A competition in gliding is usually based on how far and how fast the
pilot flies his/her glider.
On any given day, the competition director will set a task
based on the meteorological reports. This is usually a cross
country route going through various turn
points to return the glider back to the staring point. The speed over
this route determines the score for the day.
If however the weather for the day does not turn out to be very good or
the pilot does not have the level of skill required the glider may be
forced to land out in a field or at another airfield. This is a usual
and accepted consequence of gliding as the weather does not always come
up to expectations! If a glider lands out he will receive points for the
distance flown.
That in a nutshell is competitive gliding.
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| Competition gliders on the grid waiting for launch |
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You can participate in gliding competitions even if you have very few
hours and launches under your belt.
The Wolds G.C. is equipped with modern two seaters of reasonable cross country
performance and it is in one of these aircraft that you will have your first
taste of cross country and competition flying with one of our instructors.
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Being a crew member is also great fun as you can help out on the ground
and get involved with retrieving landed
gliders and pilots from anywhere in the country. Competitions usually
turn into important social events in the gliding world as very simply,
they can be enormous fun for both the pilots and crews.
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