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 pre-launch setup. We should be drinking whenever we are thirsty, not just for the sake of it, damage to your brain and body can result from over hydration as well, find your own balance, just don’t overdo it! I try to get optimally hydrated in the week before my flight/competition, that way my body holds the water easier during the competition when I need it the most. If you lose ‘x’ in weight after a flight, you’ll need to double that in water intake to recover it, so it’s easier just to keep the fluids up!

Lunch

If you cannot eat your lunch before launch, then naturally take it with you. 2-3 hours after eating, the blood sugar for our brain will start decreasing. Then, unless something is eaten to restore it, it will continue to drop below normal. Why is this necessary to keep up? For our good decision making of course! Low blood sugar will show up as indecision, lack of feel, concentration, “why can’t I find the thermals so easily anymore”, etc. These also rings true for dehydration, so keep it up. I try to reward myself with a sip every time I make a good decision or top of a climb, alternatively, set up your LX80/90xx to alert you every 10mins if you must!

Food that goes into the system slowly is best, dried or fresh fruit can do this. Spreading the intake of sugar with some protein too, think in this case nuts, or muesli bars, as long as they don’t have too much sugar in them and contain fruits.

You’re nearing final glide, the end of your flight – glucose(!), it gets sugar into your bloodstream fast to give you a good boost. Be careful with this one though, as the downside is less energy later, so do everything you can to avoid it mid-flight, otherwise, it might be a downward spiral for you.

Water

Water, it’s a must-have of course. I often fly with two options, mostly water of course, but also at least a liters worth of water with a sports additive. The Australian Institute of Sports has always recommended to the glider pilots that we mix at half strength. As you can see from all the above, keeping your brain working at full steam is imperative for a fast flight, also a safe and memorable one too!

Alcohol

Alcohol! We had to talk about it. I’m a firm believer that we should do what we always do, but at a gliding competition, all in moderation of course. If you like a beer or two at nights, and you enjoy it with your friends at a gliding site, I say go for it, one has to have some downtime too. On the other hand, the effects of alcohol can remain in your system for several days. To get any real use out of this statement, one should abstain from alcohol for 3 months prior to a championship to get the maximum benefit & remove any substance from the body. I’ll leave this one up to you, Cheers!

 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.