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 — Strong climbers

5 pilots · ranks 1–19 · median 4 · middle half 3–9

High — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P92 in this field (78 percent) · usually a strength
Low — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P8 in this field (0 percent)
Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P19 in this field (34 percent) · usually a strength
High — Distance covered between climbs group median P75 in this field (2.0 kilometres) · usually a strength

1. Peter Burkitt
3. Jon Durand
4. Paul Bissett-Amess (most typical of this group)
9. Peter Adriaans
19. Steven Crosby

Group B — Gaggle flyers

3 pilots · ranks 6–10 · median 7 · middle half 6.5–8.5

High — Time spent flying with a gaggle group median P95 in this field (38 percent)
Low — Time to core thermals group median P8 in this field (20 seconds)
High — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P89 in this field (32 percent)
Low — Glide L/D against the field median group median P18 in this field (0.93 ratio) · usually costly

6. Neil Hooke
7. Troy Horton
10. Bruce Atkinson (most typical of this group)

Group C — High-band operators

5 pilots · ranks 2–18 · median 12 · middle half 8–13

High — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P91 in this field (62 percent)
High — How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it group median P89 in this field (86 percent)
High — Glide L/D against the field median group median P88 in this field (1.29 ratio) · usually a strength
High — Glide speed between climbs group median P84 in this field (58.6 kilometres per hour) · usually a strength

2. Neale Halsall
8. Ward Gunn
12. Steve Docherty
13. James Wynd (most typical of this group)
18. Richard Martin

Group D — Leave-it-lifting climbers

5 pilots · ranks 5–17 · median 14 · middle half 11–16

High — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P88 in this field (1.4 metres per second)
Low — Distance covered between climbs group median P13 in this field (0.7 kilometres) · usually costly
High — Share of the height gain made outside thermals group median P85 in this field (6 percent)
High — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P84 in this field (76 percent)

5. Hughbert Alexander (most typical of this group)
11. Mick Lamb
14. Jason Carman
16. Keith Lavers
17. Mitch Butler

Group E — Thermal milkers

2 pilots · ranks 15–20 · median 17.5 · middle half 16.3–18.8

Low — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P3 in this field (0.7 metres per second)
Low — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P8 in this field (38 percent)
Low — Glide speed between climbs group median P8 in this field (45.5 kilometres per hour) · usually costly
High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P84 in this field (72 percent)

15. Dean Bayly (most typical of this group)
20. Paul Lawrence

Not clustered: 21. Jay Kubeil — only 8 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. James Atkinson — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Pete Bolton — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Adrian Connor — only 2 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Marcus De Vecchi — only 3 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Donny Gardner — only 2 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Dustan Hansen — only 2 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Richard Hughes — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Scotty Ireland — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Jason Lannstrom — only 2 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Colin Mackie — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. James McGinty — only 6 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Michael Smith — only 1 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Hossain Tefaili — only 3 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 22. Todd Wisewould — only 4 of 17 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

20 pilots on 17 behavioural metrics formed 5 groups.