Winning strategies
Which behaviours went with better ranks on this task.
Analysis computed
Which behaviours went with better ranks
Each row is one behaviour, compared against the published ranks. Select a row to plot it against rank.
| Behaviour | Strength | What it means | Pilots measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb | clear pattern | ||
| Gliding wide of the optimal course line | clear pattern | ||
| Glide speed between climbs | clear pattern | ||
| How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it | some pattern | ||
| Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb | some pattern | ||
| How round and consistent the circles were | could be chance | ||
| How low the pilot gets between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal | could be chance | ||
| Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking | could be chance | ||
| Distance covered between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Climb rate at thermal exit | could be chance | ||
| Share of the height gain made outside thermals | could be chance | ||
| Glide L/D against the field median | could be chance | ||
| Time to core thermals | could be chance | ||
| Time spent flying with a gaggle | could be chance | ||
| How long after the gate opened the pilot started | could be chance | ||
| Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band | could be chance | ||
| Climbs joined on another pilot's marker | could be chance | ||
| Arriving at ESS with height to spare | could be chance | ||
| Final glide committed to when leaving the last climb | could be chance | ||
| How often leaving the gaggle paid off | too few pilots |
1 behaviour was measured on fewer than 8 pilots — too few to tell either way.
Metrics with a clear pattern, plotted against rank
Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb
- Speed-section phase shares, field p25/median/p75: climb 35/39/44% · glide 18/30/35% · search 24/28/43%
Gliding wide of the optimal course line
Glide speed between climbs
- Field glide speed: median 60.9 km/h · p90 67.3 km/h (26 pilots)
Outcome checks
These measure the result, not a behaviour, so they always follow the ranks.
| Outcome | Strength | What it means | Pilots measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race time behind the leader at ESS | clear pattern | ||
| Race time lost against the fastest pilots, leg by leg | could be chance |