Personal Preparation

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 bits together to make a great & fast flight, rather than "I just want to make a fast flight today". Forget the speed, it'll all just happen naturally.

Typically no pilot is better than another with hand-flying skills. While I've never flown with Kawa to compare, I'm sure I could equal him on hand flying skills alone, it's just that he makes better decisions than myself, you too. The really top pilots I think have mental toughness, good physical condition & a burning desire to achieve.

Endurance

Racing gliders is an endurance event, no question about it. Want to have a strong performance, not fade off & lose points near the end? Only a good standard of physical fitness will carry you through to the last days. The higher the standard you hold within yourself, the better chance you have.

Fatigue can be very subtle, it shows earliest as indecision leading to, you guessed it, poor decisions & lost points. If after some flights or competitions, you wonder at the strange or silly decisions you've made, you've probably been a victim of dehydration or low blood sugar - these are all under your control & preventable!

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness, stretching, nutrition, food for the flight, alcohol, sports additives, oxygen, cutting out smoking, mental preparation, recovery, coping with stress on the ground & in the air, goal making, knowing your strengths & weaknesses, analyzing individual flights, preparing the glider, are all in the package of making a top-flight - in my following articles, I hope to share with you these topics & how I prepare for top performance at a competition.

Physical fitness, the beginning...

Learn what level you're at first, the 12 minute Cooper test is a super-easy way to test your fitness level is against sex & age group. If you don't make at least the fair category, you'll want to do something about that, preferably get it into the good range at least!

You'll need to make a plan, stick to it for at least 3 months before you notice any real difference, the sooner you start, the better! Plus you get the added benefit of feeling better & knowing you're gaining points on your mates

In the next article, I'll talk about pre-flight routine & in-flight health, an important part of making good decisions, day in, day out!

 Adam Woolley was born into the gliding world, being the 3rd generation in his family. Going solo at 15, his thirst for efficiency in soaring flight & quest for a world championship title to his name has never wavered. One big passion is sharing his experiences & joy with other glider pilots all around the world. Adam is an airline pilot in Japan on the B767 & spends his off time chasing summer around the globe. He has now won 7 national Championships & represented Australia at 5 WGC's & 1 EGC.