineacoupleof
yearsback,I'lldigoutthereferencewhenIgethome.

Usingspeedbartoavoidcollapsesonglideisefficientyouglidebetterifyouuseactivepitch
controlonthebar,speedingupwhenyouhitupdrafts,toavoidpitchingbackandslowingwhenyouhit
downdraftstoavoidpitchingforwards.Itshardwork,butbeneficial.
Thesameisnottrueofbrakeaction.Usingthebrakestostopthewingmovingaroundandcatch
collapsesbeforetheyhappenhurtsperformancealot.
Thatiswhycomppilotsflyhandsoffontransitionseveninstrongconditions.
Thatisalsowhypilotstryingtomaximizeperformancewilltoleratecollapseseveniftheymighthave
avoidedthem.

Thisis,ofcourse,allrathermoreadvancedthanisrelevantto40%asymmetricsridgesoaringat
DunstableonaDHV1.

FWIWIregularlygetasymmetrics,usuallyontheoutsidetipinthermals.TheyaretrivialandpopoutasI
shiftinwardstowardsthecore(theytellyouareattheedgeofthethermal).Ialsogetoccasional
asymmetrics,andrarefrontalsonbar.MytheoryisthatifIdon'ttakeoccasionalhitsIamnotgliding
fastenough.
FromRussOgden:Workonyourclimbingskills.PeoplelikeRussandMadsareamazingclimbers:they
alwaysseemtoclimbtothetopofthestackandstaythere.Thegoldenrulehereisneverbesatisfied
withtheliftthatyou'rein.Ifyouseesomeoneclimbingfasterthanyouthenfullspeedbartotheircore
immediately.Ifyoudoevenoneturnjusttoseeiftheyarereallydoingbetterthenthey'llovertakeyou.
Thedecisionshouldbeautomaticandinstantaneous.AndI'mreallyseriousaboutusingfullspeedbarto
movebetweencoresinthermals.

PersonallyIalwayshaveinmindaminimumacceptableclimbratewhichdependsonwhatI've
experiencedsofarthatday,whatIexpectandhowlow(desperate)Iam.Asaroughrulethisshouldbe
nolessthan1m/slessthanthestrongestclimbyouhaveexperiencedsofarthatday,unlessyou're
reallylow.Then,immediatelyreject(flystraightthrough)anyliftweakerthanthat.Ifyoufindagood
corethenleaveitassoonasitdropsbelowyourthreshold,don'tmillaroundhopingforittoget
stronger.Oneofthetraitsthatyouseeintheverytoppilotsisthattheyareveryselectiveabouttheir
climbs:assoonitstartstoweakentheyleave.MarkHaymantellsafunnystoryfromthePWCinItaly
lastyear.He'sthermallingintheleadgaggleinadecentclimbbutChrigelMaurerisoutahead,has
baggedtheturnpoint,andisflyingbacktowardsthegaggle."Oh,cool,",thinksMark,"I'llgettoseehow
theworld'sbestpilotthermals."Chrigelfliesstraightatthegaggleandthenstraightthroughitwithout
evenbotheringtoturn!Chrigelthendivesintotheleeofthemountain(wherenooneelsedarestofly),
connectswithsomescreameranddisappearsintoorbit."Oh,that'llbewhyhe'snumber1,"grumbles
Mark.

It'shardtooveremphasizehowimportantconfidenceiswhenitcomestofastdecisionmaking.
Confidencethatyoucanclimbaswellasanyoneelsesoifsomeoneelsecanstayupthensocanyou.
Confidencethatyou'llfindliftonglideoratyournextthermaltrigger.Confidenceallowsyoutomakea
decisionandactuponitwithtotalcommitment,withanassumptionofsuccess.Lessexperiencedpilots
takeeveryclimbashighastheycanthenflyatbestglideandtrytohedgetheirbetsbyflyingoveras
manythermaltriggersaspossible.ThisfloatingabouttheskyisthewaytostartyourXCflyingcareer
butitisnotthewaytowincompetitions.

Confidencecomesfromexperience,practiceandgoodequipment.ExperienceofXCflyinggivesyouthe
abilitytomaketherightdecision,toidentifyyournextclimbsoyouflyintherightdirection.Practice
meansthatyoukeepyourskillssharp.Oneofthebestthingsyoucandoisflyonweakdaysandtryto
gettoandstayatthetopofthestack.Ifyoucanreliablydothisthenyou'llknowthatyou'llbeable
climboutifadecisionevergoeswrong.Equipmentmeanshavingagliderthatyoucanthermalwelland
thatyoutrustsoyoucanflyitat100%ofitspotential.Practicepullingasymmetrics,frontals,spiral
dives,wingovers,SATs,helis,fullstalls,spinseverythingwhenyougetthechance.Trustingyourselfon
yourglidermeansthatyoucanfullycommittoyourdecisions.

Flyingfasthaslittletodowithflyingonfullbaroneverytransition.Speedisinyourdecision
making,andimportantlyinnotmakingmistakes.Aspilotsimprovetheaveragespeedthattheycanfly
ataroundacoursewithoutbombingoutgoesup.AnaverageXCpilotmanagesabout20km/haverage
(inzerowind)andagoodXCpilotmightdo25km/h.PWCgagglesdoabout35km/handthetoppilots
averageover38km/h.

So,herearesomegamestoplaytohelpyourspeed:
onweakdays,gettoandstayatthetopofthestack
inthermalsmonitorotherpilotsandfullbartoanypilotclimbingfasterthanyou
decidewhereyournextclimbwillbeandflystraighttoitwithoutturning
practiceturningyourwinginsideoutintheair
trythetwomethodsofglidingdescribedinKelly'sblogabovetofindoutwhichworksbestforyou

Equipment
SoonerorlateryouWILLhaveaproblemwithyourGPS...andyouwillthankthedayyoudecidedtofly
withabackup,haveitwithgoodbatteries,tracklogonandasmallenoughintervalrecordingperiod!
Better,youcanusethetwoGPSactivelybyusingdifferentscreensanddifferentinfooneach
IhaveaCompetinoandaGarmin76andwhiletermallingIoccasionallylookmoreattheGarmin(map
pagewithbigzoom),onglideIhavedifferentdatafieldsoneach...
Therearemanygoodinstrumentsoutthere...butalwaysuseabackup!