Deciding to Roll Out on Course
This week is not the topic of how to efficiently roll out, but when to roll out. How do you know it is time? Particularly the theme of this series is how not to do it by learning from my mistakes.
The problem becomes when you are impatient and not really paying attention to your average climb rate. This has happened to me countless times. I would see another glider or cloud or something and get excited about going and leave. However, on the rollout, I would look at the average and notice it was still strong and I should NOT have left. Effectively leaving the thermal for a weaker one. Not an efficient way to race.
Before you roll out you want to make sure the average is still there. A nice feature is having a thermal average and a 20-second average displayed. Total Energy is great for centering and staying centered but the other two are how you determine when to leave. Without an averager, it is a little harder to determine what is going on, only because the weaker side of the thermal might be misleading on your climb-rate.
The thermal average is going to take into account the time it takes you to center the thermal. That is nice to know because that sometimes can be a lot longer than you were expecting. If that is the case then you need to consider that before leaving because taking a lot of thermals will cause you more of a time penalty.
What you don't want to do is just go by feel. Sometimes the thermal might smooth out, but still remain a high average. It might be choppy or only going up on one side which might lead you to believe it is not as strong as you think it is. You do not care how it is going up only how fast it is going up.
I remember a very week thermal at my first US 18m nationals. The one right before I landed out... If felt like it was dying and it was up and down and and the average was diminishing. I wanted to find something better. It was barely above zero, in frustration I left. In the later analysis, I had been climbing the entire time. I think it is was only 0.1 knts, but it was the only thing around. There were no thermals after that one.
To help with the flight analysis replay, turn the sample rate to 1 second on the logger. It might also get you a few more points in a turn area and might help you get a fix in an assigned speed task if you are cutting it close.
You only want to leave a thermal when you can beat it. If you can match it ahead then you could leave. There are three outcomes with your next thermal, you beat it, it is the same, or it is worse. Worse always is not good. So If you look ahead and are unsure, then probably stay there. If you leave you could beat it and the only way to beat your current thermal is to leave...But if you stay you know your climb rate...
An advantage of climbing is you get higher and increase your glide range and increase your chances to find a better thermal. If you are not high you do not get many options.
A tip for going faster, most of the time when I find myself saying 'just 1 more turn' I should have already left.
Banner Photo: elfo.sk
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.