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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glide speed between climbs | clear pattern | ||
| How low the pilot gets between climbs | clear pattern | ||
| How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it | clear pattern | ||
| Final glide committed to when leaving the last climb | clear pattern | ||
| How long after the gate opened the pilot started | clear pattern | ||
| Glide L/D against the field median | some pattern | ||
| Time spent flying with a gaggle | some pattern | ||
| How often leaving the gaggle paid off | could be chance | ||
| Distance covered between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Gliding wide of the optimal course line | some pattern | ||
| Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb | could be chance | ||
| Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb | could be chance | ||
| Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band | could be chance | ||
| Climbs joined on another pilot's marker | could be chance | ||
| Arriving at ESS with height to spare | could be chance | ||
| Share of the height gain made outside thermals | could be chance | ||
| Time to core thermals | could be chance | ||
| Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal | could be chance | ||
| Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking | could be chance | ||
| How round and consistent the circles were | could be chance | ||
| Climb rate at thermal exit | could be chance |
Metrics with a clear pattern, plotted against rank
Glide speed between climbs
- Field glide speed: median 59.3 km/h · p90 66.5 km/h (29 pilots)
How low the pilot gets between climbs
How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it
Final glide committed to when leaving the last climb
How long after the gate opened the pilot started
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 |