Type of pilot you are

Secrets of the pros

Every pilot before competing in XC comps should know himself how he behaves in the air and also to know how other pilots, you are flying with, behave. That information is very useful in competing and most of the pilots use it because on the basis of that information you are choosing tactics, choosing types of races and competitions you would like to win or do better.

It is mandatory to know your skills and to know your opponents so when you are in the air racing you will know who will do what and also you can predict how someone is intending to fly and then how you can beat him.

If you do not know yourself jet, by reading this article you will be able to put yourself in some of the very basic types of pilot there are in terms of tactics. I will put just basics separation of four types but I think everybody will fit in some group.

The Speedy pilot

This is pilot who likes fast races, a lot of pushing of the speed bar, ridge flying and enjoying strong thermals. To be speedy pilot you need to handle your glider 100% and for you should not be problem full bar and then collapsing it. If you can't or you are afraid than you will never have that "something" that will drive you to the podium.

In the air you can recognize speedy pilot in gaggle always in front, but mostly lower than others ;-). This kind of pilot mostly can win task or two but rarely competition because of pushing too much, where he shouldn't, puts him on the ground before goal. Sometimes speedy one can be lucky and he can win comp with big point difference but mostly if he knows the terrain very good.

These kinds of pilots are mostly young ones but it is not the rule. I can tell that I was like that when I started flying and young blood full of adrenaline was rushing wild while I was speeding on the ridges and bombing out in the flats. Sometimes I won tasks even against much better pilots than me but not the whole competitions.

If you are speedy

If you are speedy than you have to use it as your joker at the right moment. Your joker is bar on the ridge or the day and terrain when or where you will find lift everywhere. Than you can use bar as much as you can and the more careful pilots will not follow you. If the day shows average climbs above 3ms you can full bar all the time and make the advantage.

If you like speeding, than fly The Alps or places with lot of ridges or places that have regular lift. Don't go on flatland comps, or on places that you need to be very patient or fly with slower groups because you'll have bad impact on your self-esteem.

How to beat speedy pilot

If you are not the speedy, but you can recognize him, than you want to know how to beat his type of pilot and his way of flying. Mostly he will beat himself in some big glide if he will be alone there. Speedy pilot has smaller chances when flying flatland especially with blue thermals.

Another way to beat him is to trust your instrument and if it says you cannot make the goal or turn point etc than don't go. Stop and climb. Speedy pilot will go even if he is missing some meters and if he is not lucky or knows the place very well, he will not make it.

Mostly competitors are using speedy ones by letting them in front to mark the way. If it is good, others follow, if not they choose other line and they leave leader behind them. It is usually tactics for the final glide. Before the glide to last point on which you will choose final glide, you let go the speedy one in front. He will mark the way and if he chooses bad line he will not be able to catch you as you will be on final glide.

Common mistakes of speedy

Most common mistake is bombing out on the track because you were lower and that pulled some other things. While flying low you were squeezing some weak thermal to go up but everyone was passing you high after other pilots climbed nicely in thermal before, you got nervous so you went without proper altitude to search better lift and you bombed out.

Other mistake is when you are in front you cannot choose better sinking lines for transitions so if you are unlucky, others behind will see that and adjust line passing high above you.

One more mistake is pushing bar too much on the weak days and in long transitions. If the McReady says you are pushing too much, at the end you will end up lower than others for sure.

And one more typical mistake is pushing bar into the goal and than one km before you realize that you will not make it so you are soaring in sight of goal just to make some altitude while others are passing above you in goal.

The Follower (tail guy)

Follower is type of pilot who will almost never push forward, and he will rather come later in goal than risking it with lower arrival for better position. You can recognize him easily in thermal. He is the one who will make one or two more turns before leaving thermal even if everybody left it or the thermal is dead. He wants to see best lines and wants to have someone in front to follow. He is the one that is using speedy pilots the most.

