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 — Committed racers

11 pilots · ranks 1–11 · median 6 · middle half 3.5–8.5

Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P22 in this field (33 percent) · usually a strength
High — How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it group median P75 in this field (60 percent)
High — Glide speed between climbs group median P75 in this field (55.2 kilometres per hour) · usually a strength
High — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P72 in this field (35 percent)

1. Hughbert Alexander
2. Steven Crosby
3. Rohan Taylor
4. Rob de Groot (most typical of this group)
5. Josh Woods
6. Dick Heffer
7. Andy Schmidt
8. Richard Martin
9. James Atkinson
10. Adrian Connor
11. James Morgan

Group B — Wanderers

5 pilots · ranks 15–22 · median 19 · middle half 16–20

High — Gliding wide of the optimal course line group median P91 in this field (45 percent)
Low — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P15 in this field (20 percent)
High — Time spent flying with a gaggle group median P83 in this field (30 percent)
High — Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band group median P80 in this field (1.0 count)

15. Col Jackson (most typical of this group)
16. Joe Baker
19. Peter Garrone
20. Justin Gilmour
22. Nolan Bear

Group C — Deep diggers

5 pilots · ranks 12–24 · median 21 · middle half 18–23

Low — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P6 in this field (0 percent)
Low — Gliding wide of the optimal course line group median P9 in this field (-18 percent)
Low — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P10 in this field (1.0 metres per second)
Low — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P14 in this field (54 percent) · usually costly

12. Ward Gunn
18. John Greenwood
21. Richard Hughes
23. Nariyuki Watabe
24. Brett Gilmour (most typical of this group)

Not clustered: 14. James McGinty — only 6 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 17. Peter Burkitt — only 6 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 25. Dustan Hansen — only 10 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

21 pilots on 20 behavioural metrics formed 3 groups.