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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final glide committed to when leaving the last climb | clear pattern | ||
| Distance covered between climbs | clear pattern | ||
| Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb | clear pattern | ||
| Glide speed between climbs | clear pattern | ||
| Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal | some pattern | ||
| Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb | some pattern | ||
| Time spent flying with a gaggle | some pattern | ||
| Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band | some pattern | ||
| Gliding wide of the optimal course line | could be chance | ||
| Climbs joined on another pilot's marker | could be chance | ||
| How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it | could be chance | ||
| How round and consistent the circles were | could be chance | ||
| Arriving at ESS with height to spare | could be chance | ||
| Time to core thermals | could be chance | ||
| How often leaving the gaggle paid off | could be chance | ||
| How low the pilot gets between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Share of the height gain made outside thermals | could be chance | ||
| Climb rate at thermal exit | could be chance | ||
| Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking | could be chance | ||
| Glide L/D against the field median | could be chance |
Metrics with a clear pattern, plotted against rank
Final glide committed to when leaving the last climb
- Through the air, the wind changed the committed glide by 10% or more for 1 of 3 pilots.
Distance covered between climbs
- 6 pilots left out: their instruments record a position only every 5–10 s, too seldom for this measure.
Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb
- Speed-section phase shares, field p25/median/p75: climb 25/31/35% · glide 23/29/33% · search 33/40/50%
Glide speed between climbs
- Field glide speed: median 53.9 km/h · p90 60.9 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 |