This kind of flying will hardly put follower on the podium, but places in top ten are usually filled with followers. Mostly this kind of pilot is annoying everyone especially if you landed before goal line and he came after you little bit higher, waiting for you to test the final glide. Type of competitions he does win is ones with a lot of bad and weak days, where the patience is worth the most.

How to get rid of him

I tried this once and it worked fine. If the follower is all the time above you and following you and there are clouds than do this. Climb to the cloud base even if it is weaker above etc. As he is higher he will reach cloud base sooner so he will have to leave thermal before you because otherwise he will end up in the cloud. You will climb to the cloud base and then bar below bases. Now you have follower in front and then you can choose good line.

Another tactics is in combining ridges with your path.

How to beat him

If you end up alone with follower than the best for you to rely only on yourself because the follower never has good idea where to go so you could easily bomb out trying to follow each other. Good thing is that you can get rid of him at moment of choosing final glide. Climb little bit more just to have for case of need and then push the bar into the goal. He will anyway wait for you to go first so if you go half a minute before there is no chance that he will catch you.

Common mistakes

While the entire time follower was flying competitions by following others, he lacks of idea or skills to fly alone. When he gets alone with no one to follow he will be on the ground soon. Also if the group starts to push more or if they catch good line or thermal, than follower can easily stay in behind.

One mistake that he can make is to follow some particular pilot who has bad day and at the end both bomb out.

Coming later in goal is typical mistake, while others in front of him with same altitude made it ten minutes faster.

Competitions to choose

If you are follower than choose more flatland competitions where you will have to fly more in groups.

Loner

This is pilot that is mostly flying their own routes alone or in company with very few pilots. Mostly he is not so eager to have top ten but rather to have good flying for fun or podium if he makes some hat trick. You have here two types of loners. One that is not so good in gaggle flying so he ended up alone and other one that is good XC pilot and he has their own route and he trusts only to himself. Loners are most unpredictable pilots and sometimes they win comp on everyone's surprise but mostly they are not in the top ten overall.

It is good to know who is good loner so if you need to leave the gaggle because you do not like the route they plan to fly, you can join him and when the time comes fly with him into the goal.

To beat loner you will need to stick to the gaggle and play on sure bet.

Common mistake

Good XC loner is patient so eventually he can make it to the goal but when he is alone he will have slower route so he will not make good time unless he took good shortcut.

Flying alone on weak day is not very wise and when the luck runs out, the ground replaces it.

Flying for fun pilot

I would say that every pilot flies for fun, otherwise he should change sport, but some are not so eager to make good result as to fly and have fun with other pilots in the air and in the bar after good flight. If you are one of them than to make good results you will have to spend less time in bar and more in the bed resting for next day. You are reading this so you are on good trail to expand you knowledge and become better pilot.

The Good pilot

This is the type of pilot everyone has to tend to be. It the pilot that knows how to combine all of these above types of flying. When needed he can fly aggressively and push the bar to win the race. Good pilot will move the foot of the bar if there is hard terrain in front of him and he needs gaggle not to bomb out, and if needed rather come third, fifth etc one task but winning the comp. Yes sometimes good pilot will go alone but rarely. Better to come with the gaggle than chasing time and risking of bombing out.

Good pilot will always have smile on his face even if he bombed out, because he is flying for fun.

Recommendations for beginners

If you are just starting to compete and you are still not aware of your skill the best way to learn and make progress is first to become Follower, at least for some time. It can save you lot of time and early landings, and you will make longer flights by copying others. Later you have to replay whole flight to know why others flew that route and why some made specific decision. If you won't do that, than you will become just dull follower with no idea how to win task and on top of that others won't like you when you come on podium if you do.

The time when to move forward from follower tactics is when you can follow without any problem. Then you are mature to progress your tactics to become speedier and to have more self confidence in yourself and your equipment. If you are high and instrument says you can go there is no need to wait for someone. Go and win! When you make it like that for the first time you will be more confident and for sure you will start doing that regularly.

Build your self-esteem with every flight you make.

When you are flying good and smart the luck is following you.