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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time spent flying with a gaggle | clear pattern | ||
| Arriving at ESS with height to spare | clear pattern | ||
| Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb | clear pattern | ||
| Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb | clear pattern | ||
| How much of the thermal the pilot climbed before leaving it | could be chance | ||
| Glide L/D against the field median | could be chance | ||
| How long after the gate opened the pilot started | could be chance | ||
| Share of the height gain made outside thermals | could be chance | ||
| How often leaving the gaggle paid off | could be chance | ||
| Low saves dug out from the bottom of the band | could be chance | ||
| Time to core thermals | could be chance | ||
| Share of the flight spent in air that wasn’t sinking | could be chance | ||
| Climbing faster than the pilots sharing the thermal | could be chance | ||
| How low the pilot gets between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Climbs joined on another pilot's marker | could be chance | ||
| Distance covered between climbs | could be chance | ||
| Glide speed between climbs | could be chance | ||
| How round and consistent the circles were | could be chance | ||
| Gliding wide of the optimal course line | could be chance | ||
| Climb rate at thermal exit | could be chance |
Metrics with a clear pattern, plotted against rank
Time spent flying with a gaggle
- 27 gaggle episodes detected (peak size 13 pilots).
Arriving at ESS with height to spare
- ESS altitude margin over final glide: top-10 median -284 m (n=9).
Share of lift turned in that was kept as a climb
Share of race time spent hunting for the next climb
- Speed-section phase shares, field p25/median/p75: climb 36/38/39% · glide 39/42/45% · search 16/18/22%
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 |