Flying style

Pilots grouped by how alike their flying was.

Analysis computed

The groups are flying style, and not score. The spread of ranks in each group shows where that style paid and where it did not.

Group A — Leave-it-lifting climbers

2 pilots · ranks 1–4 · median 2.5 · middle half 1.8–3.3

High — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P94 in this field (1.1 metres per second)
Low — Time to core thermals group median P14 in this field (18 seconds)
High — Glide L/D against the field median group median P83 in this field (1.07 ratio) · usually a strength
High — Gliding wide of the optimal course line group median P81 in this field (-10 percent)

1. Richard Martin (most typical of this group)
4. Rohan Taylor

Group B — Unfussy climbers

6 pilots · ranks 2–9 · median 5.5 · middle half 3.5–7.5

High — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P80 in this field (43 percent)
Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P25 in this field (41 percent) · usually a strength
Low — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P28 in this field (0.4 metres per second)
High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P71 in this field (66 percent)

2. Steven Crosby (most typical of this group)
3. Josh Woods
5. Paul Bissett-Amess
6. Mick Lamb
8. Dick Heffer
9. Andre Johnson

Not clustered: 7. Rory Duncan — only 8 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 10. Rob de Groot — only 7 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 11. Hossain Tefaili — only 3 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 12. James Atkinson — only 2 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 13. Bradley Elliott — only 3 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 14. Justin Gilmour — only 2 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 15. Brett Gilmour — only 1 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 16. John Greenwood — only 2 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 17. Ward Gunn — only 1 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 18. James Morgan — only 1 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 19. Howard Taylor — only 1 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 20. Nariyuki Watabe — only 1 of 16 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

8 pilots on 16 behavioural metrics formed 2 groups.