Returning to flying post ‘Rona

Disclaimer: I am not saying don’t practice. I am not saying don’t try to get better. I am saying do it properly.

Lots of Time Off

Many of us have had quite a bit of time off from flying this spring.  Perhaps we have been flying Condor, perhaps simply working on home improvement projects and forgetting about that expensive toy out in

Creating a Training Program

Part 1 – Goal Setting

You’re preparing for a competition, it doesn’t really matter if it’s your first, a regional, the nationals or a world gliding championships. The plan may cover just one season or many seasons over many sites and continents. Regardless, it’s done in 3 stages, Planning, Practice and Implementation – lets

Water off a duck's back

There are so many things that degrade performance, many things that can interfere with concentration, mental toughness is what’s required to put all the other personal preparations spoken about previously into place, to get the ultimate performance – the one that will see you with the most amount of points on the last day, ultimately, that’s all that really matters.

Personal preparations continued (food, water, and booze!)

Food on the airfield and in-flight? The days are long when you are gliding, whether that be practicing of a weekend, or into your 10th day at a nationals, one thing for sure is that you must stay hydrated, without this, your body can’t even begin to perform at its optimum. So ensure that you have it nearby, preferably in a dedicated

You've decided to enter a major competition, but where does one start with preparation? Naturally, the best place to start is with the pilot. The good thing about this, it can be done all the time.

For me, it's essential to realize that the focus should be put on the process of what makes a good flight, the skills & factors necessary to achieve the performance. Focus on putting all the little

How are you going to schedule your time? Are you out for the winter and start getting the glider ready the first weekend in April? Are you headed to the seniors in March then off to Perry, and stay in South Carolina for the 15meter Nationals, then...? Maybe you are flying all winter like me and had a nice 14,000ft flight on Sunday in the wave.

More points to you if you figured out a way

No matter how many times we talk about this, it happens. Some of you might be following the FCC contest in Slovakia that finishes today. A club class pilot did it again. Won a day, then well, then he didn't win the next day, actually, he didn't make it home the next day.

Many of us are not mentally prepared to win yet. We are still working on our Mental preparation.

"If you are not

This is a do as I say not as I do article. Because those that know me will know that at times I am not that organized (I showed up missing wing tape and catheters) and sometimes I show up with enough stuff to rewire and repair sailplanes. Not including times, I show up with Wings and Wheels