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Getting started at Competition flying

27th January 2000

Introduction

Flying at a competition is by far the fastest way to develop the skills of cross country flying.   Many new pilots over-estimate the ability level required to fly in a competition, and consequently hang back from their best learning opportunity.

Here’s a conventional view

This can take years and years. You’re learning in isolation.

Here’s the fast track

With the fast track you’re using the competition as a learning tool.  Why is attending a competition so great?  The reasons are several.

Firstly

The key to reliable cross country flying depends on correctly reading the sky and understanding whats happening with the weather. By attempting to fly the same course at the same time as your more experienced competitors, you’ll be faced with the same conditions and you will be facing the same decisions. The decisions you make will be either right or wrong, and you’ll be able to correctly understand the rights or wrongs later on when debriefing in the bar.

It will take months or years of local flying to learn, by trial and error, what you can learn in one week at a competition.

Secondly

By flying a course which inevitably takes you away from the local area, you are exposed to a range of different conditions. If the competition is based at an airfield which is not your home field, you’re already flying in new territory as soon as you takeoff.

Thirdly

By flying close to others you’ll be able to identify where their skills are higher, and what aspects of your flying you need to work on.

In addition to providing a faster learning curve, competition flying is probably safer than solo cross country flying. Granted, there is a slightly increased risk of collision due to a higher number of gliders. On the other hand, there are often other gliders in the vicinity able to mark thermals, to advise and assist, able to keep an eye on an outlanding, and to relay communications if required. As well, the competition base radio is manned full time during competitions, and it is a comforting feeling to know that someone is listening out for you.

In some clubs, taking a glider to a competition is the only way to get access to a glider for extended periods. This in itself can make it worth going. At all competitions, there’s support with retrieve crews, task planning, and so on.

And apart from all of this, they’re just plain good fun!!

Why not go?

Some pilots fear that the "competition" of the event will put them under extra pressure. This is not correct. Pilots themselves decide how much pressure (if any!) they want to put themselves under. Only those with expectations of winning put a burden on themselves. If you’re there for fun and to learn, where is the pressure?

Some pilots may have the fear that other more experienced pilots ("the guns") will snigger and scoff at the tyro’s ability. I have flown every competition I could for the last 5 years and have never seen even a hint of this. There has been nothing but encouragement and active support from the more experienced pilots.

Think of "Competition" flying as "structured cross-country" flying, and you’ll be closer to the mark.

So what do you need to do now?

First, you’ll need the support of your CFI. If he thinks you’re OK for cross-country, he should be supporting your competition aspirations. If he doesnt, find out why and work on the areas where you have weaknesses.

Next, you’ll need to pick a glider class to compete in. Starters will be best served by opting for the Club class or better still PW5 or Sport class.

You’ll need a GPS, such as a garmin 12, but there seem to be plenty around which can be borrowed for a competition, so you shouldnt need to buy one.

Now you’ll need to organise vehicles, gliders, time off work, accommodation and family issues, and then you can send in the entry form. The biggest hurdle you’ll probably have to overcome will not be flying ability, it will be these organisational requirements.

Read books like Reichmann "Cross Country Soaring".

Dont frig about spending hours on working out final glide calculators. While interesting, the reality is that there is a previous level of decision making you still have to learn before you’ll get to use your fancy new final glide calculator. It is likely to take the first competition or two to learn these previous decisions.

Finally, front up to the contest. Be friendly and open to advice, ask for help. You’ll find plenty of support and assistance from other pilots.

Whether you’re a competitive sort of personality or not, your cross country flying ability will really accellerate as a result of attending a competition. Dont be shy. You owe it to yourself to give it a go. But watch out, it can be addictive!