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 — Unfussy climbers

2 pilots · ranks 3–6 · median 4.5 · middle half 3.8–5.3

High — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P88 in this field (79 percent)
High — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P88 in this field (50 percent)
Low — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P19 in this field (1.2 metres per second)
Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P22 in this field (27 percent) · usually a strength

3. Jakota Cummings (most typical of this group)
6. James Atkinson

Group B — Committed racers

3 pilots · ranks 1–14 · median 5 · middle half 3–9.5

Low — Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb group median P6 in this field (18 percent) · usually a strength
High — Glide speed between climbs group median P93 in this field (49.1 kilometres per hour) · usually a strength
High — Glide L/D against the field median group median P85 in this field (1.38 ratio) · usually a strength
Low — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P17 in this field (0 percent)

1. Dustan Hansen (most typical of this group)
5. Andy Schmidt
14. Shane Duncan

Group C — Choosy climbers

5 pilots · ranks 2–12 · median 8 · middle half 4–9

Low — Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb group median P15 in this field (40 percent)
High — Time spent flying with a gaggle group median P72 in this field (6 percent)
Low — How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it group median P29 in this field (42 percent)
High — Climbs joined on another pilot's marker group median P71 in this field (43 percent)

2. Donny Gardner
4. Mark Tyminski
8. Jason Lannstrom
9. Gordon Bishop
12. Patrick Honey (most typical of this group)

Group D — Slow gliders

3 pilots · ranks 7–11 · median 10 · middle half 8.5–10.5

Low — Glide speed between climbs group median P7 in this field (34.4 kilometres per hour) · usually costly
Low — Glide L/D against the field median group median P8 in this field (0.84 ratio) · usually costly
High — Time spent flying with a gaggle group median P89 in this field (29 percent)
High — Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band group median P86 in this field (1.0 count)

7. Anthony Meechan
10. Dean Bayly
11. Amber Tsai (most typical of this group)

Group E — Lift keepers

2 pilots · ranks 13–15 · median 14 · middle half 13.5–14.5

High — Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking group median P97 in this field (65 percent)
Low — Climb rate at thermal exit group median P3 in this field (1.0 metres per second)
Low — How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it group median P4 in this field (-2 percent)
Low — Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal group median P13 in this field (49 percent) · usually costly

13. Mike Estcourt (most typical of this group)
15. Curtis Greenwood

Not clustered: 16. Nicole Forrester — only 8 of 18 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 16. Brett Huggan — only 8 of 18 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 16. James McGinty — only 7 of 18 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 16. Christopher Sutton — only 7 of 18 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%); 16. Mark Wallace — only 2 of 18 metrics available (needs ≥ 60%).

15 pilots on 18 behavioural metrics formed 5 groups.