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 — Escape artists

13 pilots · ranks 1–24 · median 8 · middle half 4–12

High — Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band group median P90 in this field (1.0 count)
High — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P79 in this field (67 percent)
High — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P72 in this field (12 percent)
Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P29 in this field (39 percent) · usually a strength

1. Stuart Cathcart
2. Vic Hare
3. Steve Blenkinsop
4. Bruce Atkinson
5. Todd Wisewould
6. Mitch Butler (most typical of this group)
8. Jay Kubeil
9. Ward Gunn
11. Bruce Wynne
12. Steven Crosby
16. Peter Burkitt
21. Jason Lannstrom
24. Peter Adriaans

Group B — Wanderers

7 pilots · ranks 7–40 · median 15 · middle half 11.5–26

High — Gliding wide of the optimal course line group median P88 in this field (63 percent)
Low — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P16 in this field (60 percent) · usually costly
Low — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P16 in this field (0 percent)
High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P73 in this field (59 percent)

7. John Harriott (most typical of this group)
10. Trent Brown
13. Richard Martin
15. Enda Carrigan
22. Michael Free
30. Hughbert Alexander
40. Brett Davis

Group C — Gaggle flyers

7 pilots · ranks 13–28 · median 19 · middle half 17.5–26

High — Time spent flying with a gaggle group median P93 in this field (82 percent)
High — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P84 in this field (35 percent)
High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P80 in this field (61 percent)
Low — How low the pilot gets between climbs group median P20 in this field (-3 percent)

13. Cedric Joyce
17. Olav Opsanger
18. Jon Durand
19. Steve Docherty
25. Mark Jeffree
27. Neale Halsall (most typical of this group)
28. Neil Hooke

Group D — Slow corers

6 pilots · ranks 20–36 · median 32.5 · middle half 29.8–33.8

High — Time to core thermals group median P89 in this field (75 seconds)
High — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P86 in this field (1.5 metres per second)
High — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P85 in this field (77 percent) · usually a strength
Low — Glide L/D against the field median group median P15 in this field (0.89 ratio) · usually costly

20. Adrian Connor
29. Dustan Hansen
32. Hossain Tefaili
33. Troy Horton
34. Rohan Taylor
36. Andrew Taylor (most typical of this group)

Not clustered: 23. Rory Duncan — only 12 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 26. Marty Hearne — only 12 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 31. Gary Herman — only 12 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 35. James McGinty — only 11 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 36. Peter Garrone — only 11 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 38. Peter Tolhurst — only 10 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 39. Andrew Berenyi — only 11 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. James Atkinson — only 5 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. Damian Hamilton — only 9 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. Wayne Johnston — only 6 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. Rennick Kerr — only 9 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. Tushar Pokle — only 9 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 40. Andrew Sutton — only 9 of 21 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

33 pilots on 21 behavioural metrics formed 4 groups.