Dehydration

Dehydration tends to be a contributing factor to a lot of stupid things that happen at contests.

Preventative Maintenance

My first contest was in Phoenix, AZ early in the season before it got hot. At least that is what they claimed, it seemed pretty hot to my crew, and I. All of the pilots walked around with water. I remember Tony Smolder with his huge Big Gulp cup full of ice water and a wet towel draped over his neck. He would drink a few of them before stepping foot into the glider. The goal was to go pee a few times an hour. The FAA recommends between 2-4 qt of water every 24hours. When it is in the triple digits before 9 am, more might be required.

You might find that going pee a few times an hour to be excessive, or just the sign of old age. The idea is that you are making sure you are staying hydrated. It is not an easy task to get hydrated once you become dehydrated. If you have become more then mildly dehydrated, you will not be able to drink a few glasses of water and become hydrated.

Fatigue

Fatigue will probably be the first and most noticeable sign of dehydration. You are probably already fatigued from flying, and this will add to it. Fatigue will make it much more unlikely that you are making the best decision, and you are operating at your peak performance. I remember one wingtip first landing (not me) at Hobbs NM during a contest where the pilot was clearly not performing at his peak performance.

Body Deficiency

You cannot rely on your body to tell you when it is thirsty. That feature within all of us does not default to a low enough setting. You will get that feeling when you have roughly 1.5 liters deficit. Only a little bit of water is required to remove that feeling of thirst. Your body will still have approximately a 2% deficient in total body weight. Weighing yourself before and after you fly is a good idea in determining if you are drinking enough water. Dark urine is not good, but we will talk about urinating in the glider next week.

Here are some helpful suggestions from the FAA:

• Drink cool (40° F) water (forget the old "sports day" theory that lukewarm water is absorbed faster into the system).
• Carry a container so you can measure daily water intake.
• Don't rely on the thirst sensation as an alarm...stay ahead. If plain water is offensive, add some sport drink flavoring to make it more acceptable.
• Limit your daily intake of caffeine and alcohol (both are diuretics and stimulate increased production of urine)
• Exercise can cause a large amount of body fluid loss that is difficult to replace quickly.
• Acclimation to a change in weather takes one to two weeks.
• Monitor personal effects of aging, recent illness, fever, diarrhea, or vomiting.
• Monitor your work and recreational activity; if you feel light-headed or dizzy, call it a day.
• In extreme heat and exercise conditions, salt and electrolyte loss is a factor but not for the average person with a moderate exercise program. The American diet takes care of the loss.

Banner Photo by Mika Ganszauge

 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.