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 — High leavers

15 pilots · ranks 1–31 · median 10 · middle half 4.5–18.5

High — How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it group median P77 in this field (79 percent)
Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P24 in this field (34 percent) · usually a strength
High — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P75 in this field (70 percent) · usually a strength
Low — How round and consistent the circles were group median P26 in this field (0.14 ratio)

1. Trent Brown
2. Neale Halsall
3. Mitch Butler
4. Peter Burkitt
5. Vic Hare
6. Hughbert Alexander
7. Peter Adriaans
10. John Harriott
12. Neil Hooke
13. Bruce Atkinson
17. Richard Martin
20. Enda Carrigan (most typical of this group)
22. Dustan Hansen
24. Stuart Cathcart
31. Jon Durand

Group B — Deep diggers

16 pilots · ranks 8–32 · median 22 · middle half 14.8–27.3

Low — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P25 in this field (24 percent)
High — Gliding wide of the optimal course line group median P75 in this field (29 percent)
Low — Glide L/D against the field median group median P25 in this field (0.86 ratio) · usually costly
High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P74 in this field (59 percent)

8. Bruce Wynne
9. Steven Crosby
11. Olav Opsanger
14. Steve Docherty
15. Troy Horton
16. Cedric Joyce
18. Mark Jeffree (most typical of this group)
21. Andrew Taylor
23. Neill Hollingsworth
24. Damian Hamilton
26. Steve Blenkinsop
27. Peter Garrone
28. Jason Lannstrom
29. James McGinty
30. Wayne Johnston
32. Michael Free

Not clustered: 33. James Atkinson — only 1 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Andrew Berenyi — only 9 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Mario Chapa — only 4 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Brett Davis — only 2 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Marty Hearne — only 5 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Jay Kubeil — only 6 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Tushar Pokle — only 4 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Hossain Tefaili — only 5 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Peter Tolhurst — only 6 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 33. Todd Wisewould — only 4 of 20 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

31 pilots on 20 behavioural metrics formed 2 groups.